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Design questions- Peninsula style tank with external overflow

I've had my 210 gallon tank set-up for almost 3 yrs now with ~1050watts for the halides alone (400w-250w-400w). So I'm getting ready to set-up a new tank and try and reduce electricity consumptions. I'm thinking of setting up a 60"Lx24"Wx22"H rimless starphire tank, with an ATI PM. Either the 8x54 or 10x54. Does anyone have design suggestions for the following:

Drainage system (similar to durso, etc.) for an external overflow (only on the left side pane)
Flow design using only the left pane for an overflow
Suggestions on either the 8x54 or 10x54 ATI PM and bulb config.

TIA
 
I like flooded drains myself, it's a very quiet and reliable system.

Make sure you are pushing the surface water towards the overflow. Most of the peninsula tanks I see/service have the return plumed through the drybox on the overflow side, sure it looks cool, but you wind up with an oily slick on the surface of the tank.

I think with 24" you'll be fine with an 8 bulb setup.
 
Hey Jeremey, thanks for the advice. Do you have any more information about flooded drains? I'm thinking of the normal glass box adhered to the left pane with the tank glass cut ~2.5" x 12" to allow for the overflow teeth and the sump return outlet. I'm not sure of the design of the drains that slip into the bulkheads. If I had a durso the overflow box would have to be fairly wide and deep to account for the 90 degree bends of the PVC.

Good point about the dead spots and oily surface water. I'm thinking of maybe either

Tunze Master Electric Recirculation Pump 1073.090
Eheim 1260/1262

with 2 return nozzles that direct flow across the tank to the bottom right pane. Then use 1 vortech from right to left top and 1 from left to right top maybe under a wave program. Hopefully this will drive water to the overflow and agitate the surface enough, while providing adequate flow for the SPS.
 
Rough drawing of the tank. I'm going with the design on the left.

Drawing3.jpg


And an old photo of the 210 when I started it up.

DSC01483.jpg
 
The design relies on one or more (depending on how many drains you have) drains draining the bulk of the water. The main drain is backed off with a gate valve until it is submerged and not gurgling, it is also shorter than the backup drain. The other drain is run wide open and receives a minimal amount of water (a trickle) when the main drain is tuned properly. The setup is reliable since you have backup drains, and quiet since you are not drawing any air. I have a few tanks in bedrooms and offices where it needs to be quiet and they are definitely that.

If you run either of those pumps you don't need very tall teeth with the size of box you're planning and you don't really need the four drains. I personally do not use a high turnover from sump to display and rely on circulation within the tank to move the bulk of the water, not only is it more energy efficient, it's quieter.
 
tuberider said:
The design relies on one or more (depending on how many drains you have) drains draining the bulk of the water.

What is that design you described called, or referred to as Jeremy?
 
Thanks! :) Is it a common means of designing an overflow? Sounds nice that should the drain with the gate valve clog, there is still a back-up drain :)
 
That sounds like a good plan. So are the drains above the bulkheads just straight PVC pipes (maybe with a filter screen) and the valve below the tank to control flow?

I'll update the drawing to include the drain pipes.
 
Try looking on RC for "herbie overflow" or something like that. It's basically what Tuberider is talking about. (I'm not crediting "Herbie" with that style of drain, but it gets the most hits on the search). But I love them.
 
Yeah I thought one of the RC regs named it after himself... hahnmeister?

Really is ingenious, since you don't trap any air (which dursos and others do) no gurgle sounds, bubbles to spray salt all over the place, etc. Only down side is you need 2 pipes for the drain (a 3rd for emergency overflow), so might get crowded in smaller overflow boxes.
 
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