Over flow questoin

[soggysandwich]

im planning on seting up a 45gal tank and i wanna do a wet/dry filter. so here is my idea for a overflow the first one is a 4 sided plexiglass box siliconed to the inside of the tank and then a tube siphining the water into another box outside the tank, then it will drain out using tubing. then other one is basically the same thing but instead of the box on the outside its just like the diy pvc overflow. what do you guys think? and another question is how do i know how fast the water goes down the siphine so i can determine what pump i need, or does it not matter? thanks

 

[rallysman]

both look like they should work. If its a 45 I would get a 400-500 gph pump. As long as your overflow can flow more than that (1.5" PVC can), you dont have to worry about it. It will only overflow what the pump can return. When your pump overpowers your overflow you have a problem.

 

[soggysandwich]

ok thanks thats what i was worried about the pump overpowering the overflow

 

[rallysman]

what size tubing do you plan on using?

 

[soggysandwich]

im not sure yet maybe like 1-1.5in

 

[rallysman]

if you do 1.5 you'll be good even with 500gph flow, which is excessive IMO.

 

[soggysandwich]

ok, is plexiglass safe to use in an aquarium, cause i wanna make the overbox out of it and the dividers in the sump

 

[rallysman]

yes it is I've used hardware store plexi in several tanks.

 

[soggysandwich]

what do you think about this pump http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=RB3113
that will give me a 6.5x turn over

 

[Oddball]

Glue your plexi pieces with one of the Weld-on binders from rplastics.com (Rid-out Plastics). Silicone sealer does not bind to Plexiglass/acrylic.