Making An RR Overflow in A Non RR Tank

panaboy95

panaboy95

New member
A friend of mine bought a non rr 150 tank. We are going to drill the back of the tank and make an overflow for it. I am sure it has been done many times but we need ideas. I need pictures of peoples set ups I learn visually not too much of a book worm. I did not know how far down we should drill the hole. I think we are planning on a two inch bulkhead for the overflow but that is about it so far.
 
ok im in the process of doing two 1" drains on my 90g... not an expert! this is my first time, but i do know you need a hole first. not in the bottom bc it is probably tempered. the hole will need to be the size for the 2" bh not the actual 2" diametr (you need to get this info from the bulkhead source). to drill glass the best way you need a drill and a diamond crusted hole saw. got mine from ameriglass (american company) and i have two cheapos on the way from rinchon tools to try on my sump. need to keep the hole wet , careful with the chunk of glass that falls out on the other side... other than that wet and slow (lower speed is saferfor your glass)! ok youll have a hole for a bh after this... the overflow is up to you many people will disagree on this but im gonna do a black acrylic overf and a modified durso standpipe. to get all the flow possible from a 2" youll need to be drawing from a lot of surface area! so your overflow will have to be big... im thinking 12"x24"x6" rect for 2x1" overf should be about the same deal for a two inch i guess. ok no pics sorry but that is the info ive gotten from weeks of surfing on this topic! so ... somebody make corrections but this is what ive seen and taken from it. there are pics... but theyre on other threads and i haven't done it yet, tomorrow i will though!
 
An acrylic o/f is ok as long as you line it with some glass. Silicone the glass in first and then silicine the acrylic box outside of it. The glass can be a few inches shorter than the outside box. Basically, you will have an o/f with a double thickness, one of acrylic and the other of glass. As for the hole, I would be skeptical of a hole in the side panel, it would signifigantly hinder the water flow, and make alot of noise. Unless it was large, as skey44 is doing.

Childrens Play-do makes a good water dam to keep the coolant around the hole saw when drilling glass.

Use lots of silicone on the o/f. Not just around the edges but on the skinny side up against the glass also.

Good luck.
 
i am sorry i ment to say the back not the side. i was planning on the overflow about like what you said. plexiglass on top of the glass. that way the glass will not have to be notched. i just wonder how long to make the overflow. mine of course goes all the way to the bottom because that is where the holes are, but this one will not have to go to the bottom since the bulkheads will be in the back.
 
I too am in the process of doing something similar on my 135 glass. I am a bit confused Skey on how you are setting yours up. I guess I am missing why you would need a hole for a 2" bulkhead instead of the 1" that you are plumbing for.

:fish1::hammer:
 
I personally would make the o/f go all the way to the bottom, it would be so much stronger that way. If you make the standpipe long enough, the o/f will fill with water and create a small refugium for little critters. Mine is full of dusters, tiny shrimp, pods, many worms, sponges etc. The standpipe in mine is set up so the the water cascades over only about an inch below the teeth. That way it is very quiet. A 2" bulkhead might be a little big. 1" will flow as much as you need. The sump doesn't require a huge turnover, only 3-5 times the t/v. Mine is plumbed this way and is very quiet.
 
here is how i setup my overflow for my 29g tank. very easy to do and works well....

IMG_3924.jpg
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THOSE OVER FLOWS WITH OUT DURSO PIPES. ARE THEY NOISEY THIS IS GOING IN THE LIVING ROOM SO NOISE IS AN ISSUE.
 
Ive changed my mind on were its going. Its going in the back room now, so noise is not so much a issue. I liked the calfo style overflow. Can you do one of those that is not all the way across the tank? Maybe the middle 24 in of a 48 in tank?
 
mishap how does that paint hold up in the tank. and from what i have heard plexiglass does not bond well with glass if you silicon it. i have not had any trouble with my bafles in the sump but this is going in the display in someone elses tank.
 
i am not putting a hole in the over flow itself... sorry misworded. didnt think of the glass lined idea... why? will the acrylic not seal to the glass with silicone?
 
glass forms a better bond with silicon. I have never had any trouble siliconing acrylic to glass though. I am just going by what everyone else tells me.
 
you're still siliconing glass to acrylic... but more surface, think im gonna just try acrylic to glass. most pre-fabbed overflows run plastic to glass wouldn't this be a similar bond
 
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