Will this work?? (plumbing with drawing)

[agreeive?fish]

Will this work for this tank..a cheap 29g wally world tank.. will be a test tank for drilling before i do my 200g.. it will also be a test mini reef tank to see if i can do corals before i invest the bucks into corals for the 175g bow..

do you see any issues..if so PLEASE say so i wont be offended in any way(I KNOW I CANT DRAW)

Drawing not to scale..sorry for the lousy drawing

 

[drucifer42301]

The overflow size and positions look OK to me...you may be getting about 1200GPH to the sump. Of course, that's to much for a 29 gallon IMO, but you're only using it to flesh out ideas anyway. The return hole seems a bit small to me. I know at least some pump manufacturers recommend doubling the size of the pumps outlet (i.e., .5" outlet would be "bushed up" to 1" at the outlet). Someone with more experience would be better suited to answer.

 

[agreeive?fish]

oh iam gonna use a lot smaller pump than that.. i only want about 500gph max since i also have a korolia one for the tank... i will probaby have to put a diverter valve in the return line to return excess pump volume to the sump.... oh yeah iam just using stuff i have on hand other than the light fixture and the glass cutting hole saw

 

[rustybucket145]

I'd go 3/4" minimum on the return line. 1/2" is too small. Also, I'd loose one of the overflows and go with a single 1 1/4" overflow. The 29's small to begin with, no reason to have two overflows if you don't have to.

Also..... if you get a piece of 3", 4" or 6" PVC and cut it an inch or two short of the top of the tank waterline, then cut it in half down the center length of the pipe (ie, two half moons). Paint the pipe black with some krylon fusion and silicone it over the overflow it will give you a nice clean looking overflow for almost no money.

 

[divemonster]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13098970#post13098970 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rustybucket145 Also..... if you get a piece of 3", 4" or 6" PVC and cut it an inch or two short of the top of the tank waterline, then cut it in half down the center length of the pipe (ie, two half moons). Paint the pipe black with some krylon fusion and silicone it over the overflow it will give you a nice clean looking overflow for almost no money.

That is an EXCELLENT idea for an inexpensive DIY overflow. Have you had any problems with the Krylon fusion "flaking" off months later?

 

[rustybucket145]

Nah, I've been using overflows like this for over a year now and they still look good. They're all pretty much covered with coraline now. But to answer your question, they never flaked. I did scratch one once with a large piece of liverock but a couple months later it was covered in coraline so you couldn't even see it.

 

[agreeive?fish]

rusty bucket thanks for the overflow idea..i like it and i will incorerate that... the reason i want 2 overflows is for back up incase one gets clogged by slim chance..i want each overflow to beable to handel the flow on its own ..and wouldnt 2 over flows help in diffrent water circulation patteren compared to 1 overflow???? i dont know thats why iam asking

 

[rustybucket145]

The overflow's not really for circulation... it's main goal (in my mind) is to skim the surface of the water and keep any residue or 'gunk' from forming on the surface.

To basically make the pvc overflow bulletproof, just cut a piece of plastic gutterguard and superglue it on top of the overflow. This will keep any snails from working their way into your pipe. Also, using 1 1/4" pipe will reduce the instance of clogging greatly.


But two overflows will work, just not practical for a tank this size IMO.

With the setup the way you have it you're going to have some noise and sucking in the overflows. Something I did to eliminate this noise is to build a variance of the Durso standpipe. This design keeps the standpipe outside the tank (valuable for smaller tanks). I don't have a pic of the exact assembly but it's just a T with an endcap on one side with a 1/8" hole drilled into it. You can kinda see it in this pic.

 

[agreeive?fish]

rusty bucket.. yeap iam familiar with the stand pipe thing and thats in the plans...and i need new glasses or i need to go back to grade school shop class because i must not beable to read a tape neasure latley..the over flows i have on habd are 1 1/4, 1,.. i dont even have a 1/2 so i dont know where the heck i got that measurment...i better learn how to read a tape measure again before i start markin holes to be drilled..lol.. if i go a single drain would you put it at one end(back wall) and the return at the other end (back wall).. of course this is if i can learn to read a tape measure again

 

[rustybucket145]

It really won't make as much difference as you would think. Put them wherever they are convenient for the setup. Your water flow will be fine anywhere you put them.