125 Drilled or 180 using HOB??

[jherrin215]

I have both and I am trying to decide which to use. I have a 125 that is drilled for overflow and returns that has been my large salt tank. I am in the process of redoing it after our move. I also have a 180 freshwater that isn't getting set back up here. I have been thinking about using the 180 for the saltwater instead of the 125. The only problem is that the 180 is tempered and I don't think it can be drilled so I would have to use a HOB overflow system. I think my lights would be sufficient for either and I could build a new hood for the 180 no problem. Give me some help making this decision!!!

 

[RyanMcLaughlin]

If I could afford either I would go w/ the 180. I prefer the ease of a drilled tank but have used HOB and they are just as good just a little harder to get going.

 

[neotracer075]

WoW!!

WoW!!

Mannnnnn...

I know I am new at this but WOW!!! If it were me it would be a no brainer to go for the 180g!! I would love to have a tank that immense!!

Might be a little more initial work and maintenance, but I'd think it would be better in the long run. Soooo many choices with the 180!!

I might be biased though as I've always wanted a small shark or ray in my tank.

Or maybe set it up as a species tank... Octopus or Eels.

Just WOW! I wish I had a decision like that to make! I'm only sitting at 72g right now... <sigh> Guess I gotta start somewhere. LOL

Just my 2 cents...
-neotracer

 

[jherrin215]

The 180 is cool, Right now it's freshwater and one of the tanks are going to my mother and father in laws house. I haven't looked at HOB overflows to see how much $$ that will run, but I think everything else would be ok to use on the 180. I would have to get some more rock and would have some more room for all my lights so that would be a plus!! I have 2 175 watt MH 2 6 foot VHO's one super white and one actinic and 2 24" VHO's so I think I could light up either tank. Keep the suggestions coming, it's sounding like I might be revising my plans!!

 

[kau_cinta_ku]

are you sure just the bottom of the tank isn't tempered? I can't see all the sides being tepered unless it is a very old tank.

 

[calli]

Dumb Question.. lol .. but how can you tell?

 

[kar93]

If you have a glass company around you give them a call and they may be able to tell.

 

[fltt]

Most tanks the bottom is tempered and the sides are not.
IMO I would have the back of the tank drilled with 2 drains and 2 returns. Call around to LFS and see how much they charge to drill the tank.
Go with a sump under for your skimmer heater etc...

 

[rockworm]

Although I have not tried it, my understanding is that the use of polarized sunglasses will show waves in the glass which indicates it is tempered. If there are no waves, the glass is not tempered.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12957341#post12957341 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by calli
Dumb Question.. lol .. but how can you tell?

 

[jherrin215]

I'm not 100 percent sure. If it's not then I saw a design that someone had where they had the overflows drilled across the back and it looked sweet!! I wouldn't have to drill it for the return I would just get another sea swirl and have 2 of them for the returns. This is sounding like it's gonna be a bigger project than I had planned!!

 

[Jakers88]

If you find out if your tank is drilled or not let me know how, I have a 55 right now that I'm going to setup and there is a sticker on the bottom that says tempered glass but no stickers any where else, I bought the tank used so I'm not sure if it can be drilled or not.

 

[kau_cinta_ku]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12959884#post12959884 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jakers88
If you find out if your tank is drilled or not let me know how, I have a 55 right now that I'm going to setup and there is a sticker on the bottom that says tempered glass but no stickers any where else, I bought the tank used so I'm not sure if it can be drilled or not.

most 55 gal. tanks are mpered on all sides however due to using thinner glass. usually the sticker on the bottom will say that the bottom is tempered only do not drill.

 

[Jakers88]

lol got it, HOB overflow for me it is

 

[fltt]

Most tanks have a tempered bottom with all sides being plate glass. To make sure call the manufacturer and confirm.
HOB overflow is fine but IMO I don't want anything hanging off the back of my tank and would drill the back with 2 drains and 2 returns. 150lbs. of live rock a very good protien skimmer (asm, euroreef, or octopus). Put a sump under the tank not a wet dry filter a sump. Use a filter sock on your drains for your mechanical filter and the rest go all natural.

 

[Lemeshianos]

I have a 115 gl tanks with all tempered glass. My solution was to remove the back glass, clean the tank from silicon traces and glue a new drilled glass.

As for the polarized glasses, I have a pair of polarized rayban's and couldn't tell the difference. So don't rest your hopes on a pair of glasses. I bought the tank today and I'm going to take it to get it drilled in a few days. I'll ask the guy to try to drill the back glass. I 've been told that the whole tank is made of car glass(tempered) and didn't see any difference. Its made in China so I'm thinking that maybe the Chinese wouldn't go and pay extra money for tempered glass. I will warn him that It could be tempered so he will be careful not to get hurt. Maybe he has a way to tell.
If the glass shutters then the polarized glasses definetely can't tell you if its tempered or not.

Hmm well I guess I could be wrong. This is from wikipedia.

Polarizing sunglasses reveal stress in car window (see text for explanation.)The photograph on the right was taken through polarizing sunglasses and through the rear window of a car. Light from the sky is reflected by the windshield of the other car at an angle, making it mostly horizontally polarized. The rear window is made of tempered glass. Stress in the glass, left from its heat treatment, causes it to alter the polarization of light passing through it, like a wave plate. Without this effect, the sunglasses would block the horizontally polarized light reflected from the other car's window. The stress in the rear window, however, changes some of the horizontally polarized light into vertically polarized light that can pass through the glasses. As a result, the regular pattern of the heat treatment becomes visible.

So in other words you can't tell by looking directly at the glass. you have to look through the glass at a different glass surface to see if its polarized or not.

Here is the setup to see if it is or not tempered.

 

[jherrin215]

So does anyone know if i can take this tank up to a glass shop and see if they can tell me whether or not it's tempered??

 

[fltt]

To make sure call the manufacturer and confirm.

 

[Tswifty]

I built my own overflow inside my tank, and am very happy with how it turned out. I covered it with a piece of black acrylic, and you can't really even tell it's there anymore.

 

[Tswifty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12967465#post12967465 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fltt
To make sure call the manufacturer and confirm.

+2

 

[jherrin215]

I like what you've got there swifty, but I can't really see how it works, any more pics??