Drilling Tank

[Pink_Mist]

OK, the plan right now is to have a LFS drill my 29G tank for use with a 10G sump. I've never ran this type of setup before, so I want to make sure I do this right. The owner of the LFS is being very helpful in trying to set this tank up, but I want to draw on people's experiences, who've had tanks drilled, as to what they liked or disliked about their setups, what they would have done different, etc. I believe I'm going to set the sump up similar to Glazer's 10G sump with the skimmer/refugium combo. My thoughts right now are to use a Mag5 or 7 as the return pump. I just need help understanding the right way to setup the tank itself. I don't want to come home from work one day to water all over the floor. X) Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Ike]

Hey Pink,

 

My experience has been that a drilled tank is far & away superior to any hang-on overflow. I've tried both.

 

The only thing that I would have done differently would have been to build a Durso stand-pipe in a corner overflow. I didn't do it because I don't have the room in my tank. But with a 29 I'm guessing you should be OK. That way you'll have some surface skimming & the Durso will keep it quiet.

 

Also, if you can, go with a bigger capacity sump.

 

I have a 10g sump on my 15g tank. When I shut off the power to the pump the 10g sump is JUST able to hold the overflow from the main tank. So with the extra overflow volume that your sump is going to need to hold I'm going to say that a 10g is too small.

 

Measure the space that's going to house the sump & see what else is available to use besides a 10g glass tank.

 

ie., RuberMaid containers are GREAT. You can get them in all different sizes. They are MUCH easier to drill than glass. They are cheap & don't break & you can put tons of stuff in them.

 

Plumb the whole system with PVC, using the proper primer & cement. Also place a valve in both the overflow & return lines. They'll help you adjust the water levels in the main tank & the sump.

 

Whatever you do, DON'T cut corners & thake the cheap way out. You'll regret it every time. It will be cheaper in the long run to do it right the first time rather than tearing things apart to upgrade components of your system.

 

Hope this helps a little.

 

Ike

[lizbeth]

The first step is to decide how you want the 29 to look. Do you want a full height overflow? In the middle...in a corner? If not you can do just a top skimmer box like glazer did.

 

The problem I encountered with a Durso standpipe is fitting it in the box. My overflow box is 4.75"x5". I had to build it off set and set it in there diagonally.

 

Ike is totally right in making sure your sump can hold the overflow amount from your main tank when the pump stops. You should also make sure your main tank will hold the amount contained in the sump pump compartment in case the overflow clogs.

 

I used this site to figure the amounts;

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/rick.clark/Tanksize.htm

Be sure to check the box for US gallons. Do some measuring and figuring and you should be fine.

[Pink_Mist]

Thanks for the input. I've looked at doing a corner overflow with a Durso standpipe, but my tank stand has a solid shelf. Unless I cut a hole in the stand itself, drilling the bottom of the tank is out.

I would like to stay away from a hang-on overflow, though. I've heard a few horror stories from people about their hang-on overflow breaking siphon and spilling water all over the place.

The reason I went with a 10G sump idea is because I have a spare 10G tank sitting around doing nothing. The stand would easily fit a larger tank. I'll have to look into that. Small tanks aren't that expensive.

Thanks!

[Ike]

Pink,

 

You can actually make a Durso type overflow with a bulkhead drilled/installed in the back of the tank.

 

My brother did this on his 50g.

 

The bulkhead fitting on the inside is a 90 degree pvc elbow pointing down inside a skimmer box. Just make sure that the opening of the elbow is below the waterline inside the skimmer.

 

Outsite it feeds into a T fitting. One opening connects to the bulkhead. One flows down into the sump & the opening that points up is fitted with a pvc end-cap. The end-cap has a small hole drilled in it, although I don't know the diameter of his PVC or the size of the hole.

 

Anyway, it works like a champ. VERY quiet.

 

As far as making sure that your main tank can hold the contents of the sump if the overflow clogs... don't bother. It's just a risk you're going to have to live with.

 

Even with a 10 gallon sump you're going to have to leave your main tank only 2/3 full in order for it to hold the contents of your sump.

 

Unless I'm totally misunderstanding Lizbeth.

 

Just plan, plan, plan. Work out everything you can think of on paper before you start to build. Then just have fun with it & be patient. No good will result from rushing anything involved with your tank.

 

Ike

[Pink_Mist]

Hmm, I like that idea. I would just need to get an internal overflow box and mount it around the bulkhead. Thanks for the input. Definitely what I was looking for.

 

And I see what Lizbeth is saying. I'm planning on using a compartmentalized sump so I wouldn't have to worry about all the water in the sump flowing back into the tank if the overflow clogged. Just the amount that the compartment held when the water ceased to flow from the rest of the sump. Only problem I see with that now is I was planning on putting an auto topoff in that compartment. I probably will just have to take that risk.

 

Thanks for the help and ideas!

[offsprg01]

dude you guys missed liz's point. she meaanss that you sump has to be able to hold the overflow from youMAIN tank in case of as power outage. trust me 5 or six gallons on your floor is alot of water. my suggestion is to go buy a cheep rubber maid tub (10-15 bucks) and build your sump out of that. it may not look as pretty but it's cheep and effecient. trust me you'll just go and do it later when your power goes out and you come home to a wet floor. spend the money now and save the butt chewing from the wife/mom/girlfriend/roomate.