75g for $75? I'm starting a saltwater tank! Help regarding overflows...

redfishblewfish said:
The 1500 comes with two, 1 ½ inch elbows (black pipe) with the tubing coming out the top. They are attached to bulkheads that go through the glass and overflow. The white pipe in the picture, you need to supply. All the rest of the stuff is in the kit…the bulkheads, elbows, gaskets, overflow box and the drill bit. They are very easy to install. Watch the installation video on their website and you’ll see.
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That's what I thought. Just wanted to make sure I was seeing it correctly. Thanks for the quick reply :thumbsup: I'd like to make one of these my self and save some $$ but I might just go ahead and order one due to the the kit including everything I need in one package. Very nice. Thanks for the heads up!

Brandon
 
I use the plastic HOB overflows and have no problems. No floods, no restart failures. Floods and failures often occur due to not being setup correctly. I am not saying it won't happen or that others had them setup wrong, just saying they have been working for me for the last 5 years.

Far and away, drilling is the best way to go. Even that can fail, but it is rare.
 
i have 15 wet dry tanks going several for many years and havent had a single flood. i use HOB over flow boxes u tube style duals i really like them.
 
The airline is to vent air and prevent a full siphon from occurring. The air tube is also raised or lowered to reduce the gurgle noise caused by water trying to pull air down the drain with it. The GH overflows are good but if I was just starting out with a clean slate I would go with the beananimal design.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1310585
 
Greech, thanks for the link. That is a very informative thread. I really like what I saw/read about the 3 standpipe design and I think it's worth trying. I'm comfortable with drilling and plumbing my tank. I just don't know where to get the plastic/acrylic to build the overflow box. I guess I'll have to check around at the local hardware stores etc... to see what my options are.

Thanks again to everyone for their input!
Brandon
 
I think I have a pretty good idea of what I'm going to do for an overflow. I'm going to drill the tank and try the 3 standpipe system that Greech linked above. That system seems to offer a lot of options for sump design and flow as well as a good failsafe. I guess the next order of business is to decide whether or not my 29g tank will be suitable for a sump. I know the major concern here is that the 29g may be too tall. It's 18" tall. The stand that my 29g tank sits on is 28" tall. If I were to build a stand for the 75g at the same height of 28", that that leaves approximately 10" of head room under the tank, minus a few inches for a wood floor and opening. Assuming I only have 6" of clearance (worse case) from the top of the sump to the top of the cabinet door, is this too tight to be able to get in and work around or get equipment in and out? Seems a bit tight. I guess I'll have to do some more research and see what others have done.

Thanks,
Brandon
 
I guess another thing that I need more info on is a closed loop system. From what I can gather, it's a separate plumbing and pump system used to create the water flow necessary for a reef tank. People prefer to use this over a powerhead to reduce the amount of equipment in the tank. Am I correct? If so, where are the inputs/outputs located and does it simply plumb straight into a pump and then straight back into the tank?

Thanks,
Brandon
 
The design of powerheads these days pretty much nullifies the idea of a closed loop simply for the purposes of reduced plumbing. If you are willing to spend the time and money on a CL system you shouldn't have an issue getting a few nice powerheads on a wavemaker or a Vortech. You will also need to drill more holes for a CL unless you want to run all of the plumbing above and down into the tank (sort of defeats the minimalist idea behind a CL). Not saying CLs are a bad idea by any means. Just that you have options to get the same/similar effect.

In reagrds to your sump, I would not consider 6" of clerance acceptable. Chances are you are going to have an issue or two that will require you to get more than 1 arm in your sump. If you are going with a 75 you might be able to get a 40 breeder under it which would be sweet. If not a 30 long or 40 long would give you a better footprint to work with than a 29. JMO
 
I have expected that the clearance on the 29g would be an issue. I actually stopped at Petco yesterday on my way home from purchasing the 75g tank. Petco has their $1 per gallon sale right now on 10g, 20L, 20H, 29g, 40B, and 55g. I might just have to grab a 20L. The 40B is only one inch shorter than the 29g I believe. A 30L would be ideal, but I'd have to find a good deal :)
 
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