Advice on Overflow Placement

[WarEaglesReef]

At a bit of a roadblock, so I figured I'd toss the info on here and see if anyone can provide any insight.

I picked up a secondhand Red Sea Max C250 last month, and I want to add a refugium/sump underneath. I've got the Eshopps Eclipse S overflow which fits into the left compartment with no issues, but my hang up comes with where exactly to drill the hole so that it sits at the right level. With it being in those back compartments Red Sea has a "recommended" water level, and then a "max" water level about two inches higher. I don't want to drill too low and cause too much water to flow into the overflow box, but I also don't want to put it too high to where I would potentially run into problems with the water level in that back chamber not reaching the overflow box. Thoughts on the best placement?

 

[Rip Van Winkle]

That's your tank? Aside from the parts about assembling the cabinet/stand there's some good shots of the tank and the overflow. This is an AIO with a rear compartment for the equipment/pumps.

Not sure what you mean about drilling your overflow [ Doesn't that tank already have an overflow (that's built in) that drains into the back compartment? I mean, it basically has an overflow that's much larger than the EShopps Eclipse. Not sure where you are thinking to drill the tank?
Logic alone would seem to dictate that you would drill the bottom of the rear compartment of the Red Sea Max C250 aquarium to make it into an overflow and then plumb that to your sump but not sure that's possible....
Side note: Not sure whether the bottom of the tank is made of tempered glass or not. Tempered glass is not drillable.
Were you thinking to put the overflow you bought on one side?

 

[WarEaglesReef]

Yes, that's my tank with the rear compartment. I want to add an overflow in that rear compartment to add a refugium below. I've seen it done with the 130, but not the 250, so I have no reference to go off of in terms of where to place it on that back chamber water line. Spoke with Red Sea's customer service and they said that they do not use tempered glass in any of their aquariums. I guess I could drill the bottom of the smaller far right side chamber and plumb that to the refugium.

 

[Rip Van Winkle]

I see. I was confused when you said you wanted to add that other overflow.

Just out of curiosity have you ever drilled any of your tanks yourself?

Edit: what's the dimensions of the rear compartment? You should try to go as large a diameter PVC drain as possible. That's why I ask.

 

[WarEaglesReef]

Have not drilled a tank before. The bottom of that far right chamber is maybe 5"x6", and the left chamber where I wanted to add the overflow rather than drill the bottom is ~8"x5".

 

[Rip Van Winkle]

Have not drilled a tank before.

Since this is the first time you would be drilling a hole in glass, have you thought about getting someone to do it for you that you're quite certain would do it properly? Because the tank is more than just a 5 sided glass tank (which might be easier to replace than a Red Sea if something goes wrong) and it has it's own stand and cover. It would kinda be a shame to have it break on you.

I'm guessing the bottom is just a single pane of glass. It's not doubled or has anything else on it?
Cordless drills are best for this kind of work and there are alot of vids on YT showing how to do it. You might practice making holes by going to a local glass shop and asking for scrap pieces of glass to try perforating before you work on your actual tank. Maybe if you're really set on doing this, get the bulkhead you want to attach and test fit before you buy your drill bit.

The bottom of that far right chamber is maybe 5"x6",...

So there's definitely seems to be enough space.

....and the left chamber where I wanted to add the overflow rather than drill the bottom is ~8"x5".

So if I understand correctly, if you put the overflow on, the water would go through a first overflow of the back compartment before going through the second overflow to the sump?

Personally, I would want to drill the bottom of the back compartment and I would also go with the largest plumbing (2" max). But, I think you should do it the way you think is the right way and if you want to have that 2nd overflow on the back, just make sure that whatever plumbing size you end up choosing is well supported when you're done so that there's not too much stress on the add on Eclipse overflow.

And to answer your original question, you'd want to go as low as you can with the drilled hole so that you have more water in the final overflow chamber where the bulkhead to the sump will be.

