Finally Made Up My Mind....

[Siamese Fighter05]

Hey everyone

After toying with the idea of upgrading my 16g i've finally come up with the tank size that is suitable for me now and in the next few years. I'm going to use a 30" x 12" x 15" tank which i believe works out at slightly over 23 gallons. I will use a 15 gallon tank for sump/refuge.

Instead of asking 100's of questions in 1 thread i'll just ask a few to try and solve some puzzles and then ask more from these answers. Hopefully this won't scare the experts off (Excuse any stupid terms i use, let me off , i'm new to all these gadgets )

I'm going to use a blacked out weir for the internal overflow box which will go down the middle of the tank from top to bottom. Paint the back of the tank black to blend this in.

Q1. How far down should i put the bulkhead fitting inside the weir? Does it really matter? (I'd like to try and keep this setup as quiet as possible as well as efficient )


Q2. What diameter piping should i use to drain the tank to the sump ( Or do i first need to work out what return pump i'm using?


I think that's all the questions i have so far regarding draining the tank, not planning to start buying things for the tank until Xmas but i want to get my homework written down a long time before then so i can do LOTS of research, I'll add more questions as you guys help me work out these ones. I have done a fair bi of reading weirs and so on but each tank has different requirements so i need the help of the experts

Cheers in advance
Dan

 

[crazyelece]

Personally for small tanks I like to put an overflow in the rear on one side. It helps to keep more volume in the tank. As far as hole size I think a 1" drain size with a 1.25" duruso would work best for the size tank. Also I like to drill mine low to fit the duruso in, but if you do this you need to make sure you get everything to seal perfect otherwise you could drain the majority of the tank volume out.

 

[SkiFletch]

Well, he wants to use a weir so there's no need for a durso correct? Or can a weir suck air too?

The diameter pump should depend on the return pump and flowrate you choose. With a small tank you can probably get away with 1/2" piping (whatever the equiv is in mm). Pretty sure a 1/2" drain is good for up to 1000gph or so in real world applications and should more than cover a return pump for such a small system. I use a 1/2" on mine with what I THINK is around 400gph of flow by the time my mag pumps through the restrictions. Works just fine for me

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Personally for small tanks I like to put an overflow in the rear on one side. It helps to keep more volume in the tank. As far as hole size I think a 1" drain size with a 1.25" duruso would work best for the size tank. Also I like to drill mine low to fit the duruso in, but if you do this you need to make sure you get everything to seal perfect otherwise you could drain the majority of the tank volume out.

I wanted to put the weir down the middle to make the tank more viewable. It depemds where i put the tank on where i will put the weir. I want to make it fully viewable from 3 sides so i think i will put it in the middle

I will buy a 15" high durso standpipe, how high should surface of the water cover the intake of the standpipe?

Well, he wants to use a weir so there's no need for a durso correct? Or can a weir suck air too?

The diameter pump should depend on the return pump and flowrate you choose. With a small tank you can probably get away with 1/2" piping (whatever the equiv is in mm). Pretty sure a 1/2" drain is good for up to 1000gph or so in real world applications and should more than cover a return pump for such a small system. I use a 1/2" on mine with what I THINK is around 400gph of flow by the time my mag pumps through the restrictions. Works just fine for me

What is the reccomended flow rate? I'm going to go with a closed loop for flow so i just want to keep the drainage simple but effective. I'll see if i can find a 1/2 inch durso standpipe


The smallest standpipe i can find is for a 3/4 inch bulkhead? would this be okay?

Here

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Just realized i have to put the bulkhead in the bottom glass of the tank not the back

Think i've posted this diagram before but it explains well.

So if i've got this right?

I put the top of the overflow box as high up the tank as i can, but enough to compensate surface flow as not to spill any over the sides of the tank. Inside the overflow i put my standpipe in and as the water comes over the intake gravity sucks it in and i keep a steady water level.

I've read that you need the diameter of the standpipe to be wider than the bulkhead for some reason? So that explains the adapter being on the picture?

Do you still think that a 1/2" bulkhead is needed?

Lastly when i have a power cut where does the syhpon break?

Cheers
Dan

 

[crazyelece]

You do not need to go through the bottom. You can put a 90 degree elbow at the bottom and go out the back of the tank as well. The smallest I would go is 3/4. But if it were me I'd go 1 inch. The only way to have a problem is to undersize the drain, if you make it too large it isn't a problem other than you spend more money than you needed to. Also realize that with a 12" wide tank and the overflow in the middle of the tank it is only going to leave you 6-8 inches to work with, and that isn't a whole lot of room to put live rock and leave swimming room. When I drilled my 30 gal, the only real option was the corner. Also for a smaller tank like this, the overflow makes a great refugium.

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

I'm going to drill into the bottom of the tank because if i put it low down on the back that means the water will have to drop down 14" to the intake of the standpipe, it would sound like the niagra falls

I will use a 25mm bulkhead with an adapter for a 30mm standpipe, will that work?

I am going to put a refugium in the middle of the sump so no worries there

I think i will probably put it in the corner then...
Cheers for your help
Dan

 

[crazyelece]

Just watch drilling the bottom. Make sure its not tempered. You can use a duruso on a 90 degree elbow so as to eliminate the niagra falls effect B)

My 30 cracked or I'd post up some pics of how I did it.

 

[SkiFletch]

Just watch drilling the bottom. Make sure its not tempered. You can use a duruso on a 90 degree elbow so as to eliminate the niagra falls effect B)

My 30 cracked or I'd post up some pics of how I did it.

AGREED. Tank bottoms are especially likely to be tempered so watch yourself

 

[JJ1234567]

do you have a diagram of the drilling in the side. does it matter where on the side it goes? How hard is it to drill a tank that is assembled on its side?

 

[SkiFletch]

do you have a diagram of the drilling in the side. does it matter where on the side it goes? How hard is it to drill a tank that is assembled on its side?

Well if it has water and livestock, that poses obvious problems . Otherwise, just drill your hole say 6 inches below the water line, install a right angle fitting to the bulkhead, affix your durso, and you're all ready to go...

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

I think i'll do it with the bulkhead on the side of the glass then, make sure i don't have sny leaks or cracked glass If i did it would surely be then end of me keeping fish tanks in this house

Heres the diagram of the external durso...

The only changes i will make are add a weir and use a 90 degree bend instead of the strainer for increased surface skimming

Looks better?

Cheers
Dan

 

[andywg]

If you construct a mini weit then it will surface skim, if you use an upward pointing 90 degree bend you will destroy all that the durso does for silencing the noise.

Here is my recent miniweir bulkhead:

Basically, you are still making a durso, but rather than the path from tank to air being through the bottom of the standpipe, the tank side is between the intak 90 degree bend and the T joint.

Works like a charm.

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

That's perfect mate

Thanks for posting the pic, That well save me alot more space in the tank now

Thanks again
Dan

 

[crazyelece]

That is usually the best way to go with a smaller tank so you don't waste too much space!