Questions About Setting Up a New 300gal Tank?

[GinaC]

Hi! My husband and I are planning on building a 300gal pentagon reef tank into a corner as part of a basement renovation. The front and 2 long sides will be 48" and the 2 short sides 14". Our plan is that it will be visible from the front as well as the 2 long sides, with one side facing a bathroom that will also serve as the main access area and maintenance room. Building a setup like this from scratch is a little overwhelming considering that he has never dealt with saltwater and it has been over 10 years since I last had a (46gal) tank! I have been doing some research and it sounds like a coast 2 coast/Bean Animal overflow is the way to go? I still can't figure out if internal or external is better? Is a weir necessary? Any recommendations about this and literally every other aspect are welcome! Thanks in advance
Gina C

 

[mcgyvr]

Yes in general given all the pros/cons a bean animal drain system is best..
A long weir/coast-coast is typically also the best as it allows the best surface skimming..

The only real benefit of "external" is that you can save "some" space inside the display tank.. Its not too much but its some..
With a 300G tank you really aren't pinched for space but the choice is yours.. Maybe external can also offer some advantage as far as access/maintenance for you..

 

[lapin]

I have had both. Mcgyvr pretty much covers it. When I built my current tank I placed the c2c on the outside. On my other tank it had a rim and was a bear to clean the internal box both inside and the underside. I found it easier to run the pipes straight out of the bottom of the external overflow box, no elbows to worry about. I have some macro in my external box in a basket and could grow some frags in there if made a rack.

 

[mcgyvr]

To provide a bit more information..
I too have had both..
What I found with external boxes is that you need to plan/adjust the height of the elbows in the external box vs the bulkheads or whatever path the water takes to get into the external box..
If the bulkheads are too high and elbows too low you get more noise from the water "waterfalling" into the external box and it will never be "silent" unless you adjust..

That isn't a problem with an internal box..
Not saying don't do an external.. Just that you should set it up and don't glue anything in the external box until you have it fully running.. You may need to adjust the height of the pipes/elbows to "dial it in for silence"

 

[lapin]

Good point. Water falling over the weir will make noise if it falls too far. Since my equipment is in a tank room, i cant hear it. (Well that and being old and deaf). My water fall is about 2". Ya dont glue anything in the box. There is really no need for glue. Push fit is fine since there is really no water pressure and if it leaks a "bit" its only going down the inside of the pipes. My main drain pipe is about 1" lower than my trickle pipe. Im using 2" pipe.