external overflow worth the lost real estate?

[porthios]

i'm considering something along the lines of the two designs shown below. the problem is, i'm limited to the depth by the size of the room. i can't have the tank protrude more than 38-40" into the room. i like all the ideas behind an external overflow except that given the same space, i have to give up 'in tank' depth for it.

the external overflow does leave me some room for a closed loop plumbed into the back wall but i'm not sure i even want to go that route. might just try to get away with a few vortechs..

so which of the two designs do you like better and why? feel free to suggest any refinements to what you see.

 

[Untamed12]

These two designs are pretty different in performance as the external has 6 feet of linear overflow area and the internal overflows are onlyl 18" of linear overflow.

Personally, I wouldn't go 30" tall....that's another discussion though. Then again...maybe you are Michael Phelps!

I like the external overflow. Build the tank 42" out and hide every measuring tape in the house!

 

[tangers]

I would go with the external just to have the extra real estate!

 

[porthios]

Personally, I wouldn't go 30" tall....that's another discussion though.

no, no.. i want to hear that too. i just spent three days reading your tank build thread. great, great, tank.. very well done imo. so speak on it. how high would you go?

Build the tank 42" out and hide every measuring tape in the house!

lol. thought of that. my wife's an architect tho. pretty sure she'd catch that one

I would go with the external just to have the extra real estate!

you'll have to explain that one..

 

[turtleman10]

OK the reason not to go more than 3" tall is cleaning and other maintainance you cant reach the bottom unless your going to have a really deep send bed. Most people prefer a 24" tank for this reason.

The real estate in the tank you will loose valuable space in the tank. With external overflows there is no real estate loss.

Another thing to consider is surface skimming you get much better surface skimming with external. This means a cleaner tank since your filters can clean that water and better oxygenation of the water.

Remember your tank should be 6" from the wall anyway so you can get behind it to do maintenance. you never want a tank right up against a wall. Bad things will happen to that wall.

Also remember if you builds a tank that is 3' wide you still need to get to that back of it so try to imagine doing maintenance on that tank.

It will also help if we knew what type of tank this will be? a reef or Fish only?

 

[forensicdoc]

A bit off your question, but since some have critiqued the 30" depth, I feel the need to chime in support of a 30" depth.

I have two 37" deep tanks, and can clean them without being Mike Phelps (although Mark Spitz is more my era). The key is having enough access from around the top of the tank. There are also many great tools to help you with those last few inches.

The taller display is also much more striking in the home. They provide great views from both sitting and standing positions. You can create interesting rock and cave structures with the additional height. You can also have both bright light drenched areas and shady nooks deep in the same tank.

 

[porthios]

OK the reason not to go more than 3" tall is cleaning and other maintainance you cant reach the bottom unless your going to have a really deep send bed. Most people prefer a 24" tank for this reason.

i'm sorry, i should have phrased that better. at what point does the increased aesthetics of a taller display cease to out weigh the pain suffered from having to reach further in the tank. i've never owned a tank deeper than 24". i'm 6'1" and don't mind having to use tongs occasionally. i'm really debating between 28 and 30" deep although if i decide to do a dsb in the display, it'll definitely be 30". i was just looking for some personal experiences/observations from the big tank crew..

The real estate in the tank you will loose valuable space in the tank. With external overflows there is no real estate loss.

no, i lose real estate with an external overflow. given the same external dimensions, an external overflow gives me less usable sand bed area, tank volume, etc..

Another thing to consider is surface skimming you get much better surface skimming with external. This means a cleaner tank since your filters can clean that water and better oxygenation of the water.

yep, i get that part. you get better throughput and a better concentration of proteins in the water that's skimmed from the surface. i'm asking if that's worth the lost tank volume and aquascaping space you have to give up for it.

Remember your tank should be 6" from the wall anyway so you can get behind it to do maintenance. you never want a tank right up against a wall. Bad things will happen to that wall.

Also remember if you builds a tank that is 3' wide you still need to get to that back of it so try to imagine doing maintenance on that tank.

i have a way around that in this case.

i've also played around with an internal coast to coast overflow but that doesn't buy me anything over an external overflow in terms of clearance from the wall as i still need room for the plumbing..

 

[Untamed12]

I thought it was interesting that you drew the c-to-c external overflow as only 9" deep, yet the internal overflows go right to the bottom of the tank. Done that way, those internal overflows waste a lot of space.

You might compromise on that with an internal 9" deep, c-to-c overflow with drain exits in the back wall. It won't matter if the overflow box drains straight down or sideways. Besides, you'll want to do a "Herbie" anyway...so that will maintain a level of water inside the overflow box at all times.

That way, you still have your full 36" depth of tank in all but the back, upper 9". This will create a shelf on the back wall underneath the overflows that some critters will probably really like.

 

[Untamed12]

....or....

Do the internal 9" deep C-to-C overflow, and just run pipes straight down from the overflow box through the tank bottom. Run one pipe down the extreme left and right ends of the overflow.

The pipes will become encrusted with coraline, or you could mount coral on them and turn them into "towers".

Again, you will still have your full 36" tank depth (visually).

Hey..it is about brainstorming here...right?

 

[porthios]

....or....

Do the internal 9" deep C-to-C overflow, and just run pipes straight down from the overflow box through the tank bottom. Run one pipe down the extreme left and right ends of the overflow.

The pipes will become encrusted with coraline, or you could mount coral on them and turn them into "towers".

Again, you will still have your full 36" tank depth (visually).

Hey..it is about brainstorming here...right?

ah, that's an interesting idea.. as soon as i have any plumbing headed out the back wall i may as well do an external. same space requirement in terms of clearance from the wall behind the tank. but an internal c2c that drains through the bottom? that may just be the ticket

i could still hide the pipes with acrylic like a traditional overflow, two 9"x6" towers doesn't really steal much from a tank this size imo.

i'd still like to hear your personal thoughts on tank depth untamed..

edit: i'll be doing herbies for sure..

thanks for all the ideas guys. keep em coming!

 

[Untamed12]

Well...my tank is 48" deep...If I were to do it again, I would go 6 feet deep. (that's because I know NOW that I can crawl across the top of the tank...I had assumed that I would only be able to access from the front or back...but with 1" acrylic all around you can actually sit on top of the tank and reach straight down)

So...my opinion is that 36" deep is better than less.

The more I'm thinking about it, the more I like that idea of the coast to coast internal overflow with the pipes running straight down through the tank bottom. I think that would be unique...

Have you considered using any of those foam type treatments on the back wall? I have no experience with that stuff, but it seems that in your case you could coat the back wall such that you engulf the internal box near the top of the tank and engulf the pipes on the sides. That would get rid of all the unnatural edges.

 

[turtleman10]

What if you made the overflow partly internal and partly external. 3" inside 3" outside. that would leave room behind the tank for the plumbing but not take up to much space.

For the depth of your tank. If its a fish only tank go as deep as you can if its a reef tank remember the deeper it is the more powerful lights you'll need.

Just food for thought.