Ghettofied super easy to install internal overflow box/surface skimmer :)

[Fly Guy]

Im sure this had been done by someone before...but I havent seen it.


Im setting up a tank for a friend and I came up with a super simple way to install a near coast to coast oveflow box using nothing but two bulkheads and some pipe. The pipe/overflow cant hardly even be seen, it is super quiet and it skims the surface of the water pretty well.

I just ran the pipe over my table saw to cut a groove in the top......and attached each end to a 1" bulkhead with 2 street 90's so it doesnt stick out very far.

I initially painted it black after cutting the groove in it....but my first groove wasnt wide enough......so I still need to go over the white parts with krylon again. I ended up cutting a little more than 3 blade widths.

[jenajet]

another good flyguy idea!

[Geoff]

works pretty well. i had something like that on my wife's tank. i was not able to match my flow rate though so i went back to a normal overflow setup. my problem was that i drilled the holes to close to the waters surface.

where does the air go?

G~

[Loverotties]

That's cool!

[icebear]

i really like that idea.... i'll have to try that someday if i ever get the daring to drill a tank.

[lemonheadmech]

So Fly any pics of this setup in action? Looks like a neet way to do an overflow; just wondering how the thing will look in a full tank shot with water, lr, and lights on.

[Orient Master]

Wow now that is something i will try. i like how it acts like a coast to coast but is very low profile.

[luvmylo]

I'll post pics of this tank tomorrow as soon as fly gets it here

[luvmylo]

btw thanks bill. awesome job!

[superwizbang]

No pressure in flow, why not get black sewer pipe (forgot official name) from HD? Same price and glues the same. Great idea and setup!

[motorslave]

Same thing I did for my sons tank when we were getting ready to do his set up. Works well.

[clammer]

Just tried the CTC overflow works great!!! Used 1" pvc and bulkheads. I did not glue the center pipe to the elbows inside the tank so by rotating it you can change the water level. Will posts some pics later
Clammer (Dave)

[Dancing4raiin]

I think i finally get what he did. only took me about 3 weeks

[Fly Guy]

I just want to add an idea to this if anyone plans on doing it and it ends up being loud. The one i made was pretty loud at first....but after some tweaking with the slot and flow rate i got it fairly quiet. It was quieter than the sequence snapper running the CLS.

You could make it Herbie style in a sense. Add a 3rd bulkhead high in the tank with a elbow coming out of it set at higher than the slotted pipe. This is simply a back up drain. Then install a ball valve on the main drain from the slotted pipe and taper it back to the perfect amount of flow. It is dangerous doing this as even the slightest little clog in the slotted pipe assembly anywhere will overflow the tank. Thats why you have the back up drain/bulkhead to catch it if/when this will happen so the tank wont overflow until you clear whatever may be blocking it.

just a thought after hearing Gwaco saying it sounded like a fricken tank.

ps---I like your overflow idea too Gwaco. Waiting to see how it looks once you paint those dang pipes black.

[gwaco]

fly i tried everything to make i it quiet , including tees at each bulk head ! for some reason i just could not get it quiet or flow correctly . when i turned the wave box on this only made it worse . i had basically 4 feet of channeled pipe in there to no availe .
don't get me wrong i like your channeled overflow , but it just didn't work for me ! the postioning of my bulkheads may have been part of the problem also .