Calfo Style Overflow boxes

Actually, a fellow RCer has given me a good offer and an old tank that he has...So I may be back sooner then I think

I love this hobby, I really do, and I dont want to leave it, I may start up a small tank, but I still have to get rid of my whitecheek tang that ive fallen in love with, im going to hate to see him/her go.

Now that ive gone round one with my saltwater reef I have realized theres so many things I know now and so many things I want to do differently/correctly the next time around.
 
Has anyone tried this with a tank that has alreayd been setup... Could I drain my tank enough to silicon everything in place and then drill the tank...?? I also don't know whether the tank is tempered or not... it use to be an eclipse tank a long long time ago... Thanks in advance...

Jester
 
Well, crazier things have been done, but if you discover that it is a tempered tank it'll be the hard way, with water, fish and glass all over the floor. Tempered tanks don't crack, they shatter.
I'd recommend not doing it, or just remove everything from the tank and then working on it. A kiddie pool is ~$10 and will hold nearly 100 gallons of water.
 
i was thinking about [with all this modding]

making a rectangular 90% elbow out of thin plastic for the internal overflow for the full durso effect

any thoughts?

if it wasnt too thin i cant see a negative
 
ok so i made my slim internal overflow with a homemade elbow of sorts and it works perfct, its quiet and i get more flow with the full durso effect

i cut a 1" piece of plastic tube from an old air drivin skimmer to fit between the bulkhead and the outer edge of the overflow i cut a 1/2 inch out of the bottom of the tube used a lighter and heated up the bottom of the tube and bent part of the cut circle on each side so that i have a U shape [upside down] its siliconed to the bulkhead and the overflow giving me a full elbow in a cramped space.
 
Wonder if anyone has done Calfo style OB with the drain pipes inside the tank going thru the bottom.

I would like to have it installed in my future 48lx30wx24h. The tank will be 30" deep, so I can not have it stick out any more from the wall. I thought of using gray or even white PVC pipes as drains on each end going thru the bottom of the tank. I could make the box tall enough to have a durso on each drain.

Pros:
Tank as close to wall as possible
Surface skimming
More space on bottom of tank

Cons:
Visible pipes inside tank (2 x drain, 2 return, CL)

Your thoughts on this.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7873334#post7873334 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kamilek
Wonder if anyone has done Calfo style OB with the drain pipes inside the tank going thru the bottom.
Click to expand...

Do you mean the box would be at the top coast-to-coast, drained through vertical pipes to another set of bulkheads in the bottom of the tank?

If so, another concern is that if one of the bottom bulkheads developed a leak there would be nothing to stop it from draining the entire tank.

Dan
 
Correct, that is the idea.

I agree with you, but the same concern would apply to those who have bottom bulkheads for CL systems.
 
I have had a 23"L x 8"D x 5"H overflow box on 120G for almost a year. The 8"D was done to accomodate the 90deg elbows for my 2 x 1.5" bulkheads. It takes up a lot of real estate in a tank that is only 24" D :(

It's only recently that I've decided to replace the above box with a 48"L x 2.5"D x 4"H box. Going to be a tricky removing about half the tank volume to remove the old box and leave the new box to cure! But I think the new size box will be worth it :)
 
Last edited:
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7873334#post7873334 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kamilek
Wonder if anyone has done Calfo style OB with the drain pipes inside the tank going thru the bottom.

I would like to have it installed in my future 48lx30wx24h. The tank will be 30" deep, so I can not have it stick out any more from the wall. I thought of using gray or even white PVC pipes as drains on each end going thru the bottom of the tank. I could make the box tall enough to have a durso on each drain.

Pros:
Tank as close to wall as possible
Surface skimming
More space on bottom of tank

Cons:
Visible pipes inside tank (2 x drain, 2 return, CL)

Your thoughts on this.
Click to expand...

.. or black. www.savko.com sells black pvc fittings and pipe. It's a little more expensive, but when you want it pretty - you want it pretty right?

I use the black for everything inside the tank
 
HMMM.....



I just found one of my clowns in my overflow. Even though it's 48" long, and there's only a thin layer of water going over, the clown was still able to jump over into the overflow.

If it happens again, I might have to add some sort of eggcrate, vertically to the top of the overflow.
 
My over flow

My over flow

Ok so here is my Calfo coast to coast over flow.
59311IMG_0006.JPG
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7930905#post7930905 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mzingali
sjm817, where do you get the plastic gutter guard? I'd like to try it. thanks

Mike
Click to expand...
Home Depot, Lowes.
RollOutGutterGuard_wht.jpg
 
How think of glass is every one useing? i am gettin a new 120 tank on tuesday and i am goin this route for an over flow. also how far down did u drill ur tank for the bulkheads?
 
ok i got my tank today its a 120 48x24x24 and i am gonna put this style overflow in it i am going 38 long by 4 out from the back of the tank and 5 deep. there will be 3 1" bulkhead drilled into the overflow. good? bad? what should i do to make it better? its a brand new tank so i can do anything!
 
I've been keeping a VERY close eye on this thread and have learne d a lot. I'm going to have my tank custome built (24"L X 18"W X 17"H - 3/8" glass) and I deffinitley want to go with a coast to coast/Calfo style overflow. One thing that I haven't heard too much about is an external o/f box. Can those that have an opinion please let me know what the good, bad and ugly will/can/might be for this type of overflow to be located on the outside of the tank?

Thanks!


JG.
 
I think the over flow on the back of the tank would be the best way, you lose less in tank space and it does the same thing! If I was going to have atank built that would be the only way I would use any overflow.
 
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