Drilling/Plumbing Advice

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Since I was born 30 years ago yesterday (thanks all for the Birthday wishes!), I got a little money burning a hole in my pocket!

So...I think I'm going to replace my 55G with a 24x24x18 cube. I want it visible on all four sides (if possible?), so was wondering if people would ever just plumb this kind of set-up from the bottom (assuming the bottom pane was thick enough for a few holes?). And if so, what size would you drill, etc. I have never plumbed a tank, so really...it's all greek to me (maybe that's the wrong expression since I actually know some Greek).

Comments, suggestions, critiques, anecdotes, jokes and cash donations all welcome.

[fkshiu]

Four viewable sides is always. What I think you should do is drill two 3/4" holes on the middle of the bottom and attach two standpipes which go up to where your water level is. Build a four-sided overflow around the two stanpipes in the middle. Surround the overflow with your live rock structure.

Drilling the bottom pane shouldn't be a big deal with a custom tank if you use the proper thickness of glass. In fact, this setup is essentially the same as an AGA Megaflow except in the middle of the tank instead of a corner.

If you want more return points, you could always drill a few other bulkheads but I'm not sure at which point you'd start to compromise the strength of the bottom pane.

Sounds like it could be a beautiful setup especially if you use Starphire or another low-iron glass.

[albert_dao]

I'd use larger holes. 3/4" are t3h suk.

1" will give you better flow and produce less head pressure on any pump you plan to use.

A neat idea is to drill your rockwork so you can slip the return and drain though holes and completely hide the plumbing. PIMP.

[michika]

I agree with Fkshiu's idea on how you may want to consider your overflow. Albert's idea about the returns is really cool too!