Take Your Mega Flow Box Off Your Aquarium

[krzyphsygy]

I am wondering if anyone has ever done this before. I am thinking of doing it and running a Herbie Method. The ugly box takes up alot of room and I thought If I took it off by simply cutting it out with a razor, it would give me more room. I could run a pipe with a strainer inside the tank about 10 inches high where the drian inside the box would be, and then a emergency next to it just out of the water. A gate valve tp match the pump flow should keep the water level.
Thoughts??

 

[bif24701]

I'm not sure that putting a valve on the over flow is a good idea. I would be almost impossible to keep the water level the same. Flow from the pump can change and could cause you tank to over flow. Not only that, if the power went out so would all of you water in the DT.

 

[5pacey]

I'm not sure that putting a valve on the over flow is a good idea. I would be almost impossible to keep the water level the same. Flow from the pump can change and could cause you tank to over flow. Not only that, if the power went out so would all of you water in the DT.

No... the main drain pipe inlet would be right around the level of where the overflow weir was/is. This would not drain any more water from the tank in power-off condition than regular overflow. And that's why there is an emergency overflow pipe (the 2nd one, normally not submerged) to handle any extra water coming into the DT from the pump (so it doesn't overflow). And the gate valve is exactly the way to tune in the drain flow in a full syphon/herbie setup.

Spacey

 

[bif24701]

No... the main drain pipe inlet would be right around the level of where the overflow weir was/is. This would not drain any more water from the tank in power-off condition than regular overflow. And that's why there is an emergency overflow pipe (the 2nd one, normally not submerged) to handle any extra water coming into the DT from the pump (so it doesn't overflow). And the gate valve is exactly the way to tune in the drain flow in a full syphon/herbie setup.

Spacey

If the first drain pipe were as high as the original over flow, I see no problem. I must have miss understood when he said it would be 10" tall.

 

[5pacey]

I am wondering if anyone has ever done this before. I am thinking of doing it and running a Herbie Method. The ugly box takes up alot of room and I thought If I took it off by simply cutting it out with a razor, it would give me more room. I could run a pipe with a strainer inside the tank about 10 inches high where the drian inside the box would be, and then a emergency next to it just out of the water. A gate valve tp match the pump flow should keep the water level.
Thoughts??

I am doing it but I have a cornerflow and I am keeping the shroud/overflow cover... by cutting it down you don't really gain all that much room. Still have to have the pipes going there. Just looks uglier w/out a cover and slicing around the silicone on a 90 gal tank and then filling it w/water does not really speak to my sense of security ...

The way to do it would be to have a non-drilled tank to start with, and then build a calfo tank wide weir across the whole rear wall (if tank is against a wall ) ... Then drill 2 holes (or 3) in the middle on the back wall half way up or higher and cover them w/the extension of the calfo weir so they are "concealed". Put bulkheads and piping there. This would probably minimize the tank footprint... but... that's a lot of work w/a tank I don't have I decided to just get the corner flow and be done w/it. Marineland tanks come w/two 1" holes in the bottom so I can use that for a Herbie, and just drill one more in the back behind the overflow) for a concealed return.

Spacey