40g Breeder setup advice

[HKAVR45]

I am in the beginning stages of setting up a 40g breeder. I recently purchased the 40 breeder and a 20g High from Petco during their 1 dollar per gallon tank sale. This will be my first drilled tank with a sump, which I will design and build from scratch. I have researched many similar setups, but I will inevitably have some questions and would greatly appreciate feedback, comments, and advice.

My first order of business is drilling the tank. I plan on drilling (3) 1 1/4? holes along the top rear of the tank as shown in the picture below. The side holes will lead to the sump, one to the skimmer and the other fuge section. (More details on the sump later!) The hole in the middle will be for the fuge return which will be a dual locline setup. My question is how far from the top of the tank should the holes be drilled?

 

[HKAVR45]

The overflows will be 12 inches in length as show in the diagram. They will not have the traditional teeth protruding above the water line; instead I planned on using a smooth piece of black acrylic just below the water line to create a small overflow box. (this can be seen in the picture) Plastic gutter guard will be placed in front of both intake bulkheads. Maybe this is a good idea maybe its not. I saw it used by someone here and thought it was a unique.

I am still very undecided about also drilling for a closed loop. My main concern is that making the back of my tank look like swiss cheese is going to seriously effect the structural integrity of the glass. I have thought about having a closed loop setup that hangs on the top of the tank with one intake pipe hanging well below the surface, and two returns at water level.

There are still many open ends at this stage in the project, such as flow rate through the sump and return pump choice. At this point I?d like some feedback on the projected setup.

Thank you.

Jonathan

 

[Bobbofin]

Put durso stand pipes on those over flows to cut down on the noise.

 

[HKAVR45]

After researching how to plumb a sump I've decided to rework my initial plan and provide greater detail as a result I hope I get some more feedback.

Sump Intake & Return

- I will drill 1 hole upper dead center of the tank and install a 1" Bulkhead. This will give me about 600GPH according to the reefcentral calculator.

- Is the overflow/skimmer box something that I can purchase online? I have never worked with acrylics before and I don't feel as though I have the proper tools to DIY. Any advice here?

- From the 1" bulkhead 1.25"-1.5" PVC will drain to the sump

- Three chamber sump: #1 skimmer section #2 Fuge section #3 Return pump section

- Skimmer will be one of the following: ASM G1, EuroReef CS80, or the AquaC EV120. The plumbing is my priority at the moment and deciding amongst these skimmers will require much more research.

- The return pump will be a Quiet One 3000. At a 4' head the pump specs are just under 600GPH which matches nicely with the overflow specs.

- The return will be pumped up and over the side of the tank through .75" PVC

Closes Loop

- Both the intake and the returns of the closed loop will both be run up and over the side of the tank. It will not be drilled.

- I am not sure of the water movement/flow/circulation that would be appropriate for a 40g breeder. I can say there will be no SPS (OR limited SPS which can be placed in high flow areas). The tank will be predominantly softies.

- So far I am looking at the following pumps: Eheim 1262 (898GPH), Quiet One 300 (780GPH) Maybe these are overkill, I could use some advice with this.

 

[ahmer1781]

my tank's return is drilled but there are 2 holes, both where your drains were on the first diagram, just a thought, having the return split and then return on both sides of the tank should create addional flow.

 

[Bobbofin]

I bought a great skimmer box from www.wetdryfilter.com. Christian will do custom work as he did for me. I got a 6"x6"x4" left side corner overflow, black for $60 shipped. I glued it up in the corner with black silicone where the bulkhead B drilled is. I put a 1" street elbow facing down inside the box and a tee outside with a cap and hole to prevent syphon. IT IS SWEET, NO NOISE! Check out this website for ideas >>> http://www.dursostandpipes.com Email me and I'll send you photos of my setup for ideas. IMO I'd have only one return and one overflow, then use a couple of Seios 620 for water movement in the tank...Good luck Bobby

 

[HKAVR45]

Thank you Bobby and ahmer for your responses.

What do you think about the location of the overflow bulkhead? Should it be high on the back wall of the tank as in the diagram, or should I put it as low as possible?

Does it make a difference? I'm thinking it would in terms of water pressure, which would create a difference in flow/GPH.

 

[Bobbofin]

I put my bulkheads about 3" for the top of the tank so the overflow fills and I do not get a waterfall sound from water crashing from a 12"+ fall. Just my $.02 worth.....Bobby