40 Breeder Build

[JRR1285]

I have been planning on upgrading my current tank (standard 29G) to a larger tank since the moment I began setting it up. The 29G is fine but it just doesn't have enough room to get an aquascape I am happy with. My stand can hold a 36" long tank and is 22 inches front to back so I had some options. Petco ended up offering the $1 a gallon sale so I snagged a 40 breeder to start my transfer with.

I am planning on running a coast to coast overflow with a Beananimal drain setup. The tank I purchased is a Tetra and it has a sticker on the bottom saying it is tempered so drilling the bottom is out. It didn't really work for me anyway. I already have an established 20L sump inside my stand so I just need to get started on drilling the 40 breeder and installing the necessary glass pieces to build the coast to coast. I just have a couple of quick questions.

1. The tank is exactly 36 inches long and the side panels look to cut into that by a 1/4" each. Is it safe to assume that a 35.5 inch length on the baffles would work? Should I go a little shorter say 35" 7/16's or 35" 3/8's to allow some silicone in between the edges?

2. I am figuring that I may need to have the bulkheads installed for this, but how deep and wide should the C2C box be? I was thinking around 3 inches wide and between 5 and 6 inches deep? I think that would be sufficient for getting elbows in and out and wouldn't cut into the tank too much. I am hoping to get black or at least smoked glass for this. I will be using Dow Corning 795 for silicone.

Thanks in advance for any advice and information.

I will be adding pictures as I go and will be posting up what materials and tools I use so that maybe it can be of use to others who might be going the same route in the future.

 

[StevieD]

Why don't you just use 2 pieces of glass and run it side glass to side glass? Im going to try that on my next tank, in theory it will work

 

[JRR1285]

That is what I'm planning. I want to run it the whole length of the tank and I was just trying to figure out how big the two pieces should be to get the job done. I was thinking the box should be 5-6 inches deep and around 3-4 inches from the back of the tank wall.

 

[StevieD]

I would just measure the width of the inside glass, install the bulkheads and go from there on depth and width

 

[JRR1285]

Yeah I guess I just need to wait on the glass hole saw and bulk heads to come in before I can really get a good idea on the measurements. Hope to have it drilled in the next day or two.

 

[StevieD]

That would be the best idea...base everything off bulkhead position

 

[Knd107]

Not sure if you need a coast to coast on a 40G breeder. I drilled my 40g breeder and built a 8"Wx5"Hx4"D acrylic overflow box and I don't see anything at the water surface.

Going with a glass overflow seems like a good option since my black acrylic overflow blocks a fair amount of light. Its centered on the tank with dual returns.

I am about to drill a 57g rimless to upgrade from the 40g breeder.

I have a DC 5000 return that runs into a SWCD then dual returns. I have 1" drains in a herbie style overflow. The 5000 is rated up to 1320GPH before losses.

Right now, I'm debating if I want to go with the bean since that was my original plan but at the last minute decided to go herbie since I had 1" drains. I guess you get the added safety of a bean animal but the herbie is really quiet and my gate valve is almost 40%-60% closed. Probably recommend going with 3/4" piping but I have alot of 1" left over and don't want to waste it.

Still not sure what I want to do with mine. I got a 12" overflow designed but not built and I kinda want to make it as thin as possible so I don't block any of my lighting.

The smoke glass would look pretty cool actually.

4" from the back wall will allow you to get bulkheads in and out pretty easy. I had 90 street elbow on one and a strainer on the other. But were able to get into the holes after siliconing the overflow on.

I am considering pre-mounting the bulkheads and elbow/ strainer and then mounting the overflow box which would be as tight as possible. I won't be able to remove the plumbing without emptying the water and remove the overflow box but I'll have the additional room in the tank and less light blockage.

Sounds stupid? I haven't had my DIY 40 breeder long but I have never touch the overflow since installing it and I don't think anyone really does......??????

 

[JRR1285]

Not sure if you need a coast to coast on a 40G breeder. I drilled my 40g breeder and built a 8"Wx5"Hx4"D acrylic overflow box and I don't see anything at the water surface.

Going with a glass overflow seems like a good option since my black acrylic overflow blocks a fair amount of light. Its centered on the tank with dual returns.

I am about to drill a 57g rimless to upgrade from the 40g breeder.

I have a DC 5000 return that runs into a SWCD then dual returns. I have 1" drains in a herbie style overflow. The 5000 is rated up to 1320GPH before losses.

Right now, I'm debating if I want to go with the bean since that was my original plan but at the last minute decided to go herbie since I had 1" drains. I guess you get the added safety of a bean animal but the herbie is really quiet and my gate valve is almost 40%-60% closed. Probably recommend going with 3/4" piping but I have alot of 1" left over and don't want to waste it.

Still not sure what I want to do with mine. I got a 12" overflow designed but not built and I kinda want to make it as thin as possible so I don't block any of my lighting.

The smoke glass would look pretty cool actually.

4" from the back wall will allow you to get bulkheads in and out pretty easy. I had 90 street elbow on one and a strainer on the other. But were able to get into the holes after siliconing the overflow on.

I am considering pre-mounting the bulkheads and elbow/ strainer and then mounting the overflow box which would be as tight as possible. I won't be able to remove the plumbing without emptying the water and remove the overflow box but I'll have the additional room in the tank and less light blockage.

Sounds stupid? I haven't had my DIY 40 breeder long but I have never touch the overflow since installing it and I don't think anyone really does......??????

I want the coast to coast since the beananimal overflow takes up considerable space anyway. I was thinking of going with a smaller overflow but settled on the C2C.

I was doing some measuring now that it's all drilled and it looks like my C2C would only need to be 3 1/2" inches front to back. I will be making the front out of smoked glass and may make the bottom clear. I haven't decided yet.

