Reef Wall/Overflow Help!?

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Pherball

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Apr 2, 2012
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I want to cover the span of the back wall (56" x 26") with aragocrete/oystercrete. I have a custom set up that was made in the late 80's (all seals are good) that is half inch glass with the bottom drilled in the center. Originally set up as under gravel. I basically want to build a false wall for an overflow. It will be just far enough from the glass to fit my arm in. There will be piping to the drain in the middle hidden under more aragocrete. the top will have a removable mesh for easy cleaning. I was planning on making faux rock panels, then concreting them together in the tank. Would this work without any backing on the wall? Would critters burrow through aragocrete? Would there be an erosion issue? Also, is there an equation or something to figure out flow rate vs surface area of the overflow, or does it just stay even with the pump? The bigger the better? I should mention I plan on curing it in the tank and draining it before I add life. If anyone has design ideas for the least dead flow area that would be helpful too. This will be my first saltwater set up, so I want to get it at least close to right. ...many more questions to come.


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TL1000RSquid

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Apr 6, 2011
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I think you would probably be best off adding a glass or acrylic panel to make your crete wall on. I can't see a wall being made of aragocrete alone being successful but I could be wrong I've never made anything out it myself.
 

greech

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May 13, 2009
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+1. Not saying it can't be done but I don;t see it standing without some support. However, I do think you will still get the look you want by doing so. In regards to the drain, yes, the bigger the better, You should at least have a 1" drain. Will there be an overflow box surrounding the drain or just the false wall with a pipe behind it?
 

Pherball

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Since its been drilled in the dead center of the bottom, I would have to put an elbow in from the bulkhead to the back glass, then an elbow with pipe going about ¿half way up the wall? for the overflow drain. Or should it be lower for less standing water? Basically, the false wall will be my internal overflow. ...maybe a doodle would help explain...


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Pherball

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ImageUploadedByMonsterAquariaNetwork1335990450.797115.jpg

^This is what I'm thinking.
Should the overflow reservoir be shallower? Half the height would be about 13 inches. All I had planned to put back there is a heater.


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greech

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No reason that won't work but it may be loud due to the drop. So you're going to cut teeth around the open PVC? The drain will likely be fairly loud as well. Any way you can drill another hole to do a "herbie" drain? You need to think about snails and other obstructions getting into and clogging a drain. Neat concept though. If you think this through from a safety and noise perspective, you'll have a pretty cool setup there!
 

Pherball

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What I was going for was extra aeration with the drop. I also wanted to make sure there wasn't stagnant water in the overflow... keep it churnin n stuff. I don't know if this is a problem? Would it be better to make it deeper? I was also thinking I could add ridges down the back to keep the water from crashing straight into the reservoir. Has anyone tried this? Is my theory sound? I forgot to draw in the "safety" mesh at the top of the flow (removable for easy cleaning).


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greech

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Never seen a grooved back overflow but sounds like a plan. The "churnin" isn't a problem except again for noise and excessive splashing can lead to a lot of salt spray/salt creep. With the drain being so low, you may or may not have an issue with the latter from a cleanliness perspective. However, eventually you will have a lot of salt built up above the water line in the rear chamber without some regular maintenance. If it gets too bad and large chuncks of salt creep fall, you could have salinity swings that would be undesireable.

The screen over the drain is a good but I also really think this drain will be loud unless you run a really low flow of water through it. Can you do a durso type standpipe back there?
 

Pherball

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Apr 2, 2012
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My main concern is stagnant water in the overflow. I also want to make sure there is water movement around the heater. I like the durso idea but my overflow box will be about 40 inches long. What if I used a 4 way connector and added an extra inlet? This would basically be two inlets with one air check valve. *see doodle:
ImageUploadedByMonsterAquariaNetwork1336057452.678744.jpg
I'm also shooting for maximum flow. I'll post this as a separate thread as well to get more opinions. If it turns out awesome, I'll submit my mod to Mr. Durso.


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