Overflow and return pump help

Actually I think I will just make one myself out of 1/4 inch arcrylic. A center overflow. I am thinking 2 1 inch bulkheads to go to the sump refug. Suggestions are welcome please on the design of the stand pipes....that will go through the side but near the bottom. I want them to be as quiet as possible. Also should I just have slots for water to come in the top or should I have a few in the middle and near the bottom of the overflow? This will be a top to bottom overflow by the way.

 

Should have sent it back, I have one on my frag tank and its really quiet. I also have one on my pond, so sound isnt an issue but its quiet but it has been on my pond now for almost 3.5 years without an issue.

 

I have heard several different things about those pumps. Some good some bad. I think I will just spend a little more money and get a via aqua pump. Still reasonable and maybe a little better quality?

 

LOL, good thing you stopped, unless its a fairly new tank. Most all 55 gallon tanks use tempered glass on ALL sides and bottoms becasue they used only 1/4" glass and the the only way they could is to temper it.

Some of the newer ones have gone to a thicker glass so they are not tempered on the side just the bottom.

 

I guess I should ask if my tank is tempered. I have a 125. The glass on the bottom has a sticker that states (tempered glass!) The sides are of course not labeled. Safe to drill the sides anybody??

 

Also I see videos of everybody drilling near the top of the aquarium. Does it matter if I drill near the bottom on the side?

 

You can drill anywhere, as long as it's double the width of the hole away from an edge. You want to check if the tank is tempered first, though. Put on some polarized sunglasses, and look at the tank, with a LCD screen (like your phone, or a laptop) on the other side. If it's tempered, you'll see lines across the glass, it's really obvious.

 

blackraven1425, very good and correct info on determining if the glass you have is tempered. There is a thread on Jolliet Area Reef Club complete with pictures that shows how to do this.

I prefer to drill the side at the bottom for an overflow, this allows you to use a Durso type stand pipe. Drilling at the top requires a different type of overflow which is much noisier.

You could go with a coast to coast overflow or Calfo Overflow which if I ever get to have a bigger tank is how I am going to go. This site has one of the best designs I have ever seen.

BeanAnimal's Bar and Grill - Coast to Coast/Calfo overflow

As far as how for from the edge you have to drill, I alway drill 2 times the width of the bulkhead from the center of the bulkhead. Which means if you have a 1" bulk head you measure 2" for the edge and mark it then that mark would be the center of your hole.

There are a couple of sites that sell internal overflows, here are two but if I was you and you are capable I would make my own for what these cost! Gla$$holes.com also has lots of info about drilling tanks and the stuff needed to drill like bits and stuff. (Unbelivable! it would not let me use the a.s.s. in Gl*******s.com)

Internal Overflow boxes by Wet-dry filter

Complete Overflow Kits by Glass holes.com

 

BTW, if you want to see an example of tempered glass, you can go to a Honda dealership and look at the passenger window of a 2011 Pilot. Found that one out the other day lol.

 

+1 to the above. I went with the bean-animal overflow concept and love the reliability with it. For a "Top" mounted overflow system there is very minimal noise, this system works well for me and I will choose this method on any future project as well.