Durso standpipe and hole in back of tank

[quix]

Hi, am considering whether to drill the back or bottom of the tank. Can i use the Durso standpipe if i drill the back of the tank? A PVC elbow can be attached to the hole at the back and then the Durso standpipe is attached to the elbow. Will this work? Anyway, wad are the advantages of drilling the back or bottom?

[Morgan]

Hi quix

A Durso stand pipe is used for reducing the noise cause by the water going down the pipe in the overflow compartment.

So I do not understand why you want to use it if your tank does not have a overflow.

[Fishfreak]

quix,

My tank's bottom drilled. I'm not sure why it should be at the back - maybe someone else can help.

I had a durso standpipe made - it is a modified one that you can find in the durso webpage. The one with the top that can be rotated to adjust the amount of air. However, I found it very difficult to adjust to be in sync with the return pump. Also, it wasn't as quiet as I would or thought it should be. In the end, I removed it and stuck two straws in and its almost absoluate quiet now - no more grugling or toilet flushing sound.

just my experience .....

BTW, why don;t you visit this site and see what this US reefer did to keep his overflow quiet:http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/maintank.html

[quix]

oh..hmm..so i misunderstood the use of Durso standpipes? Are these only for use in overflow chambers?

so if i dun intend to use overflow chambers, there is no need for me to use the Durso to reduce noise of water flowing down my drain to the sump? If i just put a pvc pipe to the bulkhead at the bottom, will it be very noisy? 1st time using sump, so alot of questions..hope u guys dun mind

as for drilling the back, i thought if next time i change the stand to a cabinet, there is no need for me to drill the cabinet for the drain to go through. other than this reason, is there any diff betw drilling the back or bottom? for eg, will a drilled bottom suffer more in terms of integrity of the glass?

[Fishfreak]

Visit this page:

http://www.reefs.org/library/members/r_dur...urso_092202.htm

Durso's used in the overflow chamber. If you're not drilling (BTW, why are you drilling .. if this is a custom tank, then the manufacturer will drill and fix things up - you just check that there's no leak), you will need an overflow box.

It looks like this:

http://www.marinedepot.com/a_of.asp?CartId=

I think there's a thread in this forum about a DIY piece. Not sure where. Such a box is prone to lose siphon - when that happens .... get mops ready! To remedy that, some people attach an airline from the top of the overflow box to the venturi intake of a powerhead, so that air is sucked out. For details search:

www.groups.google.com

[quix]

ok now i understand Durso. actually i do not want an overflow chamber in the tank as i want to leave the option of changing my water level later. If by using juz a pvc pipe installed into the bottom bulkhead, i can adjust the water level by changing the length of the pvc pipe. i'm still planning b4 telling the custom tank maker what i want exactly. i'm not drilling it myself of cos.

thanx for the links..i dun trust the hang on back overflow boxes after reading much horror stories

[eprouve]

Having a bulkhead at the surface of the water to draw water into your sump... ie: drill the bottom of the tank?

Won't there be a great ###### noise at the water entry? Not to mention the risk of having an inquisitive fish or invertebrate getting "sucked" in.

Or have I completely misunderstood what you're trying to say?

[quix]

yeah this is wad i'm asking, having a straight PVC pipe connected to a bottom bulkhead...will it be noisy? as for fish getting sucked in, i can always put some netting or eggcrates over the top of the pvc pipe. the main issue is just the possible noise.

[Fishfreak]

quix,

that gurgling/###### sound is easily controlled by sticking a straw or two into the pipe and move it in and out until the sound is gone, then secure it at that position.

the more important question here is why you want to do what you plan to do?

[quix]

ah i see..the noise can be solved easily then..well..i want a overflow to drain water to sump tank below..simple as dat...

thanx for the advice

[bawater]

Won't just having a hole in the tank fitted with a bulkhead affect the integrity of the bottom glass?

Even 12mm glass would still make me cringe. Maybe 20mm i would have less doubts.

U won't just leave the pipe standing there on its own right? sure to surround the area with Rocks,sand + the LR that we get are Indo rocks & they aren't exactly light weight.

A leakage & u will have to drain the whole tank instead of just lowering the water level if u had an overflow.

Just some 'what ifs' points to consider.

cause u will have the sump below, & probably some wires there too.

Electricity & saltwater is a match made in heaven but something i would want to avoid.

[quix]

oh?i thought usually everybod encourage drilling of holes for overflow instead of using those hang on back siphon? hmm..this is because siphons have a chance to fail...unless the tank is already bought without a hole, then i guess u cant help it...guess i've been reading something different, what are the opinions of any other experts?

btw, i posted a tread called closedloop siphon which is a real simple siphon overflow made of pvc pipes. might be of some interest.

[bawater]

No no, wrong point taken. A drilled tank is better anyday.

i meant just a hole in the tank bottom without overflow(since u didn't want it in the corner).

An overflow will keep the main volume out, not as much force is then put on the seal around the bulkhead(which will be located within the overflow compartment).

Imagine without an overflow box or triangle stopping u pilling the rocks on and around the bulkhead.

Imagine just a pvc pipe in the tank, Rocks resting against it,sand weight pushing down on the seal around the bulkhead. A slight bang against the PVC pipe & u have to hold your breath. Just think of the water volume pushing down on that bulkhead seal.

If you are intending for just a bare holding tank- water & fishes then sure it might be safe.

But with the amount of LR/sand that you have in an aquarium, its a risk u have to live with everyday.

[quix]

oh i see what you mean..hmm yeah u've got a point..thanks..

any ideas on how can i adjust my tank water level next time if i install a overflow chamber?

[eprouve]

You can't really adjust the water level of the main tank, once your overflow is fitted... Why would you want to do that anyway?

Well, a possible way I can think of is having a corner overflow chamber... (which means 2 additional pieces of glass siliconed to the side and back tank glass right? Have one that is as tall as the tank and the other being a piece which is as tall as the shortest water level you may ever want... and then silicon another piece of glass to compensate its height to what you want it to be now. If you want the water level up, just remove the top piece and replace with a taller piece, and if you want it shorter, just have the present glass cut.

But as you can see already, its rather tedious. I can't think of any other way... generally cos no one ever wanted this in their tank?

[quix]

hehe ok..thanks alot of all your advices.