My Prostar Rimless 200 V2 build

Uncle99

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Pro-Clear has technically, no dedicated emergency drain.
With two overflows at the same height and only one return, each overflow is tuned for roughly half the water going in. So if either drain plugged, the other absorbs the extra water.
As a safety test, I plugged one overflow. Yes the water rose 1/4” but it did not overflow.

I do find tuning two, instead of one overflows much more difficult, but doable.

Those silencers (those curved screw things) in each overflow, I removed them as they do restrict water flow a bit.....and didn’t seem to silence anything. Maybe that’s just me.

I love this tank. The only complaint I have is the difficulty in keeping the overflows quiet, it can be done buts very very sensitive IMO. Impossible without gates. I could just increase my pump speed a notch and increase DT level by 1/4” but that leaves just 3/4” to the rim and I rather have 1” for safety.
5E9B9C56-23F3-4A25-A26E-5777B1867DC5.jpeg
 
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gfish

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Pro-Clear has technically, no dedicated emergency drain.
With two overflows at the same height and only one return, each overflow is tuned for roughly half the water going in. So if either drain plugged, the other absorbs the extra water.
As a safety test, I plugged one overflow. Yes the water rose 1/4” but it did not overflow.

I do find tuning two, instead of one overflows much more difficult, but doable.

Those silencers (those curved screw things) in each overflow, I removed them as they do restrict water flow a bit.....and didn’t seem to silence anything. Maybe that’s just me.

I love this tank. The only complaint I have is the difficulty in keeping the overflows quiet, it can be done buts very very sensitive IMO. Impossible without gates. I could just increase my pump speed a notch and increase DT level by 1/4” but that leaves just 3/4” to the rim and I rather have 1” for safety.
5E9B9C56-23F3-4A25-A26E-5777B1867DC5.jpeg
Is that a 230? Looks like it. I was wondering if the overflow is the same size as the 200 that I have. I replaced the bulkheads with 3/4" bulkheads (tight fit). Are you happy with your turn over rate? Tank looks great for sure!
 

flyfisher2

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I got the tank today.. easy delivery into the garage.. wife and I got the stand taken off the top of the tank and brought it inside easy enough..

I took out the sump and put in the new trigger sump easy enough.. Took me awhile to level the stand but have it about as good as I can get..

I'm wondering if i need to get something like neoprene sheet to put on the stand to set the tank on... Seems like I saw or read somewhere that was a good idea to make sure there is no gaps between the tank and stand. The stand was kind of weird like it was a little tough to get level and the doors were not level but they are now. I'll probably take a lot of extra time to fill the tank and level as i go to make sure it stays level. I'm also wondering if i should put something under the sump to maybe protect the stand and maybe quiet any vibration from pumps etc.. I'm not sure if anyone has advice on that i'm listening..

I'll get the tank on the stand tomorrow my son is going to come over and help so there will be 4 of us to get the tank up on the stand safely and I have some backup plans in case it feels like it's unsafe to just lift it straight up..

After that I'll be trying to figure out my plumbing setup and get a list of plumbing material I need and get it on order.. Then working on the aqua scape some more and want to take my time to get it right.. I figure i'll have a few days between ordering my plumbing and getting my aqua scape the way i want it.

It's very exciting to get this thing going but at the same time so much going through the mind to make sure I'm not missing anything and trying to stay patient and take my time with everything. I know many have gone through this before so probably understand what i'm going through.. LOL
Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the 'Prostar club'
It seems that the same issues keep popping up with these tanks and stands. I was able to discuss them at length with the manufacturer and vendor and I was told they were being addressed. As it stands time will tell. If I can help with any questions you may have feel free to ask.
 
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gfish

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Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the 'Prostar club'
It seems that the same issues keep popping up with these tanks and stands. I was able to discuss them at length with the manufacturer and vendor and I was told they were being addressed. As it stands time will tell. If I can help with any questions you may have feel free to ask.
Thank you.. I've been a bit slow getting everything running with the plumbing issues and work simply keeping me too busy.. this weekend I plan to get my aquascape in and sand and finally start filling it up. I feel pretty confident my plumbing is going to be water tight I've put a lot of work into it.

If all goes well I'll be starting the cycling process in a few days.
 
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gfish

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Just thought I'd give an update... I had everything working.. or so I thought..

All plumbing was in place.. Filled up the tank to just below the weir.. Filled up the sump to about 1 inch from top.. Turned it on and started fine tuning everything.. Then turned pump off make sure the sump settled at the correct level and it appears all is good..

A couple days go by and i have it tuned in pretty good but had a little air leak in one of the unions for the main siphon. I thought I would swap the main siphon with the air vent side and see if the air leak was the problem for the bubbles.

