"No" Overflow, possible?

[baker_jeff]

I drilled 3 holes in the top/rear wall of my tank. 1 for return, and 2 for drain. I was going to put an overflow box around them to leave the bottom of the tank open, but now I'm thinking, is this even necessary? Or can I just let the water drain directly into the bulkheads?

I can't see how this would be a problem, and it would sure save a ton of space and work.

Please enlighten to me if you see a problem :D.

Thanks,

Jeff

[alamo]

The overflow box has 2 purpose. 1- skim the top portion of your tank, to get the oily film that floats on the top and increase your protein skimmer's efficiency. 2- reduce the noise that having just the pipes will make.

Just putting the pipes with a strainer has been done, especially in frag tanks. If water noise is not an issue, then go for it.

[banditpowdercoat]

Ya you need to skim the top of the water for best results. I I guess, if you have alot of ripple and the powerheads create turbulence at the top, it wont be as bad. Alot of tanks have hang on back skimmers and such, which dont skim the top layer off. Most likely will need more frequent water changes to make sure the water gets cleaned

[Parker]

Like other have said, it will work. I've even done it myself a few years ago. If doing it this way you need to tinker with your flow a bit to get it to skim off the surface crud. Dedicate some flow to the surface of your tank in the direction of your stand pipes.