[StirCrazy]

ok if that eurobrace to easy. it will just go along the top. so you make your overflow notch a little deeper as you will want the water below the euor brace anyways.

I would get sea star to make the notch while it is there. they have the tools to do it fast and if they have the tank apart while they do it then all the easier. they can just use there belt sander with silicon carbide abrasive and it will cut it in no time. they might even have a better tool to do it also. just ask them about it to find out. so I would make your notch 1.25" deep and say 12" long. if your using 1/2" for the euro brace this will give you a water level about 1/2" below the euro brace.

drilling your external overflow bottom for the bulkheads will be a lot simpler and allow for even neater plumbing than drilling the back of the tank, also reducing the space you need to leave behind the tank. as the overflow just has to be barly bigger than the dia of the bulkheads. if you go out the back of the tank you need your bulkhead thread or slip lenght, then the lenght of the 90 or "T" and space to install them. I would preinstall the bulkheads into the overflow bottom then assemble the overflow, the pipes inside the overflow can just be friction fit with slip and you will have enough room under to work what you want. this also allows your two or 3 pipes to run strait down into the stand for a very clean look with out a bunch of 90's and such.

how much flow are you planning on running through the sump from the tank? this will decide the bulkhead size for the herbie, remember under full syphon the pipe will flow more than if just gravity fed with air also. so you would have to see what people running herbies are using for bulkhead sizes and what there return pump is so you can figure out what you need.

Steve