thorsen
New member
I've been saving for some time now and finally order a custom 72x26x26 four sided starphire tank from aquarium obsessed. They are waiting for me to submit my plans this week before starting to build the tank. I need some help designing my tank though. I ordered two built in overflows which I am placing along the back of the tank. The overflows will be 38" apart from center to center.
My questions are the following:
1. How should I design my overflows? Or are the overflows more or less standard and it's the plumbing that makes the difference? From my reading I think the size of the overflows relates to the amount of flow that will pass through the sump as of course does the diameter of the drain pipes. I would like to grow SPS so I know I need high flow, but I had hoped to achieve most of that flow with vortech pumps and have minimal flow through my sump. I also plan to incorporate a refugium in my sump, and I have read that a refugium should have low flow. So is a flow through the sump of approximately 4x's the volume of the display per hour adequate or ideal?
2. What size holes should I have drilled in the overflows for my bulk heads. Do most people drill much larger holes than needed to allow for plumbing options?
3. I would like to use the Vortech wavemaking device that is coming out and I am not sure how high I should have my overflows in my tank and not have problems with the waves sloshing out. My tank has eurobracing and I had planned on having the water level 1 3/8" below the bottom of the eurobracing, which would allow for a 2" wave (1" trough + 1" peak) and leave 3/8" to spare. I don't want a bunch of glass above the water in my tank. I have noticed, however, that many of the builds in RC have 3 or more inches of glass above their overflows.
I feel foolish ordering a fancy tank and not knowing this basic information, but I would certainly appreciate any contributions to my build
As far as I know this is all the planning I need to submit to have my tank built, but if there is any other details I am missing please let me know.
My questions are the following:
1. How should I design my overflows? Or are the overflows more or less standard and it's the plumbing that makes the difference? From my reading I think the size of the overflows relates to the amount of flow that will pass through the sump as of course does the diameter of the drain pipes. I would like to grow SPS so I know I need high flow, but I had hoped to achieve most of that flow with vortech pumps and have minimal flow through my sump. I also plan to incorporate a refugium in my sump, and I have read that a refugium should have low flow. So is a flow through the sump of approximately 4x's the volume of the display per hour adequate or ideal?
2. What size holes should I have drilled in the overflows for my bulk heads. Do most people drill much larger holes than needed to allow for plumbing options?
3. I would like to use the Vortech wavemaking device that is coming out and I am not sure how high I should have my overflows in my tank and not have problems with the waves sloshing out. My tank has eurobracing and I had planned on having the water level 1 3/8" below the bottom of the eurobracing, which would allow for a 2" wave (1" trough + 1" peak) and leave 3/8" to spare. I don't want a bunch of glass above the water in my tank. I have noticed, however, that many of the builds in RC have 3 or more inches of glass above their overflows.
I feel foolish ordering a fancy tank and not knowing this basic information, but I would certainly appreciate any contributions to my build
As far as I know this is all the planning I need to submit to have my tank built, but if there is any other details I am missing please let me know.
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