All of my plumbing will be 1".

I don't think installing the bulkheads then installing the glass is a bad idea. It will take up the least space. The only thing is that I know you could cut the fittings and still fit them in the bulkhead just fine making the width even smaller. I would be worried about maintenance if it was needed. I don't think you would normally have to take it apart once it's together though.

 

[JRR1285]

I didn't have putty so I needed to improvise. I used duct tape and was able to get a nice clean water tight dam around my hole spot.

First 3/4" Bulkhead hole. Using a 35mm hole saw. Almost no chip-out. I used duct tape on the back of the glass as well. There will be two of these for the returns.

Here is the taping off for the three 1" bulkhead holes. Going to be using a 45mm hole saw for this one. Again there is duct tape on the back side to hopefully prevent chip-out.

Holes all drilled. Very minimal chip-out and I am very happy with the end result.

Bulkheads all installed to test fit. While drilling the return on the left it walked a little on me and I had to cut the trim to fit the nut for the bulkhead. I was a little upset but mostly just relieved I didn't destroy my new tank.

 

[StevieD]

Almost identical to mine, except my overflow is in the center...Looks good, good luck on the rest of the build

 

[JRR1285]

Some more progress. Picked up the glass pieces today and set them into place. I just got them in place with a decent bead of Dow Corning 795. I plan on using a razor and removing excess silicone then laying down some nicer beads tomorrow.

 

[pfcreed]

was this your first time drilling glass. I want to but I don't have the nerve.

 

[JRR1285]

Yes this was my first time drilling glass. I was very nervous but it ended up being very easy. Those were cheap hole saws from Amazon too. Just go slow and let the bit do the work.

 

[biocube101]

40 Breeder Build

why didnt you just get a glass holes overflow kit? I mean is there a reason you went with this design over just getting a kit from them?

 

[JRR1285]

I almost did go with a glass holes kit. It kind of just came down to me definitely wanting a beananimal overflow, and I also wanted to try a coast to coast overflow. The surface skimming of this setup should be better than a toothed overflow box since much of the water flowing into the toothed box is coming from below the surface. This overflow type maximizes surface skimming.

This is all information I have picked up from reading various online forums. I have not actually tried the C2C overflow or the beananimal overflow yet. Hoping it works out well and was worth it. In the end it did not cost too much more than a glass holes kit. I'm also enjoying watching it all come together.

 

[biocube101]

any progress? thinking about getting a 40 also... what size sump you got?

I know your still getting it setup but are you still happy you went with the 40 or do you wish you would of jumped up a little bigger?

 

[JRR1285]

any progress? thinking about getting a 40 also... what size sump you got?

I know your still getting it setup but are you still happy you went with the 40 or do you wish you would of jumped up a little bigger?

I'll update with some pics when I get home. As of right now I have a standard 29G with a 20G long sump. For right now I can't fit anything much bigger than a 40B. I think I'll be really happy with it when I'm done. The best aspect of a 40B is the depth front to back. It's also more shallow than my 29G which I like better too. Should be much easier to scape than a 12-13 inch deep tank.

It won't be holding water for a another week or so though. Dow Corning 795 has a long cure time and I want to play it as safe as possible. It's already made a very strong bond and I can barely smell the silicone.

 

[JRR1285]

Semi recent shot of my setup.

A little more recent.

Old pic of the sump.



I now have a few SPS pieces and my tank has a bit of hair algae from slacking on maintenance since I have been focusing on setting up the 40B among other things.

 

[Knd107]

any progress? thinking about getting a 40 also... what size sump you got?

I know your still getting it setup but are you still happy you went with the 40 or do you wish you would of jumped up a little bigger?

I know this question wasn't directed at me but I did something similar to OP and started with the $1/gal Petco sale.

The sale only goes up to the 55gal and its 12" deep. You can get plenty of better scapes into the 18" 40G then the 55G IMO. Of course, you could go bigger or something different than Petco tanks but its the cheapest and not too bad for a DIY if something goes wrong.

Anyway, I ended up with a 5.25"H x 12"W x 3"D overflow and I was drilling my 57g rimless. I ended up cracking it on the 3rd hole of 4. Sucks. The 40g was so easy with how thin the glass was. The tank I was drilling was a 57g rimless DBP tank with 1/2" glass. I was taking my time but then I looked up to check on the kids and then blam cracked down the center. Not sure what I'm going to do. Replacing the pane would cost more than the tank itself and I have to reseal it myself (including the bottom plastic frame). Pretty much going to give up on it.

Its terrible since my overflow box came out great and the other holes that I did drill were good too. argh! Damn up and downs of DIY!

 

[JRR1285]

I know this question wasn't directed at me but I did something similar to OP and started with the $1/gal Petco sale.

The sale only goes up to the 55gal and its 12" deep. You can get plenty of better scapes into the 18" 40G then the 55G IMO. Of course, you could go bigger or something different than Petco tanks but its the cheapest and not too bad for a DIY if something goes wrong.

Anyway, I ended up with a 5.25"H x 12"W x 3"D overflow and I was drilling my 57g rimless. I ended up cracking it on the 3rd hole of 4. Sucks. The 40g was so easy with how thin the glass was. The tank I was drilling was a 57g rimless DBP tank with 1/2" glass. I was taking my time but then I looked up to check on the kids and then blam cracked down the center. Not sure what I'm going to do. Replacing the pane would cost more than the tank itself and I have to reseal it myself (including the bottom plastic frame). Pretty much going to give up on it.

Its terrible since my overflow box came out great and the other holes that I did drill were good too. argh! Damn up and downs of DIY!

That's terrible luck on the 57 you were drilling. It's one of the reasons the Petco sale is great for a 40B like you mentioned. Lowers the risk and cost of going the DIY route.