new sump setup help!!

[thincat]

i have been told to drill my tank instead of using over flow box..can anyone tell me about drilling or does anyone have a link i can read about drilling..is there any advantages by drilling instead?

Read this link: How to Use Diamond Drill Bits
Video on drilling an Aquarium:

 

[mr_X]

a couple things i'd like to add if i may-
1. nothing in the sump needs dwell time. as long as your skimmer, macroalgae, heaters, and reactors if any, are touching water, they will work efficiently.
it's a mistake to have too little flow in the sump however.

2. drilling is very easy, and it's completely untrue that an older tank will crack easier than a newer tank. on the contrary, many newer tanks are completely tempered, and are unable to be drilled.

3. drilling a tank is much better than using a HOB overflow. bulkheads can leak, but rarely do when installed correctly, and when they do, it will take a very, very, very, long time for one to leak down to the drill hole. if you don't see it leaking way before this, you are one of the least perceptive people i have heard of, and chances are, this tank will not do well.
HOB overflows can fail to restart after a power outage. in this case, the return pump will overflow the display until the sump runs dry. this can happen in 30 seconds, and can easily be missed. even if you choose a CPR overflow which utilizes an aqualifter pump to start the siphon, there is a margin of error. those aqualifter pumps wear out in about a year, and you won't know it's not pulling until one day when you need it.

 

[thincat]

The reason people say older tanks are harder to drill is that the Company may not be in business anymore and you have no way of knowing if the glass is tempered or not. Other then that I agree with Mr.X.

 

[Jereli]

Is it much quieter have not drilled tank versus overflows?..or are can the overflows be virtually quiet? because I heard they can be quite loud.. I haven't not decided yet on which overflow to choose..i dont want alot noise and not sure yet on my overflow flow rate..

 

[mr_X]

both can be virtually quiet, or super loud, depending on how you set them up.

 

[SAAVE853]

Agree with X but in my opinion overflows are usually louder!

 

[Jereli]

As X mentioned too little flow through the sump is a mistake..would 300gph overflow be considered too little flow for 60 gallon tank throug a 20 gallon sump that will have a refug.. Sorry for there questions just wanna do this as right as possible..

 

[mr_X]

i think that would be ok. if you are partitioning that 20 gallon tank into 3 sections, they are going to be small. i would buy a pump rated for about 500gph, and choke it back if need be, so you can get as close to 300 gph as you can after head loss.

 

[Jereli]

will this sump design work...its a 20 gallon long...my baffles woud be 9.5 inches tall and 1" spaced apart. aslo i plan to get the asm g1 skimmer but not sure if this water depth would work with it?

any feed back will be greatly apreciated

 

[Fishguy2727]

I would keep the sections for the skimmer and pump as small as possible to keep the most room for the fuge. If that is what the diagram is depicting then go for it. If you have room to make the fuge any bigger and still easily deal with pumps, skimmer, and any equipment you may add later then make the fuge a littler bigger.

As stated overflow or drilled can both go either way, it really has to do with how well the drilled is plumbed and the drain in the overflow. I had to modify my Eshopps HOB overflow box to quiet it down, but it is very quiet now. The key for either is to allow a little air into the drain pipe with a tiny hole at the top of the drain pipe so that water flowing down can do so without creating a gurgle. This is how plumbing in a house is.

 

[Jereli]

so are my baffles ok with respect to hight and to the distance between the first two? does it matter the way my water will flow through it? it will obviously flow right the left but does it matter that it flows over and under and back over the last baffle?

 

[Jereli]

also i have seen some with more bubble traps..is that ok what i am using or should i add more?

 

[mr_X]

actually, i wouldn't keep the partitions the way you have them because it's going to blow the sand all over the place, or get blocked by sand and overflow over the top. i would use 1 partition between intake and refugium, and the bubble trap at the end, before the return.

 

[Jereli]

So would i basically just leave the baffles the way they are setup and just put my return pump where my skimmer would be and put my skimmer in my return pump section of my drawing?..of course adjusting my baffles for space..

 

[mr_X]

not quite. you don't want the water entering or exiting from the refugium down at the bottom. this is where your sand bed will be.
what sump are you going with? what room do you have in terms of footprint and height under the stand?

this skimmer is a decent one-
http://www.aquacave.com/vertex-in-100-in-sump-br-protein-skimmer-br-generation-2-2505.html

and these:
http://www.aquacave.com/reef-octopus-nwb-110-br-needle-wheel-protein-br-skimmer-750.html
http://www.aquacave.com/reef-octopus-extreme-160-br-protein-skimmer-br-by-coralvue-2199.html

 

[Jereli]

Thanks.. I have a 20 gallon long tank.. Dimensions are some where around 30x12x12 I believe... My height beneath my stand clears 23 inches..i can get about 25 inches if I cut out a section of a board that covers the top portion of the stand..

 

[Jereli]

Sorry the 20 gallon tank is gonna be used as my sump

 

[SAAVE853]

Price wise I really like eshopps skimmers and their quality is very solid!

 

[mr_X]

i've seen their quality. what are you comparing them to?

 

[Jereli]

for sure i will get a octopus one i have seen many good reviews on them..

X is this something more along the lines as you were recommending as a sump? each divider would be 9.5" tall and bubble trap spaced 1" from each other...its a 20gallon long 30x12x12.