Ordering a custom tank Few Questions?

[powderhound]

Im ordering a tank thru lee mar. It is going to be 54x30x24 eurobraced, About 165 gallons
The questions I have is on the overflow setup. How many holes should i have and how many overflows should i use. I want as much room in the tank as possible, but dont want to regret not getting the drains/ returns right.

One store I talked to says one corner overflow with 1 @1 1/2 drain and 1 1 inch return is plenty, then i read about the bean, herbie and other overflow types needing 2 or 3 holes, but what size?
Other store said get 3 holes at 1 inch, 2 for drain and 1 for the return. All in one overflow either corner or center.

What would RC recommend?

[biecacka]

How do you plan on setting the tank up? In wall, peninsula or so forth. That will play a huge part in location of drains.
I would go with 1.5 inch drains personally. Bigger for snails and such that might go in their on accident.

Corey

[powderhound]

Just against a wall, centered and capped with bookcases on each side. How many 1.5 inch drains? one or 2, one overflow box or one in each corner?

[arod1126]

Depends on what style overflow you want to use. Herbie requires 2 drains, beananimal requires 3. Then you'd need holes for a return if you want it inside or just run it over the top. Since you're having a custom tank built you should also consider a coast to coast overflow for its better skimming capabilities. You could also have that made either inside or outside of the tank. For my next tank I plan on doing a coast to coast external overflow system with beananimal drains and over the top returns. 1.5" for drains and 1" for returns sounds ok.

[powderhound]

I have durso stand pipes now, never played with Herbie or bean styles. I'm confused between the 2 and the benefits of each over the regular durso drains. Should the main siphon be larger then the dry(emergency) or the same.

[DaveMorris]

I am building a 130g Leemar tank and I had them do a 24" long external overflow drilled for a Bean Animal drain. It adds 5" to the back of the tank, but no overflow box is actually in the tank itself. I didn't want to lose any space inside the tank to an overflow box. My tank is 48" long and the overflow setup is centered on the back.

Here is a link to my build on this so you can see what I am talking about:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2387989

[thegrun]

I am building a 130g Leemar tank and I had them do a 24" long external overflow drilled for a Bean Animal drain. It adds 5" to the back of the tank, but no overflow box is actually in the tank itself. I didn't want to lose any space inside the tank to an overflow box. My tank is 48" long and the overflow setup is centered on the back.

Here is a link to my build on this so you can see what I am talking about:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2387989

+1, I love the coast to coast external overflows. Go with at least two 1-1/2" drain lines, one as a primary, the second as an emergency so you can dial it in for low noise. For your returns with a eurobrace you can go over the top if you have a canopy, two 1" returns if you want it in the glass. Remember those are pipe sizes, the actual hole needed for your bulkheads is larger.