esb
New Member
I am new to this hobby and jumping in with both feet and am having a 48” x 18” x 24” / 90 gal acrylic aquarium made. I’ve started conversations with Clear Fabrications and Midwest Custom Aquariums, but would consider others if folks have strong recommendations. I had originally thought I’d have an external overflow (Bean Animal) using something like the Eshopps Prodigy, but I’m having second thoughts primarily because an internal overflow will have a cleaner look.
The tank will be freestanding and all four sides will be visible. I plan to have all of the plumbing on one end and had considered a removable cover of some sort to hide the pipes and overflow box. But perhaps putting the overflow (and return pipes) in the aquarium with a built-in / blacked out weir would be better. I’d lose a few inches in the aquarium, but everything would be hidden and look a lot cleaner. One concern is how hard it will be to work inside the 24” deep space between the weir and tank wall. How large a gap would I need - 4”? Also, I’d like to center the weir and have enough space on either side for a powerhead. Should I use 1” pipes for the overflow and return pipes? I’d been planning on 3 overflow pipes for the Bean Animal configuration and 2 return pipes with the returns at the top front and rear. What kind of spacing do I need for all of the pipes (especially for the secondary pipe with two elbows)? Can I make that all fit reasonably to reach in to do the plumbing work and still have space on both sides for a powerhead (given the tank is 18” wide)? What else should I be considering?
The aquarium and stand have the longest lead times so I want to get that locked down sooner rather than later, but since they are being custom made, I want to take advantage of that as much as possible and want to limit the number of regrettable decisions.
The tank will be freestanding and all four sides will be visible. I plan to have all of the plumbing on one end and had considered a removable cover of some sort to hide the pipes and overflow box. But perhaps putting the overflow (and return pipes) in the aquarium with a built-in / blacked out weir would be better. I’d lose a few inches in the aquarium, but everything would be hidden and look a lot cleaner. One concern is how hard it will be to work inside the 24” deep space between the weir and tank wall. How large a gap would I need - 4”? Also, I’d like to center the weir and have enough space on either side for a powerhead. Should I use 1” pipes for the overflow and return pipes? I’d been planning on 3 overflow pipes for the Bean Animal configuration and 2 return pipes with the returns at the top front and rear. What kind of spacing do I need for all of the pipes (especially for the secondary pipe with two elbows)? Can I make that all fit reasonably to reach in to do the plumbing work and still have space on both sides for a powerhead (given the tank is 18” wide)? What else should I be considering?
The aquarium and stand have the longest lead times so I want to get that locked down sooner rather than later, but since they are being custom made, I want to take advantage of that as much as possible and want to limit the number of regrettable decisions.
