Picked up aquarium, have several questions, and critique my plan please

[cvrle1]

Hello everyone,

Wanted to post separate thread from the one asking about all extra equipment I got with it, as I have questions specific to the tank, stand, sump, etc.

Tank is 120 gallon, 4 x 2 x 2
It came with stand which is 4 x 2 x 28 inches (height)
It also came with Oceanic Model 2 reef ready sump (36 x 17 x 12.5)

Tank is reef ready as well, and has dual overflows (non corner) I would like to take these out, plug the 4 holes at the bottom of it, and install Beananimal overflow system. I checked last night, and it looks like tank is non tempered (used polarized sunglasses and cellphone, glasses turned black when rotated) I found few threads on removing overflows already, but wanted to see if anyone thinks this is a bad idea

Stand is in quite a good shape, other than bottom which has warped, and has come undone in several places. This should be pretty easy to replace with new piece of plywood I am guessing. Also, stand doesnt have a top, so should I put one?

Height of 27 inches (inside the stand) is that enough room to maneuver skimmer and so on? I was playing around with the idea of building my own stand if needed be, but hoping this one will be good to use.

Sump, can I even use this sump, or should I try to re-purpose it for something else? It is Reef ready as well, so it is drilled on the side and has a bulkhead for the return. I could take that out and patch the hole, but am afraid that sump is way too long. Would I have enough room to have dedicated area inside the stand for controller, power cables and bars, ATO, and so on? Inside of the stand is 45 inches, so that would leave me with 9 inches of space. Sounds tight.

Finally, I got about 100# worth of sand. It was live sand, looks to be aragonite, however it was just taken out and put into 2 buckets with barely any water. I am guessing it is mostly now dead, or will be soon. Since I cant set this up for several months, it will keep sitting there. What is the best way of getting this sand ready to go when time comes? I will wash it well, but should I bleach it, cook it and so on, like it is recommended with dead rock that was once live?

Thanks again everyone for the help!

 

[lolgranny]

Why do you want to remove the overflows? I would suggest keeping them and using that sump you currently have or making yourself another one.

As for the stand, needs some love, but that base isn't anything structural.

The sand I would toss, cleaning it would be more of a headache then spending the $ on new stuff imo. Or go bare bottom like some of us do.

Clean the tank with some vinegar and it will look brand new


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[cvrle1]

Why do you want to remove the overflows? I would suggest keeping them and using that sump you currently have or making yourself another one.

As for the stand, needs some love, but that base isn't anything structural.

The sand I would toss, cleaning it would be more of a headache then spending the $ on new stuff imo. Or go bare bottom like some of us do.

Clean the tank with some vinegar and it will look brand new


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Thanks for the feedback.

I was thinking about removing overflows, as I would like to use Beananimal overflow design. I was reading about few people converting corner overflows to use beananimal system as well, but they ran into issue of stagnant water in the bottom of the overflows. Then they had to fill them with sand. Also, I just dont know if I like the look of the honking overflows in the middle of the tank either.

 

[Icewing726]

I'll try to revisit and add more advice but here's one big piece. You saw that the base of the stand was warped, given the salt I'd wager there was a spill or two under there. I'd further wager that the water didn't stay on the wood and that the guy you got this from had water damage under the tank.

Odds are you too will do something stupid and cause water to spill under there. Save yourself the heartache and get a durable waterproof fabric to make a catch basin out of.

All I did was use a pvc shower mat (meant to go under a shower floor not the kind you stand on) from lowes and cut it so that it was larger then the base. Then I placed it and the ends curved up a couple of inch's on all sides.

I spilled some water just the other day, wasn't any issue whatsoever to soak up.


Your other questions:
1) Skimmer Maneuverability: I think the maneuverability of your skimmer depends less on the height of your stand and more on the height of your sump under the stand. Mine is very difficult to maneuver due to its size and I would think you would be close to if not identical to mine. A good way to test this is get a cardboard box that matches the skimmer dimensions and put it in and take it out. If it's a no go, consider another plan.

