Anybody rocking a planar overflow?

DurocShark · Jul 29, 2015

I'm thinking about doing one for my new nano, and would like to hear from any of you who've done one yourself. Maybe even get eyes on (if that's not too creepy?).

Planar overflow drawing in case you know it by another name:

I'm thinking I'd like to dogleg it so the bulkhead is on the bottom like this:

805reef · Jul 29, 2015

how do you get a bulkhead in there?

also, the 2nd drawing will provide very little surface area skimming wouldn't it?

mark.a.smith405 · Jul 29, 2015

Wow! Never seen it done. With my current algae issues I'd be concerned with GHA growing in there and slowing flow. Cleaning that thing could be a major pain. Looks sweet! Is this a very common design?

xmas_one · Jul 29, 2015

Look into doing a coast to coast with the external box. Trick thing to do is to cut down the back of the tank so it turns into the weir.

Something like this:

DurocShark · Jul 29, 2015

The things that attract me the most is how low profile the planar is and how quiet they reportedly are. Like silent quiet. But that's why I want to see one in person.

As for the bulkhead, the tank is drilled and the bulkhead installed BEFORE the box goes on. I'll use acrylic and silicone, so if I need to pull it apart, it's not too terrible. (Water pressure will hold the acrylic in place so bond strength isn't much of an issue.)

DurocShark · Jul 29, 2015

Oh, and as for the small size of the second drawing, I wouldn't have it that small.

DurocShark · Jul 29, 2015

xmas_one said:

I do like that. But I don't want anything hanging off the back of this tank.

DurocShark · Jul 29, 2015

mark.a.smith405 said:

One guy talks about using a plastic ruler once a week, just swabbing it around in there. Can't do much about the bottom section on the one I want, but I could conceivably disconnect the pipe and stick a bottle brush up in there and swab it around...

805reef · Jul 29, 2015

you could get a long bottle brush and bend it like an L and the slide it down and when it gets to the bottom twist is so it is cleaning the bottom part...

with just one overflow you really don't want it to get clogged because then its water on the floor time!

Would the return just be over the top?

DurocShark · Jul 29, 2015

805reef said:

I would use two overflows. One a little higher than the other (maybe another piece of glass to raise it a bit from the primary). I don't like single points of failure. Especially for an upstairs tank.

As for return, I haven't decided yet. I could leave a couple inches on one side for the return. One guy just made another planar box, but had it be a return instead of overflow.

DurocShark · Jul 30, 2015

I found someone that is doing almost exactly what's in my head and has run it for several years: http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/...6-quot-x26-quot-x18-quot-with-ultra-thin-weir

805reef · Jul 30, 2015

DurocShark said:

That looks pretty slick! Never seen anything like that before. When are you going to start building yours?

DurocShark · Jul 30, 2015

The tank is on the receiving dock here at work. I keep forgetting to grab it.

I need to get my wife to let me move the furniture out of the garage before I can start work, and next week I'll be at TechMentor in Seattle, so it'll be a couple weeks before I can start on the stand, let alone the plumbing on the tank. But I tend to want to plan things out as far in advance as possible so I have time to find oopsies.

djam · Jul 30, 2015

be careful with the wier, I have one on my tank and although silent i have far too many fish and snails go "over the falls." I was surprised by how many went over. We used eggcrate to screen it.

DurocShark · Oct 2, 2015

Here's the glass part of the build completed (finally):

I'm going to glue in some tabs to hold a black acrylic sheet that'll be notched to prevent bigger critters from going over. And I can slide it out for repair or cleaning or inspection of the glass. Plus it'll protect against algae growing down in a hard to reach area.

gumbii · Oct 2, 2015

gumbii · Oct 2, 2015

that's an awesome setup... good luck with everything....

KarL · Oct 2, 2015

How do you control the water level inside the overflow? Won't it be noisy if it cascades too far down? I'm guessing you'll have to dial in the return pump just right.

gumbii · Oct 3, 2015

KarL said:

you can put a valve on after the bulkheads... you can tune the internal overflow splashing... he could also raise it up if he wanted too.. but i think it won't make that much noise because it is very thin to begin with... it doesnt' have a lot of area for the water to speed up and splash around to the bottom... plus, the glass is thick... should insulate some of the noise...

touchingstoves · Oct 3, 2015

Is that like this?

I think seahorses are cool.

Anybody rocking a planar overflow?

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