Draining plumbing question

[Butterz]

I'm thinking of adding a huge fuge next to my 72. It will be a 55 gallon that will set next to it and I do not want to drill into my 55 for water to go into it.

My problem is this, the bottom of my overflow box is about 3 inches below the top of my 55. So it I were to hook up my over flow to my 55, I would have to pipe it behind my 72 to my 55, up 3 inches to have it flow into the 55.

Now will this slow the flow down? Or as long as it stays below the water line of my display tank and water in my overflow resevior will it run at some what normal flow for it's size?

What if I piped it so the water exited the pipe in my 55 lower towards the bottom. Kind of like the power of suction about 18 below the water line in my 72?

 

[kraze3]

You could build sort a trap like you have on your sink. Make a U up and then a U down into the 55. You need to keep it below the surface of the 72. The lower the better. I dont see a problem with this setup except you may need to periodically clean the trap. Either use a union so it can be removed or use a pipe cleaner to make sure nothing builds up inside.

 

[heap]

if you have the opportunity to set it up right, the fuge being above the display is a good thing.

if you overflow/drain from the fuge to the display, whatever little critters that make the trip to your display tank wont be ran thru a pump.

i'm not sure if i'm really following what you're asking about the particulars of the plumbing, but...just a thought...i'd probably set it up as if the display tank was the refigium's sump, if that makes any sense.

 

[Butterz]

Thanks Kraze...that's exactly what I was thinking. I didn't even think about the trap like under the sink, even though that was what I was going for.

I have the 55 on a stand, that why I really can't adjust the height without it being a hassle building another stand or something.

I have been using a rio 2600 pump and just bought a Mag 12 and an extra overflow. So I will be using to overflows, but Heap does have a good point and I may rethink this and see if I can raise the 55.

I wan't to use the 55 as a huge fuge and a place to keep my fragging corals. Nothing great, but I have like 18 kenya frags from the mother colony and many palys, birds nest, xenia and GSP that I want out of my display but keep until the next frag swap for my area.

 

[reefpatrol3]

If your overflow is acrylic and has the drain pipe on the bottom, what about plugging that drain pipe and drilling a new hole in the side of your overflow up higher. Put a bulkhead in it so it can come strait out into the 55. If you can do that with your overflow.