New build questions.. Ideas and advice welcome

[LeJeune981]

I recently picked up a used 90 gallon with overflow box.. A nice set up with canopy and all.. With a 5 stage spectra pure RODI unit... 100 bucks..
I've been looking for a 3 gallon tank for in the stand to make a refugium...
I ended up finding a nice 46 gallon bow front w stand yesterday for free..
Both tanks are leak free

Anyways... The bow front will not fit in the stand obviously... But I want to make it my display fuge now..
What I need to figure out is how to plum it.. Since on the stand.. It stands level with the bottom of the 90 gallon.. So I don't know if the overflow will work.... Now the top of the 46 is lower than the over flow box I am pretty sure.. So will gravity still do its thing and alow water to flow into the fuge? I think it will but I am no expert at fluid dynamics..
Another question.. What size pump (gallon per hour) would be best for a return pump.. I have a 600 GPH pump laying around.. But am looking at possibly picking up a 1200 GPH pump off Amazon.. I'm not sure if that would be overkill or not though... Any advice.. Concerns.. And thoughts are very much appreciated

 

[LeJeune981]

The bow front was once a freshy tank.. It came with some kind of course sand.. I don't know what it is.. But everything that came with the tank has a coating of white on it... And the tank it sold has alot of what I would call calcium residue on the glass I am cleaning off... Way more than what I would consider normal... So I'm guessing it is from the sand.. Maybe it's calcium carbonate or something of the sort... Should I just file 13 the sand and replace it with new... Or would I be safe to wash it good.. And re use it... It has a very nice color.. Off White with black specks..
Just looking for opinions.. I already have new sand for it.. Ill add a pic of the bow front to give y'all an idea of the build up residue

 

[LeJeune981]

46 gallon bow front... Hey.. It was free

 

[Ron Reefman]

I think I have kind of what you are shooting for. Something like this:



I have both tanks drain to the sump and one return pump that runs through a manifold to feed both tanks and a chiller that is out behind the house (heat in Florida). Put gate valves on both returns (don't use ball valves, they are far more crude in adjustment). And I'd recommend you get a DC return pump with speed control. Between the speed control and the gate valves, you can get both tanks balanced perfectly.

You can see how I put mine together in my build thread. The link address is in my signature below.

If you wash the sand well it will be fine. But sand is cheap. But then I washed all my sand after my 180g tank broke (all in the build thread).

 

[Valentini89]

You can send that Bowfront to #$&@ @#$_&--++ drive, Panama City, FL.. and pick up a rectangle tank for the fuge for cheap. I'm sure you'd rather have the rectangle and I could use a bigger tank.. that is a joke, btw.. my next tank is 100-200g

 

[LeJeune981]

I think I have kind of what you are shooting for. Something like this:



I have both tanks drain to the sump and one return pump that runs through a manifold to feed both tanks and a chiller that is out behind the house (heat in Florida). Put gate valves on both returns (don't use ball valves, they are far more crude in adjustment). And I'd recommend you get a DC return pump with speed control. Between the speed control and the gate valves, you can get both tanks balanced perfectly.

You can see how I put mine together in my build thread. The link address is in my signature below.

If you wash the sand well it will be fine. But sand is cheap. But then I washed all my sand after my 180g tank broke (all in the build thread).

Actually I want to use to bow front as my fuge... I don't have a sump.. But same set up as you have.. Except the bow front will have the overflow running to it... And return pumping from it...
The bow front will be 6 inches shorter than the 90 on the stands..

 

[LeJeune981]

You can send that Bowfront to #$&@ @#$_&--++ drive, Panama City, FL.. and pick up a rectangle tank for the fuge for cheap. I'm sure you'd rather have the rectangle and I could use a bigger tank.. that is a joke, btw.. my next tank is 100-200g

Lol my neighbor said the same thing... He is currently looking for a 30 or 40 gallon to rectangle tank to buy and trade me for this bow front... I just finished cleaning it all up... And it deff turned out nicely..

 

[LeJeune981]

If I can't set the bow front up next to my display and run my overflow to it... I may take my 90 off the stand... And place the bow front inside (it won't fit through the cabinet doors...
But if I do put it under the tank... I will only have 6 inches of too clearance to work with... Which will kinda suck.. But I can take the doors off the stand for the 90 and it would look pretty nice...

But my goal is to have it on the stand next to the 90... If the overflow will work like that..

I think it will... Because the inlet on the over flow will be roughly 6 inches taller than the top of the bowfront