Planning a new tank: Anyone running a tank/sump with no overflow box?

[flasher1]

After taking a 2 year hiatus from the hobby, I am planning my next tank.

The plan is to have a 36x36 coffee table with a 24x24x12h rimless tank. The whole tank would be viewable from all sides with a rock pile in the center. Here lies my dilemma.

I do not want to do an overflow box but would like to drill the tank. Anyone running drain pipes without an overflow box?

[karimwassef]

I did a square with a middle overflow made of a PVC pipe (hole drilled in the center) with a wide top funnel/sieve.

Just need to watch the flow or you get bubbles.

[Bent]

After taking a 2 year hiatus from the hobby, I am planning my next tank.

The plan is to have a 36x36 coffee table with a 24x24x12h rimless tank. The whole tank would be viewable from all sides with a rock pile in the center. Here lies my dilemma.

I do not want to do an overflow box but would like to drill the tank. Anyone running drain pipes without an overflow box?

You could, I doubt how effective at skimming it would be. I saw a blog or a video at one point of a guy using a horizontal piece of pvc and cut a slit in it to skim the surface. He cited it worked well but could not handle a large amount of flow. Now you could modify that idea and put a fairly significant slit in a 2" PVC and see what kind of flow you could get.

But I think a better option would be to drill the bottom in the center, put a center overflow tower in it, and make the center of the coffee table opaque so you can't see it. You could get some good surface skimming and still be able to stack your rock in the middle.

[karimwassef]

Oh and without an emergency overflow, a single snail could cause a flood...

[Bent]

Oh and without an emergency overflow, a single snail could cause a flood...

People will argue that it won't happen, but as someone who spent most of their life savings fixing a home from a flood thanks to a queen conch plugging my single drain pipe, it can happen to you.

[karimwassef]

And if it can, it eventually will...

[karimwassef]

Queen conch? Up an overflow pipe? They're usually sand dwellers.

[Indymann99]

My idea on the only safe way to do this.

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn10/Indymann99/Cube%20with%20center%20overflow_zpsns0s6plc.png (http://s300.photobucket.com/user/Indymann99/media/Cube%20with%20center%20overflow_zpsns0s6plc.png.html)

[Bent]

Queen conch? Up an overflow pipe? They're usually sand dwellers.

Go figure. It was a 2.5" pipe too.

[Ron Reefman]

Indyman99, very nice design! I like it a lot! Where were you when I did my 75g hexagon tank? LOL! Actually I couldn't have done this as the bottom is tempered glass. But that's a really nice design and even includes an emergency overflow and the power cords.

OP, do it with an emergency overflow, trust me, you won't regret it. I did 2 tanks without and later turned the return pipe behind the weir into an emergency overflow and now the return line runs up the outside back of the tank. Smartest ting I've ever done!