Hello everyone,
This is my first post on RC and hopefully it's in the correct forum.. If not, lemme know where it should be located pls!
Anyways, currently working on a 120 upgrade from a mixed 40 tank we've had for several years now. I purchased the 120 used awhile back and slowly putting it all together.. Took MONTHS of sanding and polishing the get the acrylic crystal clear again (let me know if you want to see progress pics or need any help refinishing!) amongst the other prep work to the stand and equipment that came in the deal. Finally got things moving again and have fallen into a rabbit hole of overflows and plumbing best practices!! Thought it would all go back together as the tank was designed, but it really has several shortcomings that need to be dealt with and improved while the tank is empty..
So here we go:
The original tank bulkheads consist of (1) 1-1/2" at bottom of overflow chamber (single overflow btw) and (2) 1" on the bottom of each side of the display. There's (3) more along the Eurobracing that fit a 3/4" bulkhead.
Thought is, to plug the two 1" holes in the bottom with a bulkhead and plug incase I decide to use again in the future.
Add in 1 or 2 full tank 3/4" drains at the bottom of the back wall to allow for complete draining when the time comes. These would be a 3/4" bulkhead with a slim, low profile, strainer on the inside of the tank hidden behind the rock. Any reason to have two or should one be fine?
Use the Eurobrace holes to have the returns come up and over the back of the tank in an effort to keep all return lines just below water level. I will have 2 Ecotech return pumps in the sump, 1 running a manifold with one return to DT. The other pump will be the main return feeding back to the tank with 1 returns on each side (2 total). This will allow me to use all three bulkhead locations in Eurobrace.
For the overflow, space is sorta limited in the bottom and difficult to get to. Would it be advisable to utilize the Beananimal design by adding 2 bulkheads on the back wall of overflow to act as the partial siphon and emergency drain? If I have a 1-1/2" full siphon (utilizing the 1-1/2" bulkhead on bottom of overflow compartment) and (2) 1" bulkheads for second and third standpipes, will this cause any issues? Just like Bean's drawings, I would use a 1" bulkhead with one 90 up and the other down on inside of overflow then bump up to 1-1/2" on the exterior side of tank and down to sump..
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! As you can probably tell, I have "overthunk" this thing to death
Please let me know if you need any specs or pictures and I'll be happy to post.
Many thanks everyone!!!
This is my first post on RC and hopefully it's in the correct forum.. If not, lemme know where it should be located pls!
Anyways, currently working on a 120 upgrade from a mixed 40 tank we've had for several years now. I purchased the 120 used awhile back and slowly putting it all together.. Took MONTHS of sanding and polishing the get the acrylic crystal clear again (let me know if you want to see progress pics or need any help refinishing!) amongst the other prep work to the stand and equipment that came in the deal. Finally got things moving again and have fallen into a rabbit hole of overflows and plumbing best practices!! Thought it would all go back together as the tank was designed, but it really has several shortcomings that need to be dealt with and improved while the tank is empty..
So here we go:
The original tank bulkheads consist of (1) 1-1/2" at bottom of overflow chamber (single overflow btw) and (2) 1" on the bottom of each side of the display. There's (3) more along the Eurobracing that fit a 3/4" bulkhead.
Thought is, to plug the two 1" holes in the bottom with a bulkhead and plug incase I decide to use again in the future.
Add in 1 or 2 full tank 3/4" drains at the bottom of the back wall to allow for complete draining when the time comes. These would be a 3/4" bulkhead with a slim, low profile, strainer on the inside of the tank hidden behind the rock. Any reason to have two or should one be fine?
Use the Eurobrace holes to have the returns come up and over the back of the tank in an effort to keep all return lines just below water level. I will have 2 Ecotech return pumps in the sump, 1 running a manifold with one return to DT. The other pump will be the main return feeding back to the tank with 1 returns on each side (2 total). This will allow me to use all three bulkhead locations in Eurobrace.
For the overflow, space is sorta limited in the bottom and difficult to get to. Would it be advisable to utilize the Beananimal design by adding 2 bulkheads on the back wall of overflow to act as the partial siphon and emergency drain? If I have a 1-1/2" full siphon (utilizing the 1-1/2" bulkhead on bottom of overflow compartment) and (2) 1" bulkheads for second and third standpipes, will this cause any issues? Just like Bean's drawings, I would use a 1" bulkhead with one 90 up and the other down on inside of overflow then bump up to 1-1/2" on the exterior side of tank and down to sump..
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! As you can probably tell, I have "overthunk" this thing to death
Please let me know if you need any specs or pictures and I'll be happy to post.
Many thanks everyone!!!
Also a couple of the stand before and after.. 
I'm doing my best to automate as much as possible on the tank as I travel quite a bit for work. If I'm on the road and disaster strikes, it's much easier for my wife to turn a valve in order to drain the tank then asking her to hook up a pump or start a siphon.. I originally thought about incorporating a drain into the manifold, but that would limit how much water could be removed at a time.. Easy enough to add in without much increase in cost / time at this point.
