Combining two tanks, suggestions?

[Gordonious]

Combining two tanks, suggestions?

I am working on building my first sump which I hope to have down with the next three weeks. I was thinking of placing a 5.5 gallon tank which is missing a side(will be missing two) The photo below should give you a rough idea of what I plan to do. I would use all-glass aquarium glue to seal the sides after I have support for it using either PVC piping, acrylic, or a combination of both.

Adding the broken 5.5 inside the 20 gallon soon to be sump.
1. Remove black plastic molding, cut out the sides that will be gone.
2. Remove the broken back and the right side.
3. Return plastic molding to remaining sides.
4. Install 5.5 inside with support under it via PVC or acrylic.
5. Glue in place.
6. Test test test.

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Keep in mind though the photo is leaving out additional walls and baffles I will be adding. The tank has two holes drilled in it already and the current plan is actually to have the return pump below this tank and just have the pipe run straight up and through the tank.

Jon

 

[Gordonious]

<IMG SRC="http://www.gordonious.com/H2O/Marine/Plans/tankintank2.bmp" BORDER=2>

 

[cmondo]

I just made a refugium last semester, and it was really easy, you should have no problem.

First a couple of questions...are you cutting overflow teeth into the 5.5 or just letting it flow? If so you will have problems with air bubbles.

How is the baffle system going to look?

Be carefull with the tube running through the bottom of the tank...most bottom glass is tempered and will break when you try to drill. (I am not exactly sure where you are saying the holes are already.)

Sears in newark cuts glass really cheap.

If you have any questions, or if I am just misinterpreting what you are trying to say just let me know. Goodluck with that.

 

[Gordonious]

"Keep in mind though the photo is leaving out additional walls and baffles I will be adding. " Yes the diagram I showed just illustrated where I would be putting the tank inside the tank. There will be three baffles on what is the far left of the diagram where there will be a return as well as a in tank skimmer in the future. There will be two pumps on the far right divided from each other. The tank I am putting inside, 5.5g, I am planning on leaving the way it is with out teeth. Water will run into it through a aquaclear that will pull from the return area. I hope to make it level enough that water overflows on both sides, across the whole sides, at an even rate. Both holes are on the bottom and one of the holes in the bottom will allow some water to flow right out of the bottom to cut down on flow going off the sides. (this will have a tube at least half way up so the hole in the bottom when power is cut will not drain the whole tank.

Sorry if this isn't to detailed, but I gotta split. Major exam in a couple hours. See ya.

 

[30mini]

Be careful you don't do what I did on accident!! make sure that you are very careful with that glass when your taking the silicone off!! This is what I did when i was taking apart a 10 gal... which I have done more than once, by the way...

 

[cmondo]

Yeah I know you said the baffles weren't drawn, but if you had the water flowing over every part of the old 5.5, I was just curious how you were setting up the baffles so that water didn't flow into all sections of the sump.

Is the skimmer you are putting in going to be an in sump, or hang on? You have enough room for both that and the pump?

Good luck with that exam, what class?

Chris

 

[Gordonious]

General chem 2. Luck was not on my side. :-(

I'll draw up the rest of the sump when I get home. Skimmer will be internal, though I will be running an external temporarily. The pump will be under and in front of the 5.5. I've put everything inside it before, I'll do it again and take pics.

So I'll post later.

 

[cmondo]

Cool man sounds good, I am curious to see how you fit that stuff in there.

Planning on getting any new livestock for those tanks soon?

 

[Gordonious]

Not unless I can trade for them or get them for free, lol. Money has been extremely short. Hopefully I will be able to work enough this fall to support a couple of new things, but I have no clue what my class schedule is, so right now I am clueless as to what life will be like for the next 4 months.

I do have some frags I want to trade, but they arn't easy to take care of so might not be able to find a lot of people to trade with.(Yellow Gorgonians)