an overflow box for my sump setup?
Let me rewind a bit.......
My wife and I have decided to start a few breeding projects and the long and short of it is we have an acrylic 135 non drilled tank coming on Tuesday. Stock will be Africans(victorians,mbuna) which would require tons of rock (which consumes tank space, system volume) and tons of filtration due to the stocking(overstocking) schemes required to pull off successful tanks. I already have the multiple canister option covered if I chose that route, but I also have a spare q1 9000 and 60 gallon that could make a cool sump. It's a little big, but the increase in system volume and turnover will be more than welcome.
Which brings me to the drains. If I drill 2 holes in the bottom of the tank and run them Herbie style, why do I really need an overflow box? Each bulkhead would have a standpipe that would reach all the way to the top of the tank with a strainer attached and painted black. If I valve the main(lower) drain, and set the emergency drain slightly above the primary, why do I need a box?
From a pure point of aesthetics, 2 1 1/2" round pipes are easier to scape around than any sized box. The rock work will reach very high in the water column, so saving tank space is pretty important. I figure, the ball valve on the main drain will set the level in the tank itself, since there is no box. The 1 1/2" drain can easily handle the 1200gph pump, and there's a non-valved emergency always at the ready. Draining out the back of the tank is not ideal either as I'm planning on placing this tank flat against a wall.
I'm not sure I'm going this route, just kinda thinking out loud, but do I really have to have a box? Thoughts.......
Let me rewind a bit.......
My wife and I have decided to start a few breeding projects and the long and short of it is we have an acrylic 135 non drilled tank coming on Tuesday. Stock will be Africans(victorians,mbuna) which would require tons of rock (which consumes tank space, system volume) and tons of filtration due to the stocking(overstocking) schemes required to pull off successful tanks. I already have the multiple canister option covered if I chose that route, but I also have a spare q1 9000 and 60 gallon that could make a cool sump. It's a little big, but the increase in system volume and turnover will be more than welcome.
Which brings me to the drains. If I drill 2 holes in the bottom of the tank and run them Herbie style, why do I really need an overflow box? Each bulkhead would have a standpipe that would reach all the way to the top of the tank with a strainer attached and painted black. If I valve the main(lower) drain, and set the emergency drain slightly above the primary, why do I need a box?
From a pure point of aesthetics, 2 1 1/2" round pipes are easier to scape around than any sized box. The rock work will reach very high in the water column, so saving tank space is pretty important. I figure, the ball valve on the main drain will set the level in the tank itself, since there is no box. The 1 1/2" drain can easily handle the 1200gph pump, and there's a non-valved emergency always at the ready. Draining out the back of the tank is not ideal either as I'm planning on placing this tank flat against a wall.
I'm not sure I'm going this route, just kinda thinking out loud, but do I really have to have a box? Thoughts.......