So i shut the pump off like I've done a couple of times now.. Go to switching the drains from 1 side to the other.. All of a sudden the sump starts to overflow.. Fortunately i was there and not bad I was able to turn the pump back on to stop it..

After further investigation apparently my overflow box seal has been completely blown out on each bottom corner to the point sand is actually coming into the overflow box.

So now at square one again.. I have no idea what happened to the overflow box.. too much pressure i guess? I had a small leak on it that i had to seal before i ever filled the tank up and everything was good until now. I'm pretty much at my end with this tank right now with all the problems I've had. I've never had an overflow box leak like that before to the point t hat sand is actually coming into the box so the seal has to be completely blown out.

So now i'm draining the tank i honestly don't know what i'm going to do anymore. Prostar purchase was the biggest mistake i ever made. I'm to the point i guess i wasted $3k and i'm just ready to bite the bullet and get another tank. I'm pretty sure there is no warranty here i've never heard from Pro star from the day i've contacted them.. not one single time has anyone ever called me or contacted me from Prostar since I've had this tank.. I've not even ever got a confirmation that my warranty or tank is even registered with them. Some of you may have had luck with Prostar tanks and good for you.. It has been for me the worst purchase i think i've ever made.
 

Uncle99

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Is that a 230? Looks like it. I was wondering if the overflow is the same size as the 200 that I have. I replaced the bulkheads with 3/4" bulkheads (tight fit). Are you happy with your turn over rate? Tank looks great for sure!
Yes 230, piping all metric but essentially....
two 1” overflows, configured at same height.
one 3/4” return, split into left and right adjustable returns.
Flow just over 800gph.
That’s about 4x turn which seems to work well.
Works well but overflow “chirps” a bit from time to time.
 

Uncle99

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Just thought I'd give an update... I had everything working.. or so I thought..

All plumbing was in place.. Filled up the tank to just below the weir.. Filled up the sump to about 1 inch from top.. Turned it on and started fine tuning everything.. Then turned pump off make sure the sump settled at the correct level and it appears all is good..

A couple days go by and i have it tuned in pretty good but had a little air leak in one of the unions for the main siphon. I thought I would swap the main siphon with the air vent side and see if the air leak was the problem for the bubbles.

So i shut the pump off like I've done a couple of times now.. Go to switching the drains from 1 side to the other.. All of a sudden the sump starts to overflow.. Fortunately i was there and not bad I was able to turn the pump back on to stop it..

After further investigation apparently my overflow box seal has been completely blown out on each bottom corner to the point sand is actually coming into the overflow box.

So now at square one again.. I have no idea what happened to the overflow box.. too much pressure i guess? I had a small leak on it that i had to seal before i ever filled the tank up and everything was good until now. I'm pretty much at my end with this tank right now with all the problems I've had. I've never had an overflow box leak like that before to the point t hat sand is actually coming into the box so the seal has to be completely blown out.

So now i'm draining the tank i honestly don't know what i'm going to do anymore. Prostar purchase was the biggest mistake i ever made. I'm to the point i guess i wasted $3k and i'm just ready to bite the bullet and get another tank. I'm pretty sure there is no warranty here i've never heard from Pro star from the day i've contacted them.. not one single time has anyone ever called me or contacted me from Prostar since I've had this tank.. I've not even ever got a confirmation that my warranty or tank is even registered with them. Some of you may have had luck with Prostar tanks and good for you.. It has been for me the worst purchase i think i've ever made.
That’s terrible to hear.
Can’t you just drain and reseal?
Thought I heard of this before, not sure it’s was a Pro-Star, but the user just resealed with aquarium sealant....No?
 

revhtree

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Pro-Clear has technically, no dedicated emergency drain.
With two overflows at the same height and only one return, each overflow is tuned for roughly half the water going in. So if either drain plugged, the other absorbs the extra water.
As a safety test, I plugged one overflow. Yes the water rose 1/4” but it did not overflow.

I do find tuning two, instead of one overflows much more difficult, but doable.

Those silencers (those curved screw things) in each overflow, I removed them as they do restrict water flow a bit.....and didn’t seem to silence anything. Maybe that’s just me.

I love this tank. The only complaint I have is the difficulty in keeping the overflows quiet, it can be done buts very very sensitive IMO. Impossible without gates. I could just increase my pump speed a notch and increase DT level by 1/4” but that leaves just 3/4” to the rim and I rather have 1” for safety.
5E9B9C56-23F3-4A25-A26E-5777B1867DC5.jpeg

Looks good!
 
