Calfo Style Overflow boxes

[areze]

if I did it all over again(and I dont plan to ) Id have put a second bulkhead. but as it stands, the bulkhead is silent, Im not sure that I like that though. the bulkhead is basicly submerged as you can see, that is a 1.5" bulkhead, and its barely keepingup with a mag 9.5. it appears solid, as it doesnt ever backup... but of course that only has to happen once.

I would have gone the full length of the tank, but then I did not know where my powerheads and such would go, I didnt want they under the overflow, nor all on the sidewalls. again, if I did it over(and money was no object, Id use 2 tunze streams for my flow; or maybe a closed loop. but money is an object .

Im a senior in college, I have big plans for when I graduate, for right now this entire tank is a giant experiment. Im trying everything to see what Id do differently, then in about 2 years I hope to begin a 1400g 144x48x48 tank in the basement taking all of this knowledge and adding $$$$$$.

Id say the surface skimming is still effective with the half length box, maybe not AS effective, but my water level remains fairly low compared to the overflow walls.

 

[Bemmer]

Areze,
It is all a learning process for all of us. That is the beauty of RC, we all learn from ourselves and from others.

Keep dreaming about that 1400g. I hope you are planning on a BIG paying job when you get out of school...cause you are going to need it.

 

[areze]

dont I know it . Im not one to take expensive trips, or eat expensive meals, that and Im single . so I mean that right there, I could afford a swimming pool.

always more to learn though.

 

[DonBossung]

if I did it all over again(and I dont plan to ) Id have put a second bulkhead. but as it stands, the bulkhead is silent, Im not sure that I like that though. the bulkhead is basicly submerged as you can see, that is a 1.5" bulkhead, and its barely keepingup with a mag 9.5. it appears solid, as it doesnt ever backup... but of course that only has to happen once.

You might try a T on the outside of the bulkhead with a cap. Drill a small hole in the cap and you have a Durso like design that will allow more air into the drain and help it to keep up better. Or you might try a float switch in the return area of the sump to turn off the return pump when the water level drops low (indicating a plug in the drain line)

I would have gone the full length of the tank, but then I did not know where my powerheads and such would go, I didnt want they under the overflow, nor all on the sidewalls. again, if I did it over(and money was no object, Id use 2 tunze streams for my flow; or maybe a closed loop. but money is an object .

Hooee do I understand that! Yes I have made many changes costing me many $$$$ over the years so I understand.

Im a senior in college, I have big plans for when I graduate, for right now this entire tank is a giant experiment. Im trying everything to see what Id do differently, then in about 2 years I hope to begin a 1400g 144x48x48 tank in the basement taking all of this knowledge and adding $$$$$$.

Yikes, that sounds like quite an undertaking!

Id say the surface skimming is still effective with the half length box, maybe not AS effective, but my water level remains fairly low compared to the overflow walls.

Oh, yes, I agree completly. Keep learning and sharing, and using what you learn! (I still have trouble with that even after 50 years!)

Good luck with your aquaria and your Education.

Don

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

I have elbows on mine. They can be removed as well. As you can see in the pics, I have stockman standpipes as well. The overflows are quiet.

 

[Bemmer]

Jeremy,
I think I am going to use two 90 degree street elbows to help reduce the width of the overflow trough. Did you say your width is 4"? That allows for the removal of the elbow and for your hand to get into the overflow. That's good.

I am not familiar with the term "stockman standpipes" but I am guessing that is using a "tee" coming off the backside of the bulkhead. The top of the tee is capped and a slot is put in the top end of the tee to allow air into the standpipe. Is that correct? What is attached to the bottom half of the tee? It looks slightly larger than the 1" tee. Thanks.

Rebecca

 

[causeofhim]

Has any body tried a full length angled weir instead of the box?

Are there any pics of this? I want to do this.

 

[rick17]

I'm thinking of doing this to on my 180 so the more info and pics i can get the better it will be

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

Jeremy,
I think I am going to use two 90 degree street elbows to help reduce the width of the overflow trough. Did you say your width is 4"? Yes>

That allows for the removal of the elbow and for your hand to get into the overflow. That's good.

I am not familiar with the term "stockman standpipes" but I am guessing that is using a "tee" coming off the backside of the bulkhead. The top of the tee is capped and a slot is put in the top end of the tee to allow air into the standpipe. Is that correct?

Yes that is a Stockman stand pipe

What is attached to the bottom half of the tee? It looks slightly larger than the 1" tee. Thanks.

I actually have the 2 1" pipes merging into a single 1 1/2" pipe. I have 4 1" bulkheads, but only 2 1 1/2" drain pipes going into the sump.

Rebecca

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

I don't think the angled weir would be much benefit. I have no shadow on the sand bed at the back of the tank, below the overflows.

 

[causeofhim]

I don't think the angled weir would be much benefit. I have no shadow on the sand bed at the back of the tank, below the overflows.

I'm not so concerned with the shadow. I just think it could be much less obtrusive and using only mone piece of glass would be much more simple to assemble.

 

[LouZ]

I'm not so concerned with the shadow. I just think it could be much less obtrusive and using only mone piece of glass would be much more simple to assemble.

Thats what I was thinking.....I'm not gona be able to try it myself
until after the holidays ....

LZ

 

[trmiv]

Here's my new 90 with horizontal overflows. Each box ix 17" long and 4" wide, so there is 50" of linear overflow area. Each box feeds one 1" overflow. I'm only going to be using a mag 7 return, because I don't want a lot of flow through the sump.

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

Looks good!

 

[larryl]

The designs with the internal boxes only look good but still seems like making them 4" wide (just to allow an elbow on the bulkhead inside) takes up an awful lot of real estate. The design by brackishdude on the previous page is more work because you also have to build a box on the back of the tank, but only having a 1" wide box on the inside seems like a big advantage. Anybody else tried building one like that?

Larry

 

[trmiv]

You're right, they do take up a lot of space in the tank. After seeing them actually in the tank, I'm concerned about how large they are. But there's nothing I can do about that now, that silcone is stuck hard.

EDIT: On second thought, these boxes won't be that hard to get out. I'm now thinking of either just running one box, or making like 2.5" wide one's. How essential are the turned down elbows?

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

The turned down elbows are not essential, they did make mine a bit more quiet.

I think mine take up little room, much less then the 2 megaflow overflows in my old All Glass 125.

 

[trmiv]

I won't be putting much flow through, maybe 400-500 gph through 2 1" drains. So maybe 200-250 gph for each drain. So I would think it would be pretty quiet even without the elbows.

 

[areze]

the whole overflow point for me was to have the least chance of a leak. and to me, a drilled bulkhead and internal overflow is the least chance.

I have no down turn elbow, doesnt bother me with sound, the outlet to the sump is more noise.

the real estate it uses is wasted space anyway, unless you have a very tall rock setup. I put the halides towards the front of the tank and they hit the corals better and get direct light down to the back bottom if I needed it there.

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

I agree with areze!