Need Help With Plumbing !

[ivanzlemus]

Can anyone help , how would you plumb this if it were your tank ?
The display is a 60 gallon Visio tank with a corner overflow box , it has a 1” drain hole and a 3/4” return … I know , I know .. it is better to have an emergency drain but I got a good deal on it so I’ll have to deal with it , it will be plumbed into a 20 gallon tank down below for filtration and I have heard that having only one drain line can be loud , so I have ordered a Maggie muffler hoping it will solve the problem , noise reduction is a must have for me since the tank will be in my small living area , another option is to run the Durso method but I am limited on space so that is my backup plan … I am getting ready to order everything off bulk reef supply I just wanted a few opinions from anyone on here .. thanks

 

[Ef4life]

I would use the 2 holes as drains, main drain with a gate valve, emergency drain with an unrestricted drain line, and run a separate return line over the back rim and into the tank on the opposite side of the tank. Patch the hole in the overflow box. You could drill the back of the tank for a bulkhead for the separate return line too for a nicer aesthetic and to make using a lid or screen too easier

Also you might like to move the tank and stand out from the wall a little if possible, a little more access to the back of the tank is a good thing you might wish for when your doing maintenance later on down the road for cords and such

 

[cilyjr]

Ok that's a kit version of a stockman standpipe. It will work, so will a durso. The deal with a single stand pipe is you need to control the flow via the pump. Nowadays, it's easier to do via a controllable DC pump. In the older days you had to tee of your mag 5,7.5, 12 or whatever back to the sump and use a couple ball valves to control the flow.

The other option is to use both as drains and come over the top for the return.
The 3/4 would be one the syphon and the 1 inch as a slow flow stand pipe ( Google Herbie drain). The challenge is having a clean look over the top without 4000 holes through whatever you will use to stop jumpers

It is NOT risky to run a single drain, durso or stockman. We did it all through the 90s and early 2000s. Just be sure to have a way to dial the return pump back.

Good luck whichever you choose.

 

[ivanzlemus]

Thank you for your guys’s ideas , so I came up with this , I don’t want to drill the tank , and I did not want to hang anything over the back where it will be seen , I came up with this please look at the photos they have descriptions , the return line will be hanging over the back , still behind the overflow box , you won’t be able to see much of the plumbing , only what comes over the top wich I’m not worried about , the only thing that concerns me with example number two shown in the pictures is if the slight shift in plumbing to avoid the return line will cause any noise ?

 

[cilyjr]

if the slight shift in plumbing to avoid the return line will cause any noise

Nope.

Either will work. You can have a lower syphon drain, you want the water level above it anyway because if it starts to suck air it will sound like a toilet flushing. Meaning the height will not effect the water level in the overflow.

You will want a small trickle flowing through the 2ndary pipe.

 

[Dburr1014]

Nope.

Either will work. You can have a lower syphon drain, you want the water level above it anyway because if it starts to suck air it will sound like a toilet flushing. Meaning the height will not effect the water level in the overflow.

You will want a small trickle flowing through the 2ndary pipe.

+1 right here.
Your main needs to be at least 6 in below the emergency anyway. Just put a screen on it.

Have your emergency just below where the weir dumps so it doesn't Splash over the edge.

 

[cilyjr]

I have a visio tank. A 320 gallon. One issue I had with it which you ( the op) may want to address. The weir teeth were below the top brace black moulding. Which meant there was an air gap of roughly 1/2 inch between the brace and the waterline. I found it visually distracting.

My solution was to 3d print small height adjusters that slid between the teeth of the weir.

Looking at your pictures, you may have a similar issue.

 

[ivanzlemus]

I have a visio tank. A 320 gallon. One issue I had with it which you ( the op) may want to address. The weir teeth were below the top brace black moulding. Which meant there was an air gap of roughly 1/2 inch between the brace and the waterline. I found it visually distracting.

My solution was to 3d print small height adjusters that slid between the teeth of the weir.

Looking at your pictures, you may have a similar issue.

I will try to make shift those two lines (the main drain and emergency) over just a little by heating up the pvc so that they do not interfere with the return plumbing that will be comming over the back of the tank right next to it , can you show a pic of your tank ? So I can 3D print a height adjuster for mine too since I want the most water possible in the tank

 

[cilyjr]

I will try to make shift those two lines (the main drain and emergency) over just a little by heating up the pvc so that they do not interfere with the return plumbing that will be comming over the back of the tank right next to it , can you show a pic of your tank ? So I can 3D print a height adjuster for mine too since I want the most water possible in the tank

Not sure if I have a picture before the adjustment. I'll put the weir adjuster on thingiverse and send you a link. I can't promise you the teeth will be the same in my tank as they are yours but it seems likely it will be.

 

[cilyjr]

I included a STP file so you can import into your cad program and adjust as needed.

Weir Adjuster visio tank by cilyjr

weir adjuster for Visio tank. included STP file so one can import into a cad program and adjust height as needed

www.thingiverse.com