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gfish

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That’s terrible to hear.
Can’t you just drain and reseal?
Thought I heard of this before, not sure it’s was a Pro-Star, but the user just resealed with aquarium sealant....No?
I guess I can try that again.. I've done it once already before I put any sand or rocks in the tank. I used the Aqueon aquarium sealant and took my time and made sure it was good I mean really took my time so if this was a fail then I don' think I would trust it again because it was water tight for awhile and I don't know either the pressure of the water broke the seal or maybe i bumped it with my hand when switching out the siphon drain with the air vent drain possibly but if it was me bumping it then it wasn't enough that I even noticed it. It's not a small leak either.. There is sand that was sucked in on both side/corners. The only other thing I did was go up a level in the return pump power and had more flow coming into the overflow.

I took a picture to show just how much the seal failed. I can't think of anything worse other than a DT leak than seeing sand in your overflow box from blown seals. Just really disheartening.

IMG_20210218_141047372.jpg
 
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flyfisher2

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Just thought I'd give an update... I had everything working.. or so I thought..

All plumbing was in place.. Filled up the tank to just below the weir.. Filled up the sump to about 1 inch from top.. Turned it on and started fine tuning everything.. Then turned pump off make sure the sump settled at the correct level and it appears all is good..

A couple days go by and i have it tuned in pretty good but had a little air leak in one of the unions for the main siphon. I thought I would swap the main siphon with the air vent side and see if the air leak was the problem for the bubbles.

So i shut the pump off like I've done a couple of times now.. Go to switching the drains from 1 side to the other.. All of a sudden the sump starts to overflow.. Fortunately i was there and not bad I was able to turn the pump back on to stop it..

After further investigation apparently my overflow box seal has been completely blown out on each bottom corner to the point sand is actually coming into the overflow box.

So now at square one again.. I have no idea what happened to the overflow box.. too much pressure i guess? I had a small leak on it that i had to seal before i ever filled the tank up and everything was good until now. I'm pretty much at my end with this tank right now with all the problems I've had. I've never had an overflow box leak like that before to the point t hat sand is actually coming into the box so the seal has to be completely blown out.

So now i'm draining the tank i honestly don't know what i'm going to do anymore. Prostar purchase was the biggest mistake i ever made. I'm to the point i guess i wasted $3k and i'm just ready to bite the bullet and get another tank. I'm pretty sure there is no warranty here i've never heard from Pro star from the day i've contacted them.. not one single time has anyone ever called me or contacted me from Prostar since I've had this tank.. I've not even ever got a confirmation that my warranty or tank is even registered with them. Some of you may have had luck with Prostar tanks and good for you.. It has been for me the worst purchase i think i've ever made.
I'm really sorry to hear about your misfortune. I know that my overflow box was nor sealed properly either and the overflow area took on water when I tested the tank for leaks. I didn't alter the plumbing so the water never went any further than the box area. My only guess is that you don't have a tight seal on one or more of your bulkheads? Being that the overflow is not sealed to your satisfaction the only option I see is emptying the tank, resealing the overflow and ensuring the bulkheads are tight. To test both I would not fill the tank . Just fill the overflow area and see if the water trickles into the tank and or out the bulkheads. If you are able to repair the bulkheads without emptying the tank then I'd not worry too much about the water trickling into the overflow from the sides or bottom as it won't go anywhere else and the water will seek the path of least resistance, ie. the weirs on sides and overflow. I know that's not what you want to hear but it seems to be the only options I can think of. Again, I'm truly sorry.
 
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gfish

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I'm really sorry to hear about your misfortune. I know that my overflow box was nor sealed properly either and the overflow area took on water when I tested the tank for leaks. I didn't alter the plumbing so the water never went any further than the box area. My only guess is that you don't have a tight seal on one or more of your bulkheads? Being that the overflow is not sealed to your satisfaction the only option I see is emptying the tank, resealing the overflow and ensuring the bulkheads are tight. To test both I would not fill the tank . Just fill the overflow area and see if the water trickles into the tank and or out the bulkheads. If you are able to repair the bulkheads without emptying the tank then I'd not worry too much about the water trickling into the overflow from the sides or bottom as it won't go anywhere else and the water will seek the path of least resistance, ie. the weirs on sides and overflow. I know that's not what you want to hear but it seems to be the only options I can think of. Again, I'm truly sorry.
My bulkheads are not leaking they are ok... But the overflow bottom corners are completely unsealed now to the point sand was actually pulled into the overflow box. The water was going into my siphon drain which was probably a good 6 inches below the water level in the tank.

I can't run that way without flooding the sump during a return pump shutdown. I guess if i raised the siphon up enough to the point that the sump can handle the extra water from the DT I could do that to prevent flooding but then the siphon is going to suck in air as it's too close to the top of the water level?
 

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My bulkheads are not leaking they are ok... But the overflow bottom corners are completely unsealed now to the point sand was actually pulled into the overflow box. The water was going into my siphon drain which was probably a good 6 inches below the water level in the tank.

