What is the best way to plumb this tank? 96x32
- Thread starter jlaw
- Start date
There really is no "best way" to plumb a tank. There are a lot of considerations that must be taken into account, especially on a large tank.
What livestock do you want to keep in the tank? The plumbing may often be different. For example, if you wanted SPS corals, your going to need much higher flow. Now this flow could come from powerheads you put in the tank, or could come from external pumps in closed loops. You also might want random flow patterns in the tank, or simulate tidal flow.
Where are you going to put the tank? If it's in more or less a fish room noise might not hofer gurgle busterbe a problem, but if it's a bedroom or a rec room, you might need everything to be silent.
Where is the support equipment going to go? Do you need everything to be in the stand, or will you locate some or all of it outside the tank base? For example, you have a large tank. Placing the support equipment outside the stand allows you to use a much larger sump, skimmer and refugium, but you may not want to see that if the tank is in a living room.
On your specific questions about overflow walls verses Hofer Gurgle Busters, Typically you construct the overflow and install the gurgle busters on the exit pipe inside the overflow. You may wish to consider the BeanAnimal overflow or the Herbie overflow to keep noise down. However they are more complex to build. It looks like your tank is about 250 gal, so you'll need to filter a lot of water. I think your going to need a lot more than two Hofer Gurgle Busters to do the job.
Take your time with the planning, because once the tank is setup, it's going to be very difficult to make major changes without tearing the tank down.
What livestock do you want to keep in the tank? The plumbing may often be different. For example, if you wanted SPS corals, your going to need much higher flow. Now this flow could come from powerheads you put in the tank, or could come from external pumps in closed loops. You also might want random flow patterns in the tank, or simulate tidal flow.
Where are you going to put the tank? If it's in more or less a fish room noise might not hofer gurgle busterbe a problem, but if it's a bedroom or a rec room, you might need everything to be silent.
Where is the support equipment going to go? Do you need everything to be in the stand, or will you locate some or all of it outside the tank base? For example, you have a large tank. Placing the support equipment outside the stand allows you to use a much larger sump, skimmer and refugium, but you may not want to see that if the tank is in a living room.
On your specific questions about overflow walls verses Hofer Gurgle Busters, Typically you construct the overflow and install the gurgle busters on the exit pipe inside the overflow. You may wish to consider the BeanAnimal overflow or the Herbie overflow to keep noise down. However they are more complex to build. It looks like your tank is about 250 gal, so you'll need to filter a lot of water. I think your going to need a lot more than two Hofer Gurgle Busters to do the job.
Take your time with the planning, because once the tank is setup, it's going to be very difficult to make major changes without tearing the tank down.
Like woodwork, Plan well, measure twice, cut once. DaveK nailed it. There are as many ways to setup a tank, as there are tanks. How best to setup the tank, depends entirely on what you want to keep in the tank. Yes, Overflows can be added without adding Overflow walls. Glass-Cages.com sells overflow Kits, complete with bulkhead and box, suitable for both glass/acrylic aquariums. A simple bulkhead with a strainer can be used as a drain, however it wont give you the Surface Skimming some type of overflow box will. Marine aquariums without surface skimming tend to develop a surface "Scum". Oily byproducts of the life cycle inside the tank. Thats why most Marine tanks have overflow boxes. When this surface scum is drained through an overflow and churned with water, it will mix, and thus can be filtered out with Skimmers, GAC/GFO reactors etc. without the surface skimming of the overflow boxes, the alternative is to use powerheads/pumps to agitate the surface and force it to mix. I've used Glass-holes.com overflow kits with a good deal of success and i recommend them. Up to you. Acrylic tanks are a bit more flexible in their configuration than glass, and are easier to change. You dont need the Diamond bit used for glass, a simple holecutter from any hardware store will work. There are other types of overflows.
Bean Animal or Herbie work well. They take some DIY to construct, but once done they are unmatched in their performance. For a tank that size, you'll want a good height to the stand so you can fit a good size sump under it. The sump gives more volume for stability, and allows you to hide Heaters, Filters, Skimmers, Reactors, and refugiums, and control the amount of flow through these so as to maximize performance. If you are looking for someone to tell you, "THIS is how you need to set it up", im afraid you wont get a strait answer. Its not that we are deliberatly trying to avoid answering, its that there's too many variables and too many Right Answers.
How experienced with Marine aquariums are you? If you havent had a tank that large before, there are a few things to consider.
A tank that size comes with its own challenges. If you intend to keep coral, you wont be able to find a "single fixture" that will cover the whole tank. You will have to get multiple smaller units and either construct a frame to hold them, or a hood to hide them. Coral quality lights are not cheap. The depth of the tank and the type of coral u want to keep are variables to deciding lights. if its under 24" Deep, T5ho will work with 6-8 bulbs. If its over 24" Deep, Metal halides or LED's may be your only choice.
Filtration. A single skimmer that can handle a tank that large wont be cheap, nor small. You may depending on space restrictions and sump size, decide to go with 2 or 3 smaller units, but again its up to you.
Fish only tanks - no special lights req, but filtration will be a challenge
Fish only with live rock - (FOWLR) req no special lights, and filtration is primarily handled by the rock, but skimmers will be needed.
Reef - Coral ready lighting is manditory, but how much depends on what you want to keep. Soft corals are the least demanding, LPS is middle, and SPS is the highest demanding coral.
When you decide what type of tank you want, if coral what kinds, etc. we can help more. This isnt FW. There's no one absolute right way to do it.
