DIY Overflow Design Help!!(Coast2coast Beananimal) 3D design pics!

[Philg3]

So usually i just lurk on the Forums, but i just picked up a new tank and am looking for some input on my overflow design. I've done a lot of reading and since im going to drill this tank no matter what, I want to try to do it right the first time.

Tank is a 58 gallon Oceanic 36X18X22. I'm already running a 20 gallon 3 chamber Melev style center return sump on my current tank that I plan on transfering over.

My plan is an interior coast to coast weir with Two 1" Diameter Holes in the back glass that channel water into an external C2C with a Beananimal style overflow. Dimensions on the interior weir are 30''X2"X2" and the exterior box is 30"X3"X3". The overflow holes will be 1" diameter as well. The interior Weir is 1/4" from the rim of the tank.

58 Oceanic With C2C and Beananimal Overflow Side.jpg

58 Oceanic With C2C and Beananimal Overflow Weir Overflow.jpg

58 Oceanic With C2C and Beananimal Overflow.jpg

On either side of the overflow boxes will be 2 more 1" holes for the return. I am currently running a Sedra 7000 for return and with around 4ft. of head pressure i think they pump around 500 gph. This may need to be upgraded, if so i may drill the sump as well for an external pump. (might do that anyways)

I feel like the beananimal with an external box is the most failsafe and quiet design out there, and the interior weir I have planned is so i can avoid drilling a long horizontal hole in the top edge of my tank (freaks me out a little, circles are much simpler to drill.)

Beananimal.jpg

Here is a Beananimal in an exterior box

Beananimal weir.jpg

And here is that same Beananimal with the horizontal cut on the right of the picture.


The interior weir is slanted with the bottom only 1/2" from the tank wall. Im hoping this will reduce the footprint inside the tank, and now that i think of it i could probably go shorter at the top of the weir as well (2" to maybe 1.5").

I want to know what people think of this idea, since I feel like i've kind of improvised a little and this is going to be my first drilled tank. I have a good cheap glass shop that i know can build me these two overflows (probably 1/8" thick?), and lots of aquarium silicone from doing the baffles in the sump.

The Sedra should pump 500 gph back up, and even though i drilled 1" holes in the external box, i plan on using 3/4" pipe which i believe runs around 500gph with a full siphon (? dont ask me where i read that, like i said i've been up late cruising forums for the last week, trying to gather as much info as possible.)

So lets hear from some experts,
-Is this totally unnecessary?
-Does anyone have experience with drilling horizontally? (i've provided a pic of another beananimal with an external overflow and the horizontal drilling so people can see what im talking about.)
-What about the math when it comes to dialing in the flow on this bad boy, ie. height of the weir, diameter of the pipes, matching the return etc etc.
My calculations arent really Math, more like educated guesswork, and someone that actually knows would help.
-and i never figured out what the baffles in the external overflow box are for. You can see them in the picture provided, would they help or hinder in my case?


I plan on dropping an vortech MP10 in there as well, so my in tank flow shouldnt be a problem. Mostly softies anyways. I considered doing a closed loop, but that just seems unnecessary.

other equipment is probably gonna be an SWC 120 or 160 cone skimmer to replace the SWC mini hot hang on back skimmer im running now, and two Phosban 150's running Phosban and carbon. LR and Chaeto in the fuge.

Right now the back pane is painted blue, but ill probably scrape it and repaint it black, and ill use black glass on the interior overflow as well.

lol i dont know what else to tell you guys, hopefully somebody has some light to shed on my project. Thanks in advance for any input or criticism, both are greatly appreciated.

[SputnikNYC]

Nice build! Where did you get those angled TEE pvc sections? Thanks...

[evsalty]

As the water goes over the internal weir it will be higher by atleast an 1/8th of an inch but more then likely it will run even higher then that. This means that if your weir is only 1/4" below the rim of your tank then your water level will be at the rim of the tank. If this is a trimless tank then you will be looking at a flood waiting to happen. If this tank has trim (drawings do not depict a trim piece) and you mean the weir will be 1/4 below the bottom of that trim then you would be ok. Just be sure to keep in mind that the faster your return the higher the water will flow over the weir. I would also suggest that you use 3 1" holes thru the back and space them out across the weir.

[Gandolfe]

I got 1 1/4" tees like that(they are called san-tees) at ace hardware. lowes only has 1 1/2 san-tees. i couldn't find 1 1/4" there. Also Beananimal uses 3 bulkheads, not 2

[ludiNano]

Welcome to RC.Looks great, i love the bean used in an external box. Im planning on very much the same idea. Only difference is mine is a full C to C and my internal weir wont be angled. The dimensions for my external are 28 x 4 x 7.5 with .25" glass. My internal is 59 1/4 x 1 1/2 x 8 using .25 black acrylic.

I would not use 1/8 glass, use 1/4'', also i agree you should drill 3 holes in back of tank for water to flow to the external. You may want to reconsider the 3'' width of the external box, i just think 3'' doesnt give you a lot of space on the sides of the holes. great start.

My 3D model... (maybe if this works.)



This is my external.


The acrylic for the internal still havnt used weld-on to join the 2 pieces.

[a.browning]

Any updates on this design plan? Or has anyone else implemented this style of internal/external overflow?

[uncleof6]

It has been implemented by several, including myself, back towards the latter part of 2010, I think the two 1" holes are not enough for this type of overflow, other than that it works well. It is also, covered in a bit of detail, in the Silent and Failsafe thread.

[a.browning]

Yep, I actually sat down and read the entire Silent and Failsafe thread a few weeks ago. Lots of good info in there. Uncleof6, how deep into your tank did you internal box run? I've seen everywhere from 1-3 inches. I would likely do 3 holes in the back, if that would suffice.

[Philg3]

I ended up cutting a notch in the top of the tank and doing a completely external overflow box. I'm actually setting it up this week, maybe ill post a few pics once its done.

[uncleof6]

Originally Posted by a.browning

Yep, I actually sat down and read the entire Silent and Failsafe thread a few weeks ago. Lots of good info in there. Uncleof6, how deep into your tank did you internal box run? I've seen everywhere from 1-3 inches. I would likely do 3 holes in the back, if that would suffice.

On the 337 gal that uses this arrangement, the internal is 3" front to back. The back panel of the tank was slotted using a techni, a bit more exotic than necessary, (round holes will work,) 2.375" down from the top of the tank, two slots either side of center. The design drawings are floating around here on RC in several places, the final product was just slightly different, but not significantly.

[a.browning]

Originally Posted by uncleof6

On the 337 gal that uses this arrangement, the internal is 3" front to back. The back panel of the tank was slotted using a techni, a bit more exotic than necessary, (round holes will work,) 2.375" down from the top of the tank, two slots either side of center. The design drawings are floating around here on RC in several places, the final product was just slightly different, but not significantly.

Good to know, thanks for the information! This seems to be a good route to save tank space when slotting the tank isn't as feasible.

[uncleof6]

[cmantis]

I could use some help here too.

I am thinking of using a weir inside and external to save some space. Using 2x 1" drains on a 40g breeder (36x18x17) what sizes should I make each. Looks like I am going to have to go to a glass shop and try to make these myself. Are both just 4 sided boxes or does the front of the weir have to be shorter or angled for skimming? Also for the holes in the tank between the two boxes should they be 2x 1" or 2x 1/2" (those are my two saw sizes - and how many holes can each saw cut before it is no good). Thanks in advance.