Ok well than if you want to make it easy, you can plug up the holes drilled on the bottom, get 1 double prefilter lifereef overflow box and 1 single prefilter lifereef overflow box, mount them on either sides of the tank with the black acryclic shields you can get with them so that they dont look bad, and just run the return through the hole drilled in the back of the tank. What size hole is the return?
Just got the 400gal !!!
- Thread starter bahamaqt00
- Start date
That's what I would do. Just make sure the hole plugs will hold... Could you explain to me a little what you mean by retro fitting the sump? Do you just mean using overflow boxes?
You can just throw canister filters on and be done with it. Each canister filters needs 2 holes so your all set up for 3 canister filters. I would run the intakes under the gravel, one to each back corner and one intake in the middle. You can also run the returns under the gravel and end those with Loc-line to adjust the flow after water is in the tank.
or
If your running a sump you can put all the lines on the outside of the tank to keep the "clean look". The two larger holes are the drains, attach strainers right at gravel level of these bulkheads to keep the fish and gravel out. Then from under the tank run your plumbing up the back side of the tank to the water level you want. Almost to the top. Then put a T filling there. This sets the level of the water and prevents syphon. At the horizontal part of the T fitting run the line back down to the sump, the other end of the T fitting just leave open. Basically the water goes in through the strainers at gravel level then rises up the plumbing in the back of the tank and spills over the T fitting and back down all the way to the sump under the tank. Set your sump up the same way everyone else does,bigger is better.
The return from the sump just use a submersible pump in the sump to pump the water back up to the top of the tank and use a spray bar at the top to agitate the surface and return the water to the tank.
The 4 remaining holes put canister filters on. So you will have the best of both worlds and you will not need check valves! No plumbing will be visible and you will have redundancy with three separate systems. All my tanks use this combination of canister filters and wet/dry filters. I'm very happy with the performance and even more happy with the redundancy.
or
If your running a sump you can put all the lines on the outside of the tank to keep the "clean look". The two larger holes are the drains, attach strainers right at gravel level of these bulkheads to keep the fish and gravel out. Then from under the tank run your plumbing up the back side of the tank to the water level you want. Almost to the top. Then put a T filling there. This sets the level of the water and prevents syphon. At the horizontal part of the T fitting run the line back down to the sump, the other end of the T fitting just leave open. Basically the water goes in through the strainers at gravel level then rises up the plumbing in the back of the tank and spills over the T fitting and back down all the way to the sump under the tank. Set your sump up the same way everyone else does,bigger is better.
The return from the sump just use a submersible pump in the sump to pump the water back up to the top of the tank and use a spray bar at the top to agitate the surface and return the water to the tank.
The 4 remaining holes put canister filters on. So you will have the best of both worlds and you will not need check valves! No plumbing will be visible and you will have redundancy with three separate systems. All my tanks use this combination of canister filters and wet/dry filters. I'm very happy with the performance and even more happy with the redundancy.
Reeftanker3295;3798608; said:
yeah for tanks that arnt drilled thats what ive herd it called befor not sure if thats the right term
Plugging the holes is making more work and giving you good places for future leaks. I'm lazy and I think everyone should be like me 
Why make work? Plumbing is easy, making holes sucks.
You have 6 holes on the bottom of your tank! Thats good, you can work with that. Sure it would be nice to have the holes in each corner but not at all worth the extra work to move the holes. That's just asking for trouble IMO
Why make work? Plumbing is easy, making holes sucks. You have 6 holes on the bottom of your tank! Thats good, you can work with that. Sure it would be nice to have the holes in each corner but not at all worth the extra work to move the holes. That's just asking for trouble IMO
My only concern with those tanks is that if you get a power outage guess where the water goes? Your 410 gallons of display tank water are going to go down into the sump, overflow it and dump 100's of gallons of water onto your floor.
+1 for sump, i like what egon said.. though a canister would be so much easier for you, you already have the holes at hand, you have a couple of months to research and learn about sumps and to think of ways to totally spill proof it(sorry no spill proof ideas for apartments here 
), go to a LFS and ask to see what a sump filter looks/work like(to give you a visual), ask for multiple ones since there can be alot of variety but dont worry its pretty much all the same concept...so i say bite the bullet and show us them pic when that bad boy is up and running 
), go to a LFS and ask to see what a sump filter looks/work like(to give you a visual), ask for multiple ones since there can be alot of variety but dont worry its pretty much all the same concept...so i say bite the bullet and show us them pic when that bad boy is up and running Reeftanker3295;3798694; said:
There's no check valves to fail and there's no spilling even when power is lost. Basically the overflow is behind the tank. Water will not drop below the overflow hight. Ever. There's also a syphon break so water wont be sucked out. It's a very good system and keeps most of the plumbing on the outside of the tank. No waisted tank space with large overflows and no visible plumbing. I even put my heaters in the sump, I like the clean look.
