An Overflow Idea for Nanos

[wombat1]

On my nano tank, I have a bulkhead drilled through the tank wall as the overflow to my sump. The problem is, it doesn't really overflow, unless I want my tank water level real low. One solution is to put a PVC elbow in the tank to drain water from the surface, but this is a bit obtrusive and ugly in the tank. My boss and I built these small boxes out of acrylic to solve the problem w/o looking too weird... Front to back, it's about the width of my pinkie. It just fits over the bulkhead. Attached is also a pic of bleeding blue's new A. frenatus pair. I hope these help someone or at least give new ideas...
Matt

 

[wombat1]

Cool, you can actually see the gorgonian and sinularia in those pics too.
Here's another before it's in the tank.

 

[brandon4291]

Matt, set me one track here because I think Ive almost got it. How does the acrylic addition keep you from having a lower water line in the reef display? I ask this because low water level is one of the main reasons I disliked my first betta-hex reef. Mine wasn't due to suction tube placement, but because cable entry was from a notch in the rear of the tank. Never could figure out how to get it back to full---maybe this acrylic wall you've built could hide or adjust this water line?

Brandon

 

[Bleeding Blue]

I know you weren't asking me brandon, but since the photos are of my tank I figured maybe I could explain. It is basically an overflow box. I have a bulkhead coming out of the back of my tank far beneath where I want the waterline. All I did was build a four sided box that fits over the bulkhead, with one open side against the back of the tank, and the other open so that water can overflow. In actuality, I could already adjust the waterlevel by moving an elbow conected to the bulkhead, this box was just added so I could get rid of the film on the top of the water.

Mike

 

[brandon4291]

Ahh Mike, I see! So in the same way your acrylic overflow box maintains the full water level for the bulkhead output in the rear, I could use a similar approach to hide my rear cable exit which is a little higher up than where you've placed the bulkhead. Eventually your black acrylic will be covered in coralline algae and it will look at one with the tank, t minus 4 months and counting....

B

 

[wombat1]

I think Mike explained it pretty well. If I truly wanted it to suck water from the surface the water level would have to be lower. I could have drilled the bulkhead higher but didn't want to crack the tank. BTW, the acrylic is epoxied to the back of the tank. If you wanted a completely waterproof fit you'd have to use silicone.