 

[JoshH]

just do this, well obviously a little more than that, just the rough plumbing for a bean animal in a C-130 should be the same basic set up for the 250 obviously depending on whether or not you decide to use the Red Sea skimmer, mines still in the box and will stay there permanently. My inlets for the BA overflow are directly behind the overflow from the main tank as I will be having a closed loop inlet in the compartment you would like to use for your secondary overflow. I added a sump with a skimmer below and a tiny refugium as well. Having the 250 will obviously give you MUCH more room to do all this. And also as an extension to what's mentioned above, a chart for proper hole sizes in relation to the bulkhead size you wish to use.(From monster fish keepers) If the C250 is constructed the same way as the C130 the bottom of the tank is actually two separate pieces one for the display and one for the rear sump so the piece of glass you would be drilling into on the bottom if you put the bulkhead in the bottom would be a narrow piece of glass and probably not ideal for a beginner when it comes to drilling. In reality red seas recommend water height is irrelevant in this situation as the water height will never change in the rear compartment after you install the overflow and sump below. If you pick a height of the weir of the eshopps overflow roughly an inch lower than the weir of the red Sea overflow into the rear compartment you should be okay. It would keep the noise of the cascade of water to a minimum.

 

[bobman]

I would drill low as you can and install a 90 elbow. This way you can adjust the water level in the back of the tank by just adding a longer piece of PVC into the 90. Here is the thing once you install the overflow to the sump the water level will remain constant in the rear chambers of the tank. So I would shoot to get the water level at the recommended level marked on the tank.

 

[WarEaglesReef]

just do this, well obviously a little more than that, just the rough plumbing for a bean animal in a C-130 should be the same basic set up for the 250 obviously depending on whether or not you decide to use the Red Sea skimmer, mines still in the box and will stay there permanently. My inlets for the BA overflow are directly behind the overflow from the main tank as I will be having a closed loop inlet in the compartment you would like to use for your secondary overflow. I added a sump with a skimmer below and a tiny refugium as well. Having the 250 will obviously give you MUCH more room to do all this. And also as an extension to what's mentioned above, a chart for proper hole sizes in relation to the bulkhead size you wish to use.(From monster fish keepers) If the C250 is constructed the same way as the C130 the bottom of the tank is actually two separate pieces one for the display and one for the rear sump so the piece of glass you would be drilling into on the bottom if you put the bulkhead in the bottom would be a narrow piece of glass and probably not ideal for a beginner when it comes to drilling. In reality red seas recommend water height is irrelevant in this situation as the water height will never change in the rear compartment after you install the overflow and sump below. If you pick a height of the weir of the eshopps overflow roughly an inch lower than the weir of the red Sea overflow into the rear compartment you should be okay. It would keep the noise of the cascade of water to a minimum.

This is awesome information. Thanks so much!

 

[JoshH]

This is awesome information. Thanks so much!

You're very welcome, Really in your situation there are 100 ways to do it. And for clarity I had my tank professionally drilled, Drilling glass is new to me as well and I wasn't risking $1100 of tank. Not that I doubt my DIY skills but there is a time and a place to learn and this wasn't one of them lol.

 

[JoshH]

And just an update, tested all my plumbing as well as the 1" water level below the overflow weir into the rear sump. 110% silent and is working flawlessly, definitely suggest doing it this way.

 

[alexquok711]

as long as its not a center over flow im happy

 

[TarpleysTank]

Is there a build thread on the c-130 drilled? Thank you!

 

[JoshH]

Is there a build thread on the c-130 drilled? Thank you!

You can skim over my build thread for a drilled C130 if you Like, any questions feel free to ask

 

[TarpleysTank]

You can skim over my build thread for a drilled C130 if you Like, any questions feel free to ask

Thank you very much!! Absolute awesome build!!!

 

[JoshH]

Thank you very much!! Absolute awesome build!!!

No problem, it's been a wonderful tank. I just had to take it down for a move and will be setting up a larger tank in the near future but the overflow worked fantastic and I'd always recommend it for anyone who wants to add functionality to an AIO

 

[Reef of Fillory]

I drilled and added a sump to my Biocube. IMO you don't need an overflow if you're using the rear chambers in the tank - just drill a few bulkhead holes in the back glass [middle/low on the panel] and use 90's and standpipes.

Worked great on my Biocube

 

[JoshH]

I drilled and added a sump to my Biocube. IMO you don't need an overflow if you're using the rear chambers in the tank - just drill a few bulkhead holed in the back glass [middle/low on the panel] and use 90's and standpipes.

Worked great on my Biocube

Exactly what I did