Need help with 55 Gal undrilled tank.

marcom12345 said:
i will also look into the trickle filter... would that be in place of a sump? because im pretty set on building a sump.

So ... no that drilling the tank may be a possibility..... if i do have it drilled... where do i drill it? just the back?
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I don't recommend a trickle filter in the conventional sense. A traditional trickle filter uses filter floss or bio-balls, both of which collect detritus from your tank and become nitrite/nitrate factories (it's one of them, but I can never keep the two straight). Instead, just load your sump up with live rock. The live rock is your filter. Live rock is the main filter in 90% of all salt tanks, so you'll fit right in.

As far as where to drill. It's up to you. If you don't mind installing an overflow wall, then feel free to drill into the bottom of the tank. Keep in mind though that many of the larger tanks are tempered on the bottom only, and you can't drill tempered glass. If you don't want to lose real-estate to the overflow wall, then drill in the back of the tank up high. Install a screen over the bulkhead and remember to keep it clean. Failure to do so equals a flood. The nice part about this design is that it relies only on gravity for draining, there is no siphon to worry about restarting.

Personally, if you go this route I'd add a second drain slightly higher than the first for use if/when the first one clogs. It's your emergency drain.

If you don't want to drill yourself, most glass shops will do it for you for $20-30 per hole.

If you decide to go with a siphon-over-the-back style overflow, as said above you MUST get one that will automatically restart after a power outage. Lifereef is a brand I used, and would recommend, for a decade before switching to a drilled tank. The only downside to a siphon overflow is that you have to periodically clean the U-tubes so the algae growth inside doesn't slow the flowrate too much. About every 3 months if you're using Metal Halide lights was what I found. Lower intensity lights would cause slower algae growth.

Personally, I'll never have a non-drilled tank again. I'm running a Herbie style overflow now and love it.

Lastly, no matter what setup you use, I highly recommend adding a float switch in your tank that is hooked up to your return pump. If the water level reaches some threshold, the switch turns off the return pump. This is a backup way to prevent a flood. Trust me, it works great, and has saved my marriage several times. :) Just check the power rating on the floatswitch to make sure it can handle the current that the return pump is drawing. Depending on the current draw of your pump, if the float switch can't handle it you may need to add a relay. Do some searching online and you'll see what I mean.
 
You can also look at DIY Overflow that is pvc. Go on youtube and look up "how to do it yourself aquarium overflow sump plumbing" by Planet Tropics.

Seems to be a reliable system, and it can be painted to match your background.

Just throwing an option out there for you to look into. Good luck.
 
marcom12345 said:
just going to throw this out there.... would two 10 gallon tanks, one made into a sump.... and the other made into a refugium be ... adequte for a 55 gal?
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You'd be better off with a 20gal sump. They fit perfectly under a 55 gal. Petco is having a dollar-per-galon sale now, pick one up cheap!

I did something similar to this in my build thread - i have a 20 gal sump and a 10 gal separate fuge. It works awesome.

Drilling holes in your tank is ridiculously easy. Seriously. If you are worried about tempered glass - either call the manufacturer or do the sunglasses / LCD screen test. I can say for a fact that the Aqueon 55's from Petco only have tempered bottoms. The sides are drillable.

Good Luck!
 
Don't drill the 55. All panels are tempered in about 95% of them. A quick youtube search will show you what happens when trying to drill a 55.
 
see... this is why im nervous... one person says most are not tempered another says most are... the tank is being used as a freshwater at the moment... can you do the sunglasses thing with water in it? i looked under the tank looking for a manufature brand.... i saw a paper tag... part was sitting between the tank and stand so it ripped...but its white and orange. allong one side it says " rning - do not drill glass enclosure." i bought this tank at Petco. so when its all said and done... im Not going to drill the tank... the tag says nothing about brand so i cant call them either.

i have even heard of stories where the manufature doesnt even know.
 
If you have a pair of polarized sun glasses and a cell phone you can tell if your glass is tempered or not... easy as that.

I have a sumpless undrilled fluval 55gal and I am doing fine (except on the nitrate side, just got a reactor yesterday). Everything is intank, and I have a toadstool and a couple mushrooms with a LOT of fish for a 55gal.
 
i have heard the sunglasses thing ... the question i had was... will it work with water still in the tank, as i have a freshwater setup in it at the moment.
 
marcom12345 said:
i have heard the sunglasses thing ... the question i had was... will it work with water still in the tank, as i have a freshwater setup in it at the moment.
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If your cell phone is waterproof, it might work, but I doubt it. If you can take some water out of the tank, you should be able to do the procedure that way. All you need is to expose enough glass to be able to have the cell phone screen on the other side & be able to rotate it without getting it wet. Don't even consider drilling or trying to check the bottom glass to see if it's tempered. If any part of a tank is tempered, it's almost guaranteed to be the bottom glass.
 
Tank is more than likely tempered all around plus you'll get tired of the 12" front to back quick. A 55 undrilled makes a good starter tank and a great sump when the time comes. Get the overflow box and move along with the build already

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im pretty much convinced to agree with you keepNitreal. im going to just go with undrilled for now. and i agree... im sure i'll move to a 75 or 90 fairly quickly.

id lvoe to continue with the build... but at this point im waiting for some cash to arrive. early may. so im trying to do my research into everything until then, so that when i get the money i can just use it right away with the research done. :)

so i'll move to sump questions next :) but let me think about what i want to ask :)
 
marcom12345 said:
im pretty much convinced to agree with you keepNitreal. im going to just go with undrilled for now. and i agree... im sure i'll move to a 75 or 90 fairly quickly.

id lvoe to continue with the build... but at this point im waiting for some cash to arrive. early may. so im trying to do my research into everything until then, so that when i get the money i can just use it right away with the research done. :)

so i'll move to sump questions next :) but let me think about what i want to ask :)
Click to expand...

125g drilled with a 55g sump will keep you happy for a long time ;)

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i cant imagine that much real estate in a fish tank lol i mean i have seen them in the local fish store. but i cant picture it in my house
 
marcom12345 said:
i cant imagine that much real estate in a fish tank lol i mean i have seen them in the local fish store. but i cant picture it in my house
Click to expand...

Or you can do a 120g and stay at the 48" foot print. 120 Gallon 48 1/2L x 24 1/4W x 25 1/2H

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ok... suggestions on a heater? test kits?

i think i should explain a little first...

im going to be getting a $250 amazon shopping spree from my work. So i figure i could get alot of the small stuff like heaters, test kits.... refractometer, circulation pumps, skimmer?.... or whatever.... as i write this im thinking a ro/di filter.... so looking for good brands of such things...
i know $250 wont go far but what the heck may as well get what i can.
 
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