Whats this white pipe in the corner?

[ExoticFish64]

im picking up a 120 gallon aquarium next week. its pretty dirty but I don't care, its cheap. I noticed in the picture there's this white pipe in the corner. Ive never done much with saltwater but ive heard of sumps? is that what it is? if so is there a way to work around it or seal it up? I assume if there is a hole drilled under the pipe and the pipe leads out. here's a picture...

 

[Username.]

Looks like an overflow that goes into a sump. You might be able to screw it out and seal it up.

 

[ExoticFish64]

could I just leave it or work around it? could I seal the pipe up? if not how would I seal it up if I took the pipe out?

 

[Skalper666]

Looks like an undergravel filter system. I can kinda see the edge of it all along the bottom. The whole thing just sits in there, comes out easy.

 

[ExoticFish64]

so there's not holes in the tank? Also this might help, there's pipe hanging out over here under the tank.

 

[Skalper666]

I used to have a similar looking one with one pipe on each side. Never worked that great and waste gets trapped underneath.

 

[Skalper666]

I can't tell from the pic really Id just give him a call. Undergravel systems don't need overflows but salt water does. If it's there I'd just plug the holes.

 

[duanes]

Sumps are not just for saltwater tanks.
And stand pipes can be quite useful
If pipe inside the tank leads to the pipe underneath the tank, it's a stand pipe that overflows from the surface of the tank, into the sump.
If you will "never, ever" use a sump you could seal it off, but easier to cap it on top, until such a time as you evolve into using sump.
You can see the standpipe in this one below, I teed it off to have 2 openings, and I use this tank, as an intermediary planted refugium between the main tank, and equipment sump.

another shot where you can see the water flowing from the main tank, to the planted refugium.

there is also a line between tank and refugium that leads outside, where if I open a valve to do a water change, and old water is sent outside (semi auto,no effort water change) to my raspberries (great fertilizer).

 

[krichardson]

Saltwater tanks don't necessarily need overflows either but anyhow I would start by moving aside some of the gravel at the base of the pipe to see just what you have there.

 

[monkeybike]

If it's an overflow pipe, chances are you can just get a pvc plug that you can thread into the bulkhead.