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Alright, I did all of my planning and stuffs for my 20 long, and I got all of my plumbing stuffs today...

At the last moment, I decided NOT to drill the tank, but to build an overflow (too cheap to buy one). I've got basically everything I need for it and stuff, but I'd like some opinions on how well you guys think it'd work...

Here's the plan with the plumbing-
-2x PVC elbow + PVC 'street' elbow thing (fits inside another elbow) to get a 180* bend. These will be used to get the water around the edge of the tank.
2x PVC -> female thread adapters
2x PVC -> vinyl tubing barb things
1x mag 5 -> 1x threaded female coupling -> 1x male thread thing -> 1x barb vinyl thingy

Vinyl tubing will be connecting the sump and the tank going in both directions...

Basically, from the mag 5 in the sump, water will flow thru the adapters and thru vinyl tubing into another series of adapters to two elbows that are end to end (making a 180 turn), and down into the tank. I'm not sure what kind of in-tank flow system I'll have yet (probably a drilled piece of PVC with a cap as a spraybar). The water will go down the overflow, thru another identical set of adapters/stuff, and fall down into the sump (less the pump and adapters on the pump on that end)...

I know basically nothing about plumbing tanks, but my dad used to be a plumber (he now sells wholesale plumbing stuffs), and he knows how to do all of this and he helped me plan all of this...

My dad says that it's alright to use stainless steel hose clamps over the vinyl/barb joints, even in saltwater, but I dunno. I figgered I'd ask you guys what you thought on that (will also ask at reef club meeting tomarrow). You think zipties would work? I've got about 500 zipties left from when I buily my server out of zipties...

Here's a pic to help clairify things...

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/PoisonWaffle/DSC01321Large.jpg

Lemme know if you've got any suggestions/ideas/rants/hatemail/etc

TIA

EDIT - Labeled pic!
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/PoisonWaffle/sump1.jpg

Straight up U bend overflows have a nasty habit of overflowing things in a power failure. I'm assuming here that that is what you plan to do...that's what it looks like in your picture. If you know all about that than don't bother reading this. First, in a power failure, they keep sucking water into the sump until the syphon breaks, then when the power comes back on, all the water in the sump is pumped up into the tank and possibly overflows the tank as well. So to prevent all that nonsense a box has to be used with a water holding chamber so the syphon doesn't break. That melevsreef has an example, and I think there's a picture in my thread maybe what my overflow looks like.

If you knew all that already, I apologize. The other thing is that the stainless steel clamps shouldn't rust...not anytime soon anyways. I've seen people use zipties, but I'd double up on them at least.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

No, I didn't know about that, thank you! I'll look into that

I'll just use zipties on the stuff that's underwater... on everything else I'll use clamps...

Thanks

On your clear tubing, wrap it with black electrical tape or you will be replacing it every 6 months because of algae growth on the inside. Other than that, I agree with everything Matty said!

Aiite, I'll do that. Thanks

I ended up getting the tank drilled. A guy at my reef club was doing a demo on how to drill glass, so I was like 'Hey, lemme go get my tank and you can demonstrate with it!' So now I've got a 60mm hole in the back of the tank. I'll need to go get some PVC and a bulkhead for it (or maybe I'll just build the bulkhead...dunno) and I'm good to go

I'm basically just going to have a 1.5" drain, but a 1/2" return. Having a bigger drain doesn't really hurt anything. I'm still planning the return part of it all the same, the only thing I'm changing is the plan for the drain...

Will update as I plumb

Ah....how convinient. That sounds like a great idea. A larger drain pipe is always better than one too small. I wish that I had my tank drilled even though I haven't had any problems with the overflow. It would just look better.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Indeed. That's why I did it.

I just HATE the overflow look... plus there's the risk of the siphon stopping. I just didn't want to have to drill the tank myself with a 1/2" ceramic chisel bit and break the tank... but I didn't have to anyway

I guess it's also cheaper this way too... 'cause ya don't have to buy the overflow (can get kinda spendy), or buy the acrylic to build one