I can't run that way without flooding the sump during a return pump shutdown. I guess if i raised the siphon up enough to the point that the sump can handle the extra water from the DT I could do that to prevent flooding but then the siphon is going to suck in air as it's too close to the top of the water level?
seems like a simple option easily fixed with a coupling and and couple inches of PVC. Then let it siphon and make sure it doesnt exceed the capacity of your sump. I'd start a little high and work down to where I was comfortable with the level in the sump.
 

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My bulkheads are not leaking they are ok... But the overflow bottom corners are completely unsealed now to the point sand was actually pulled into the overflow box. The water was going into my siphon drain which was probably a good 6 inches below the water level in the tank.

I can't run that way without flooding the sump during a return pump shutdown. I guess if i raised the siphon up enough to the point that the sump can handle the extra water from the DT I could do that to prevent flooding but then the siphon is going to suck in air as it's too close to the top of the water level?
Your tank seems configured differently than mine.
Both my overflows are 1” from the top.
Why is the main siphon “a good 6” from the water level?
I see what your talking about, some water can “leak” through the bottom of box (as evidenced by sand) but I don’t understand what problem would result, it’s just another area for water to enter the overflow bios, or what am I missing?
In any event, the tank does not leak and you should be able to put a good amount of sealant around the bottom.
 

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If I'm not mistaken the pipes are 1" in the overflow but the actual bulkhead is only 3/4". So essentially you have a 3/4" drain, not 1". I think he set it up like a herbie drain and if the water will continually enter the over flow from the seal leaking and water will keep going down to the sump until the water level in the display reaches same height of the lower standpipe, which is 6" lower than the other standpipe/display height. So 6" of height of water volume from display will go down to the sump, thus overflowing it. So the overflow has to be sealed if you are going with the herbie setup.
 

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If I'm not mistaken the pipes are 1" in the overflow but the actual bulkhead is only 3/4". So essentially you have a 3/4" drain, not 1". I think he set it up like a herbie drain and if the water will continually enter the over flow from the seal leaking and water will keep going down to the sump until the water level in the display reaches same height of the lower standpipe, which is 6" lower than the other standpipe/display height. So 6" of height of water volume from display will go down to the sump, thus overflowing it. So the overflow has to be sealed if you are going with the herbie setup.
OR raise the Herbie drain pipe higher using a coupling and a length of PVC until you're comfortable with water level in sump
 

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OR raise the Herbie drain pipe higher using a coupling and a length of PVC until you're comfortable with water level in sump
Exactly, you don’t need 6” between the siphon and the emergency to keep her quiet IMM.
I have not seen a Pro-Clear configured with a herbie.
6” coming back in my 180g would overflow my sump.
 

Uncle99

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If I'm not mistaken the pipes are 1" in the overflow but the actual bulkhead is only 3/4". So essentially you have a 3/4" drain, not 1". I think he set it up like a herbie drain and if the water will continually enter the over flow from the seal leaking and water will keep going down to the sump until the water level in the display reaches same height of the lower standpipe, which is 6" lower than the other standpipe/display height. So 6" of height of water volume from display will go down to the sump, thus overflowing it. So the overflow has to be sealed if you are going with the herbie setup.
My overflows both are 32mm straight through and 25mm for return. I had to measure them to get a metric to standard adaptor. Conversion shows this as 1,25” and .9” respectively.

I just a bit confused with this setup. I would have thought every overflow would be the same size on the big tanks, unless there are different versions of this tank.

I’ve seen 4 of these tanks in the LFS store, none had a herbie, all had two overflows but no emergency and one return split into two.
 
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gfish

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seems like a simple option easily fixed with a coupling and and couple inches of PVC. Then let it siphon and make sure it doesnt exceed the capacity of your sump. I'd start a little high and work down to where I was comfortable with the level in the sump.
I'm going to try like you suggested.

I'm going to put 2 elbows on the main siphon to try and prevent air and raise the height to just below the air vent drain.. if that works ok and silent then I'll be ok with it.. I really don't have any other options I don't think I'd ever be able to have confidence in the overflow not leaking after today..

Thank you for the idea. I guess I just didn't think about doing that because originally I was going to just go Herbie style drain so my main siphon was pretty low from water height.
 
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My overflows both are 32mm straight through and 25mm for return. I had to measure them to get a metric to standard adaptor. Conversion shows this as 1,25” and .9” respectively.

I just a bit confused with this setup. I would have thought every overflow would be the same size on the big tanks, unless there are different versions of this tank.

I’ve seen 4 of these tanks in the LFS store, none had a herbie, all had two overflows but no emergency and one return split into two.
That's how the tank came but I converted it over as I wanted an emergency drain.
I was initially going to just go Herbie setup but modified it to go with a bean animal so I can get more flow than a single 3/4 inch drain can provide.. I ran the return external and use the 3 3/4 inch bulkheads for the drain.
 
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