Question: Height of the overflow tube

porpoiseaquatics

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So I'm setting up my 93 Cube build. Marineland includes the standpipe and returns with their tanks. The pipe of course is as tall as the overflow box. My question is this.....what height should it be? I've seen some people have them very short in the overflow so that the overflow box doesn't fill with water while I've seen others at full height. What differences are there and why? BTW...it comes with a Durso-type overflow.
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I think if you make it short it will be noiser?water drop (not really sure ?)
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The AGA ones are adjustable - the ML/Perfecto ones aren't.

The shorter, the noisier (waterfall/water spilling from the teeth down to the level of water in the box.) Hayabusa72 is right.

Other than that it shouldn't really matter.

Jenn
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porpoiseaquatics;528670 wrote: Marineland includes the standpipe and returns with their tanks....BTW...it comes with a Durso-type overflow.

These aren't worth the plastic they're made from in my opinion. I fooled with mine for about 2-3 hours before I gave up and drilled some larger holes in the top of it. It's still not very quiet and I'm debating about hacking off the top and doing a true Durso overflow... too bad I cemented the top piece on... just gonna make it that much harder to do.
 
AGA makes just the adjustable drainpipe (similar to the Durso). You don't have to buy the whole overflow kit.

DIY might be a bit cheaper but the AGA one also comes with a strainer for the drain pipe which can help prevent errant snails etc., from taking a ride down the chute.

Jenn
 
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Jenn....what's one of those run? Now would be the time before I plumb the entire tank. Right now I've only got it 75% full of water with sand and live rock for cycling (with lots of water movement going on).
 
honestly the higher the pipe the more water will fill into the water column of your overflow giving you a larger amount of total water volume for the tank. If it makes no noise variance than you want it as high as possible
 
bratliff;528996 wrote: I keep mine a bit lower to aid in skimming and to reduce the amount of water that will drain when I need to pull the overflow/return off for maintenance.

There is exactly the answer I was looking for. On my 92 corner...the standpipe was the same height originally and there was no skimming so at times there would be an oil slick form on the surface (I know, not enough flow at the surface to break it up), so I lowered the top of the standpipe slightly and got the skimming affect. Seems to work and it's actually pretty quiet.
 
spiderman097;528986 wrote: honestly the higher the pipe the more water will fill into the water column of your overflow giving you a larger amount of total water volume for the tank. If it makes no noise variance than you want it as high as possible


Actually, I've read in various places that you want the water to be *at least* two inches lower than the DT to aid in oxygenation of the tank... seems logical to me... and that's about where mine sits.
 
Now I'm intrested in going to look at how high I have mine up.. Will have to look at the back to check that out..

I have noticed though, most of the water that runs through mine go through the syphon break on the side hahahahaha
 
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