Help! I think i dove in over my head!

[IchthyChris]

I just bought a 100 gallon custom tank (wooo Craigslist!). 57x16x26 tall. Half inch glass with beveled edges. It was built in 1988 so maybe the tech was a lil behind the times. The bottom is drilled dead center with a 2" bulkhead with a smaller return line coming through the midle. Here is my drawering to better explain:



Was this setup meant for an under gravel filter? It is pumped through a canister before the return. What's the best way to set this up without drilling? This thing is über heavy! 200+ lbs! Once it's set up I don't ever want to move it again. If its too outdated, I could make it an epic freshwater tank...

 

[Rutrag]

Is that set up behind any kind of overflow or does the pipe go to where the water surface should be (the topof the tank)?

Good drawing skills by the way!

 

[IchthyChris]

Is that set up behind any kind of overflow or does the pipe go to where the water surface should be (the topof the tank)?

Good drawing skills by the way!

Thanks!
There is no overflow. The intake is flush with the bottom with the return sticking out of the middle coming up about 5 inches and that's it. ...Unless the bigger outer one is the return but I don't know how that would work.

 

[Rutrag]

The only thing I can think of doing is either making or having made an overflow to surround it which I imagine would be expensive unless you know how to work with acrylic OR extending the "drain" up to the top and making the drain pull from the top using PVC. The last is inexpensive but might be unsightly and definitely loud. Choice C would be to make a durso standpipe with a strainer. Regardless, I'd try to take advantage of the hole to use it as the feeder to a sump. The bast option IMO is having an overflow made.

 

[Mpfaff77]

I'd imagine you could keep the bulkhead in and extend pipe towards sump and cap it. Then you could either drill for normal overflow and build a Weir box in tank. Or the easier option is just get a HOB overflow.

I would guess it was a under gravel overflow setup. But I would guess thy could get clogged easy and would have much flow with a sand bed. I guess you could do no sand bed.

 

[IchthyChris]

FYI, this would be my first saltwater set up. I bought this custom 100 gal tank for $40 on CL. Haha! ...anyways, I think it was set up as a fish only with an under gravel. Found a false bottom in the cabinet. The base is only 15" wide so this may be sufficient with some power heads on the side. ?. It also goes to a canister before the pump so it's not relying fully on the gravel to filter. Everybody seems to like the idea of an overflow so I doodled some schematics.





This design would utilize the predrilled hole that's all ready there. It's half inch glass and I don't want to drill it myself. The return line is inline through the intake so I'd either have to re-plumb the whole thing and place the return elsewhere, or drill the overflow wall and put the existing one through it with a rotating head to cap it off.

Opinions??

 

[Mrc8858]

Looks great for what your working with but imo I think some more thought might be needed for your return..it will more then likely work but seems as though it would be an eye sore...you could just remove the return line and bring it up and over the top of the tank (really only need to drill for overflows not returns)

Edit* this would also open up your intake a decent bit leaving less of a chance to clog

 

[IchthyChris]

Looks great for what your working with but imo I think some more thought might be needed for your return..it will more then likely work but seems as though it would be an eye sore...you could just remove the return line and bring it up and over the top of the tank (really only need to drill for overflows not returns)

Edit* this would also open up your intake a decent bit leaving less of a chance to clog

Good point. With that much flow (2 inch bulkhead) would it be better to leave it as an under-gravel? I'm thinking it would help keep my sandbed healthy as long as I stir it up every now and then to keep buildup down? ...this in combo with a skimmer and was thinking about using a hex tank as a fuge/mangrove flowerpot next to the tank. ...also, as I mentioned, the under-gravel would be pulled through a canister before returning.