2) I wouldn't move the overflows unless you know glass working like the back of your hand. Pretty sure non tempered glass can't be drilled anyway.

3) Washing the sand sucks but you have to wash new sand too. My sand was a 90ish dollar purchase to get 2-3 inches in a 150 gallon tank (5x2 footprint). Your call on that, I wouldn't be worried about it though after washing it.

Couple of items I'd like to warn you about:
1) Looks like you have carpet in your home. DONT FORGET THAT SPIKE STRIPS DON'T COMPRESS LIKE CARPET PAD!!!!! I did, shimming a full tank is fun... You won't catch the leveling issue until you start filling. You may want to do a rinse fill before you do a real fill just to check for that.
2) Get a second return pump (a cheapee). You can mix salt water in a seperate bin and use this to pump it into the tank nice and easy. Really helps during big water changes.
3) Elevate your surge protectors underneath and consider a UPS for your return pump. Elevation is for potential spills.
4) Don't underestimate how much spray comes from the drain and contain it early, salt is very hard to scrub off of wood

Anyway, feel free to pm me with questions or discard my advice. Either way good luck sir.

 

[lolgranny]

If you want to go with a different style overflow this is what I'd do. Post your tank for sale / trade on the forums for one without overflows. Those will work fine as is and can be very quiet depending on how you plumb everything.

I get the look bothering you, but you're opening a can of worms dealing with that.


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[cvrle1]

I'll try to revisit and add more advice but here's one big piece. You saw that the base of the stand was warped, given the salt I'd wager there was a spill or two under there. I'd further wager that the water didn't stay on the wood and that the guy you got this from had water damage under the tank.

Odds are you too will do something stupid and cause water to spill under there. Save yourself the heartache and get a durable waterproof fabric to make a catch basin out of.

All I did was use a pvc shower mat (meant to go under a shower floor not the kind you stand on) from lowes and cut it so that it was larger then the base. Then I placed it and the ends curved up a couple of inch's on all sides.

I spilled some water just the other day, wasn't any issue whatsoever to soak up.


Your other questions:
1) Skimmer Maneuverability: I think the maneuverability of your skimmer depends less on the height of your stand and more on the height of your sump under the stand. Mine is very difficult to maneuver due to its size and I would think you would be close to if not identical to mine. A good way to test this is get a cardboard box that matches the skimmer dimensions and put it in and take it out. If it's a no go, consider another plan.

2) I wouldn't move the overflows unless you know glass working like the back of your hand. Pretty sure non tempered glass can't be drilled anyway.

3) Washing the sand sucks but you have to wash new sand too. My sand was a 90ish dollar purchase to get 2-3 inches in a 150 gallon tank (5x2 footprint). Your call on that, I wouldn't be worried about it though after washing it.

Couple of items I'd like to warn you about:
1) Looks like you have carpet in your home. DONT FORGET THAT SPIKE STRIPS DON'T COMPRESS LIKE CARPET PAD!!!!! I did, shimming a full tank is fun... You won't catch the leveling issue until you start filling. You may want to do a rinse fill before you do a real fill just to check for that.
2) Get a second return pump (a cheapee). You can mix salt water in a seperate bin and use this to pump it into the tank nice and easy. Really helps during big water changes.
3) Elevate your surge protectors underneath and consider a UPS for your return pump. Elevation is for potential spills.
4) Don't underestimate how much spray comes from the drain and contain it early, salt is very hard to scrub off of wood

Anyway, feel free to pm me with questions or discard my advice. Either way good luck sir.

Thanks very much for the feedback.

Good idea about water spill and using pvc shower mat. I will look into it for sure.

While I do have carpet in the basement where tank will go (all of these pics were actually taken in the garage haha) I will be removing it and replacing with laminate floor. I planned to do this before tank idea came about, so it will be a nice bonus for tank as well.

For cheap return pump, I actually have 3 of those (if you look at my other post I started today, it has a list of equipment that was thrown in with tank). This is precisely a type of idea I was looking for, as those 3 pumps dont seem good enough for this size of tank. Previous owner used 2 return pumps, one for each overflow box, which i definitely dont want to do.

