125gal. Tank pre-purchase question (overflow)

[Pocketz]

I am going to purchase a 125gallon acrylic tank (72x18x20).

At the moment I am considering www.aquariumsource.com as the site to purchase it from.

This tank will be FW/heavy planted. E.g. FOXN's aquatic 'site' :dance2: well, maybe not that much but you get the picture

Here is my problem

Tanks are sold with built in overflows in the rear-center, rear-left and/or rear-right, or no overflow at all. It is inevitable that I will evetually change the setup in this tank to a SW setup, maybe 2-4yrs into the future just for simple hobbyist pleasure.

Question

Should I get the built in overflow?

If I should then what is your opinion on whether to get it centered-rear or left-side/right-side.

P.S.

The price of the tank is of no concern, only quality, and I am trying to find out where I can order the best 125gal. rectang. acrylic tank. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[paku]

If your gonna convert it into a SW tank later on i would get the center Overflow... just would be my prefrence. you can build a reef around it or if its fish only, hide it with live rock.

 

[Pocketz]

Thanks for the input Paku!

BTW,

What is an overflow?

How does it function?

Does it have a hole pre-drilled in the bottom?

Where is the tank waterline in relation to the overflow?

Are overflows generally used in conjuction with a WetDry / Sump setup?

Why would someone want/need an overflow?


Help ...!!!...


:read:

 

[Mgamer20o0]

if you want a heavly planted tank like that then a over flow wet dry system would be bad. you get get it drilled and cap it until you set up a sw with a wet dry system. the sump/wet dry systems are a kind of filter system. i dont know much about them other then in a planted tank the co2 will gas off so you will have to pump a lot of co2 into the tank or cap it off and not use it until a later date.

 

[twig]

sumps are just a sectioned off part of the tank that contains biomedia and works as an excellent source of filtration as well as add to the water volume. It's also a safe part of the tank to add ferts, etc. The ones I know are just smaller tanks beneath the large tank .. :O

You'll see sumps a lot, here, at lfs with large plant displays and surface aggitation does gas off co2 pretty fast.

You can spend the extra money and get a larger co2 tank or you can stop it from working until you convert to SW.

 

[budrecki]

sumps ARE NOT part of the tank, they are separate. normally housed underneath. constructed from another tank, rubbermaid bin, or premade acrylic.

 

[Star_Rider]

I have a 75 with a 5 gallon sump..the overflow is where water exits the main tank (the tank is usually drilled in this area )and falls thru a filter media mat then the biomedia in the sump. the biomedia is generally partitioned off and not submerged..water passes over the media where the beneficial bacteria live(most of it anyway) the water then collects in a section of the tank where it then passes over a small fall and into the collection to be pumped and returned to the main tank.

I suspect a lot of CO2 is lost thru the aggitation as the water passes thru this system.

I have a DIY CO2 Generator at the pump to charge the water when returning to the main tank..the nozzels are submerged to allow circulation but not much surface aggitation..I also added a CO2 ladder to the main tank to add more CO2.

 

[beatle]

Some "sumps" are indeed built into the rear of the tank, but most are below, as Budrecki mentioned. Despite the advantages of a sump, I'm avert to noise and I run large canister filters instead. If you're planting the tank, I would highly advise against running a sump, as a lot of the CO2 will leave the water in the filtration process. I may be overestimating it, but I know people with planted tanks use canister filters over HOBs for just such a reason.

 

[phanmc]

For a high light, heavily planted tank, no overflow and a canister filter is better since you'll be injecting CO2 and a significant amount of CO2 will be gassed off using the overflow. You can do it, you'll just be using alot more CO2 than you normally would.

For a saltwater tank, an overflow with a wet/dry system is very desirable. Nothing beats the biological filtration of a wet/dry system.

If you plan to convert the tank to saltwater, get the overflow. You can stick to a low light setup, not need to use CO2, and still get a moderately heavy plant load using the right plants. If you want to go with higher lights get a pressurized CO2 system and a big Co2 tank.

 

[Pocketz]

you get get it drilled and cap it until you set up a sw with a wet dry system.

Yes, this is what i will most likely do :duh:

I have a 75 with a 5 gallon sump..the overflow is where water exits the main tank (the tank is usually drilled in this area )and falls thru a filter media mat then the biomedia in the sump.

Thanks star_rider

I'm avert to noise and I run large canister filters instead.

I am right there with you on this one beatle!

If you plan to convert the tank to saltwater, get the overflow.

Just the answer I was looking for ... Thanks phanmc

:thm: