Driled overflow q’s

I am going to build a turtle tank out of acrylic soon. it will be 48Lx24Wx12H.

I want to make a simple overflow that will regulate water and allow a mechanical filtration system and heat to be in a say ten gallon sump. and return it throught the tank with some line locks on aposing sides.

I know someone did something like this here, but I cannot find the thread.

What I want is to have nothing over the back or sides of the tank. The drain would regulate the water level. I however want a flat bottom also. I plan to drill some holes in the bottom of the stand, but don't necesarrily want say 6-12 inches of drain pipe sticking out the bottom of the tank, in case it needs to be transported somewhere. I wonder about a "sleeve" in the floor of the actual tank. (that would be the thicker line on the drain tube) and an ajustable smaller tube inside of it that could be easilly removed. Same for the return line. How expencive is the transparent tube? Can I just use a hole saw to cut the hole or should I have regional do it when they cut the peices for me? What size is apropiate for just a generic flow rate? I was thinking 1inch ID, but I can't remeber about the line lock fire shrimp had as far as size....

Edited by Skyetone

What you are looking for is called a bulkhead fitting.  Many of the LFSs carry them.  Yes you can just use a hole saw to drill the hole for bulkhead.

Skyetone,

  Our 250 gal tank has bulkheads through the bottom of the tank (2 of them) to return water to a sump/refugium.  I know Mountain Shadow Marine has bulkheads of various sizes.  They drilled and fitted them into our tank.  If you'd like to see what it looks like/ how it works drop us a PM.

I still see no need for a sump in a tank that size for 1 - 4 turtles.

There is another problem. The sand or gravel will not stay in that nice mound. It will quickly flatten out on it's own and even faster with the help of the turtle. In the wild there is mud and lots of plant roots that keep it all together forming the banks of streams.

Rocks, sticks, and well grown plants, are all needed to keep the sand in place and it will still flow out of gaps and spaces like the sand of an hourglass.