Bean Animal or Herbie work well. They take some DIY to construct, but once done they are unmatched in their performance. For a tank that size, you'll want a good height to the stand so you can fit a good size sump under it. The sump gives more volume for stability, and allows you to hide Heaters, Filters, Skimmers, Reactors, and refugiums, and control the amount of flow through these so as to maximize performance. If you are looking for someone to tell you, "THIS is how you need to set it up", im afraid you wont get a strait answer. Its not that we are deliberatly trying to avoid answering, its that there's too many variables and too many Right Answers.
How experienced with Marine aquariums are you? If you havent had a tank that large before, there are a few things to consider.
A tank that size comes with its own challenges. If you intend to keep coral, you wont be able to find a "single fixture" that will cover the whole tank. You will have to get multiple smaller units and either construct a frame to hold them, or a hood to hide them. Coral quality lights are not cheap. The depth of the tank and the type of coral u want to keep are variables to deciding lights. if its under 24" Deep, T5ho will work with 6-8 bulbs. If its over 24" Deep, Metal halides or LED's may be your only choice.
Filtration. A single skimmer that can handle a tank that large wont be cheap, nor small. You may depending on space restrictions and sump size, decide to go with 2 or 3 smaller units, but again its up to you.
Fish only tanks - no special lights req, but filtration will be a challenge
Fish only with live rock - (FOWLR) req no special lights, and filtration is primarily handled by the rock, but skimmers will be needed.
Reef - Coral ready lighting is manditory, but how much depends on what you want to keep. Soft corals are the least demanding, LPS is middle, and SPS is the highest demanding coral.
When you decide what type of tank you want, if coral what kinds, etc. we can help more. This isnt FW. There's no one absolute right way to do it.
Perhaps I phrased my OP wrong, all aspects of this tank from lighting to livestock to filtration I have no issue with.
Been in the hobby quite some time (coming on four years), I like to follow the KISS method, overly large skimmer, quality LR, LEDs, MP40s..
Maybe my question should have been, what is the most sensible way to drain this tank back to the sump without using a hang on overflow OR overflow walls.
I understand that I will get better surface skimming with a teethed wall, but a hang on will not permit for this situation, and I would really rather not silicon walls inside. So simple drain pipes are looking to be the most viable option, do the hofer style drains work at 19" height, I have experience only with dursos?
Thanks again.
Been in the hobby quite some time (coming on four years), I like to follow the KISS method, overly large skimmer, quality LR, LEDs, MP40s..
Maybe my question should have been, what is the most sensible way to drain this tank back to the sump without using a hang on overflow OR overflow walls.
I understand that I will get better surface skimming with a teethed wall, but a hang on will not permit for this situation, and I would really rather not silicon walls inside. So simple drain pipes are looking to be the most viable option, do the hofer style drains work at 19" height, I have experience only with dursos?
Thanks again.
If it were me, i would put in 2 or 3 of these http://glass-holes.com/3000-Overflow-Box-Complete-Kit-gh3000kit.htm
Easy to install, come complete with the right size bulk heads. They will give you the surface skimming you want, without having to install the full drain tower. Not installing the full overflow wall means your plumbing will come out the back rather than the bottom. Its up to you whether having 4" of space behind the tank will be an issue or if you'd rather do something else. Depending on how you feel about asthetics, you could get away with, in an acrylic tank, of just running near the back wall a series of 3 or 4 pipes up through the bottom, 2" diameter and put strainers on the tops. If you used black pipe, or painted them black with something like Epoxy Paint or Acrylic Paint, they would hardly be noticeable, give you the surface skimming you need, and you wouldnt need overflow walls.
Easy to install, come complete with the right size bulk heads. They will give you the surface skimming you want, without having to install the full drain tower. Not installing the full overflow wall means your plumbing will come out the back rather than the bottom. Its up to you whether having 4" of space behind the tank will be an issue or if you'd rather do something else. Depending on how you feel about asthetics, you could get away with, in an acrylic tank, of just running near the back wall a series of 3 or 4 pipes up through the bottom, 2" diameter and put strainers on the tops. If you used black pipe, or painted them black with something like Epoxy Paint or Acrylic Paint, they would hardly be noticeable, give you the surface skimming you need, and you wouldnt need overflow walls.
I won't have the space behind, the guy who owned it before me installed six 1" bulkheads on the bottom. Why he did that I have no clue at all. I'm replacing the bulkheads but it just sucks they are all 1". Two 1" drains is probably not enough drain pipe would you think?
I think two 1" drains should allow 700-800gph, I'm running a GenX mak4 at 5.5ft of head.. Pretty borderline.
I would almost think two 2" should be overkill, my 220 has two 1.5" dursos, runs great.
I think two 1" drains should allow 700-800gph, I'm running a GenX mak4 at 5.5ft of head.. Pretty borderline.
I would almost think two 2" should be overkill, my 220 has two 1.5" dursos, runs great.
Drill in 2 more new bulkheads. in that case you are right, 2x 1" wont be enough. Id add more. With the bulkheads already drilled in the bottom, you're better off buying some black Acrylic sheet and making the Overflow walls.
another thought hit me. I have friend with a big tank like that..glass not acrylic. When he got it, it was plumbed for 3 overflows and 8 returns which were part of a ill conceived Closed loop system. He just put plugs in the bulkheads he didnt need rather than worrying about them. you do that, you will be fine going through the back of the tank for overflows and returns. It would give you more room front to back too. you could plug the bulkheads, and put the rock/sand right over em.
another thought hit me. I have friend with a big tank like that..glass not acrylic. When he got it, it was plumbed for 3 overflows and 8 returns which were part of a ill conceived Closed loop system. He just put plugs in the bulkheads he didnt need rather than worrying about them. you do that, you will be fine going through the back of the tank for overflows and returns. It would give you more room front to back too. you could plug the bulkheads, and put the rock/sand right over em.