Looking to trade 55g tank....

[Thinslis]

I just picked up my new (used) 150g tank and stand. Let me tell you, its a long trip from Columbus to Madison with a tank stand strapped to the top of your SUV... But all is here in one piece.

The first problem is that the 55g tank I was planning to use for my sump will not fit under the tank. My first thought is to trade this tank for one that will fit in my stand.

but....

The spare bedroom that is behind the display tank is not being used. Is there any problems with puting in some elbows and plumbing this thing through the wall?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks,

 

[itZme]

Re: Looking to trade 55g tank....

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10478591#post10478591 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Thinslis
The spare bedroom that is behind the display tank is not being used. Is there any problems with puting in some elbows and plumbing this thing through the wall?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks,

Nope... no problem at all doing that. I can think of at least 6 or 8 guys locally who have poked holes into other rooms or basements to have remotely placed equipment. Some are even rentals (you guys know who you are).

It is nice to have the skimmer, reactors, pumps etc.. in another room where the display is left to be nice and quiet. Drywall is easy enough to patch up if you ever need to move things around.

I have moved a few tanks and it is never fun. One was from Detroit and another from Toledo. I don't think we will ever be without a minivan again. They really come in handy when it's time to move things.

Good luck with the new setup!
-- Kevin

 

[Thinslis]

I'm not finding any good info on the net, all-glass aquariums website is in transition and has no good info at the moment. I'm trying to determin if the bottom of this new 150g tank (manufactured in 2005) is tempered glass or not. How can you tell? I would like to drill a closed loop if possible.

 

[Jim_Leyland]

ive always heard that most tanks are tempered on the bottom, i wouldn't risk it.. you don't need the bottom to be drilled to be a closed loop anyways IMO.. good luck with the setup!

 

[serpentman]

I am a big fan of remote sumps. They afford you a few really nice conveniences. First, usually you aren't as limited in size. Second, you hide all the mess. And finally, you can usually set them up so its much easier to work on them. Assuming there is no issue with holes in the wall (landlord, husband/wife, etc.) I would go for it.

As far as drilling holes, it is always HIGHLY advisable that if you do not know for sure whether it is tempered, to assume it is. The good news is that if you want a closed loop, it can be easily accomplished by drilling the back.

Furthermore, I would consider re-plumbing those bulkheads. You should not need any silicone on them to keep them water tight. Based on the picture, it looks like a leak waiting to happen. Is the O-Ring on the inside of the tank? FYI, one common mistake is to put the O-Ring on the outside (I did that once).

 

[Thinslis]

Thanks for the info Serpentman, I was looking around and found some nice diagrams on how to accomplish my closed loop goals with only drilling the back. The design I like the best is running PVC under the sand bed, I want two flows coming from the front of the tank pointing up and across the rocks. Then two will be from the back pointing down and to the off the side of the glass?... Not 100% on that one...

As for the plumbing I just finished removing most of it, I'm having trouble with the intakes inside the tank. I've got the two returns removed from inside but I can't seem to get the other two pipes to turn and I don't want to break anything. =(.

As for holes in the walls, I can do that, I just have to find a place for all the junk that is currently in that room =).

 

[serpentman]

Once you plumb them through the wall of the tank, you could simply not glue the directional fittings. This will allow you to move and tweak them until you get an ideal flow pattern.

I had a nightmare getting my bulkheads off my 180 as the threads were crossed. I wouldn't worry too much about breaking glass as it is very tough. You might destroy the bulkhead in the process though. For $5-$7 a piece, it might be a good idea to replace them anyways.

 

[mike660r]

Why don't you just purchase some Tunze pumps or Vortechs? You can save yourself a lot of risk of damaging the tank. If you aquascape off the glass the pumps will surely give you the water movement you are after.

 

[serpentman]

Good point Mike. A lot less headache than a closed loop too.

If I would to give a product recommendation, as a user of the Vortechs, I would suggest the Tunze. The Vortechs produce massive flow. However, I have found them a bit touchy. I am questioning how long mine are going to hold up long-term.

 

[Thinslis]

I want to do a closed loop because I don't want to look at the powerheads in the tanks,a nd cords running around places.

If I can find someone who knows what they are doing and has experiance drilling tanks I'll probably have the back drilled and use an Ocean Motion 4 way with some type of pump that will give me 1300-1500gph after head loss.

 

[itZme]

I tend to agree with the other guys when it comes to flow in the tank. It is more important to have the water movement and not so important to have a fast turnover rate through your sump/fuge. If you buy one Tunze 6060 it will run at 1585 gph and only 11watts. The money you would pay for the electricity on an external 1500 gph pump along with the investment in an OM 4way would outweigh the cost of buying 2-3 Tunzes and now that the nano streams are available you can modify them to get a LOT of flow out of a relatively small and stylish package.

If you have a leaky bulkhead on your intake side of the closed loop, the water will drain from your tank until it reaches the leak. This is usually very low in the tank for most CL setups. I also don't like the idea of having 5 more holes in the tank that require seals and plumbing to stay drip free. You can see how much work someone did to make the one bulkhead stop dripping on your 150g now imagine that potential for leaks that times five

There are lots of people using CLs without trouble but I would just suggest weighing your options and visit several tanks before deciding.

My system is having some growing pains but feel free to contact me if you will be in my area sometime and would like to check it out. There are a total of 7 different tanks/tubs plumbed together using one skimmer.

HTH
-- Kevin

 

[Thinslis]

Kevin, Thanks for the info. I will look into the Tunze options. I do hear a lot about these units and I don't really understand them so I'm going to read up on them.

Also thank you for the invite. I may have to take you up on that. =)