Just acquired a 300 gallon aquarium....

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tksniff062

Registered Member
Jun 2, 2007
3
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Hi all!

I wanted your opinion on a tank I just acquired. It's a custom 300 gallon acrylic aquarium made by clarity plus. It is used, but in great condition, and was a great deal. The guy that I got it from is a fish hobbyist and breeds many cichlids, and has an awesome collection of flowerhorns. My question, well, it only has one overflow built-in (and it's not in the middle, it's in one corner of the tank). It does have 4 returns, but I thought you need at least 2 overflows for such a large tank, or at least one bigger one in the middle (to house 2 standpipes) for proper turnover/circulation. I was already planning on drilling a hole and installing another overflow in the opposite corner. When I questioned him on the setup he had he said that one was sufficient. This is news to me...what do you guys think, can you get by w/ just one for a 300??? He had kept 4 huge flowerhorns in this tank, and decided to downsize to 2 separate tanks to put the pairs into.

Thanks!
 

legendaryfrog

Tactical Refreshment Action
Nov 25, 2006
2,100
0
0
43
arlington heights - hoffman estates, IL
yeah, you can definitely get by with one overflow. If it worked for him, it'll work for you.

anyways, awesome sized tank, can't wait for some pic's.
 

tksniff062

Registered Member
Jun 2, 2007
3
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0
Thanks guys! Yeah this was the first time I've seen a setup like he had. I've always seen 2, and sometimes even 3, overflows in such large tanks. I'm making this my Amazon tank w/ a bunch of south/central American cichlids and some other Amazon fish, and I definitely want good filtration. Although he was successful with his tank, I didn't know if one overflow "just got him by" so to speak, or if it can actually be enough to create excellent filtration for the fish.
 

ReignsAngel

AC Members
Nov 17, 2006
315
0
0
Ft. Walton Beach, FL.
May I ask how much you paid for it? ;)
 

Mr.Firemouth

FIREMOUTH WIZARD
Nov 29, 2002
510
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55
ST.Louis Area
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Here is the deal...
One overflow will only allow about 500gph of flow thru the system on average. If it is a 2" bulkhead you may be able to push it to 900gph.
So what does this mean?
It means you have to size the pump to the overflow or the tank will faster than it can empty and overflow over the top. If you use too big a pump you will need to slow the flow down or get a smaller pump.
As far as tank turn over goes, just use the new 1200gph Koralia pumps in the tank...
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...&Product_Code=HY-P19401&Category_Code=koralia
 

tksniff062

Registered Member
Jun 2, 2007
3
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0
Well I'm convinced to give this setup a shot! That Hydor Koralia pump is really nice, I don't think I've seen that before! I will have to order one of those! Thank you all, you've been a lot of help. I'll make sure to post some pics when I get everything up and running!
 
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