surface skimmer

[sendo]

Hi Guys,

I have decided to drill my 28 gallon glass tank for an overflow. I ordered a 1" bulkhead from Marine Depot and a 1 3/4" diamond hole saw from ebay. I am going to be using an eheim 1250 for a return and my sump is 4 feet below the tank so there will be around 180 GPH running through the tank. I want to build a surface skimmer and have a few questions.

1. Any suggestion on dimensions? I asked Norman about this and he suggested a thin surface skimmer that streched across the back. How thin should I make it?

2. Glass or Acrylic? I plan on using silicone to attach the box to the back and I have read that glass is better to use with silicone, but Acrylic seems like it would be easier to work with.

My tank dimensions are 24" X 18". I would post a pic, but can't figure it out.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mr. Ugly]

You can see pics of how I set up the full length overflow here:

http://www.bareefers.org/discussion/index.php?topic=1599.0

 

[Mr. Ugly]

Acrylic is fine for an overflow. The silicone will stick well enough for that purpose.

 

[sendo]

Cool setup Norman! How did you hold the glass in place while the silicone cured? Can I find all the parts I need to re-create your overflow plumbing from Home Depot, or do I need to order more parts?

 

[Mr. Ugly]

HD pretty much has what you need.

I just laid the tank on it's back and propped the glass in place. Duct tape helps

 

[sendo]

A few more questions about the setup. Did you use two 45 degree elbows to connect the bulkhead to the T section for the durso? What kind of flexible tubing did you use to go down to the sump? How did you connect the flexible tubing to the T section?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Elite]

Standard PVC flexpipe has the same diameter as the regular PVC pipe.