As for points 3, and 4, will keep n mind when I start desiging this thing out in more details.

Thanks again

 

[reefling]

Keep the overflows. They are better than a bean animal. Bean animal leaves all detritus in the tank. What you have takes out of the middle of the water column. I have had all the different overflows. Get the right kit and they are quiet too.

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[SantaMonica]

I would worry about that drain on the bottom of the sump. I'd seal it.

And the sand can sit until needed, then used as-is. No more mess than the added rock. All the ammonia will be gone by then.

 

[cvrle1]

Thank you all for help and feedback on the plan. Really do appreciate it. I guess i will look into this whole dual overflow and how to set it up properly. Truth be told I pretty much got everything for free ($50) so thats why I started thinking all over the place on what can be done and which way to go.

As for the sump, should I plug that return on it, and then customize it to fit what I need, or should I plug it and re-purpose it for something like QT or frag tank and get a new sump that fits the space better? Just worried that it may be too long for the space I have, and that things will get really tight.

Thanks again.

 

[cvrle1]

While I was looking around, I stumbled on this video. It shows how to convert dual overflow into Herbie style. Any reasons why this shouldnt work, or is bad idea?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYhAp6GFNz8

Thanks!

 

[lngbrdz]

If you want to go with a different style overflow this is what I'd do. Post your tank for sale / trade on the forums for one without overflows. Those will work fine as is and can be very quiet depending on how you plumb everything.

I get the look bothering you, but you're opening a can of worms dealing with that.


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My thought and couldn't agree more. Ecperience speaking

 

[Nickfishman]

pile up your rock work to hide the over flows. removing them is a bad idea.
if you paint the tank back black they wont be as noticeable.
the sump will probably work, but i personally would use something else.
good luck!

 

[cvrle1]

Thanks again everyone. I do have one quick question, and I am not trying to be a smart *** by any means. But why would removing these overflows be a bad idea? Reason I am asking, and what gave me this idea in the 1st place was another thread on RC.

This is the thread in question: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1934188

Again, not trying to challenge what you are saying, but just curious on reasons why you think this way. Regardless, I am looking around to see if I can find another tank perhaps.

 

[lolgranny]

Thanks again everyone. I do have one quick question, and I am not trying to be a smart *** by any means. But why would removing these overflows be a bad idea? Reason I am asking, and what gave me this idea in the 1st place was another thread on RC.

This is the thread in question: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1934188

Again, not trying to challenge what you are saying, but just curious on reasons why you think this way. Regardless, I am looking around to see if I can find another tank perhaps.

I don't think anyone said bad idea, but a pain in the butt. You're looking at hours of work / drilling your back glass. Which is time and $ on material. You're better off trading your tank for a 125g without overflows (usually you have the more desirable tank since it's already drilled with overflows)

I traded one of my 125g with overflows for one without before. Plus used tanks are sold cheap. That's just my opinion, if you want to do it do it. We are just here for our opinions and support.




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[cvrle1]

I don't think anyone said bad idea, but a pain in the butt. You're looking at hours of work / drilling your back glass. Which is time and $ on material. You're better off trading your tank for a 125g without overflows (usually you have the more desirable tank since it's already drilled with overflows)

I traded one of my 125g with overflows for one without before. Plus used tanks are sold cheap. That's just my opinion, if you want to do it do it. We are just here for our opinions and support.


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Thank you very much for another detailed response. It make sense for sure on all accounts. I have been looking around, but so far no tanks of this size came up for sale, let alone a trade. Few smaller ones, but that doesnt work. Will keep looking and see what happens in the end.

 

[lolgranny]

Thank you very much for another detailed response. It make sense for sure on all accounts. I have been looking around, but so far no tanks of this size came up for sale, let alone a trade. Few smaller ones, but that doesnt work. Will keep looking and see what happens in the end.

Post yours with some photos fs/ft and see what hits. No need to rush this since you still have eveything to buy / figure out still


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[cvrle1]

Post yours with some photos fs/ft and see what hits. No need to rush this since you still have eveything to buy / figure out still


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I did post in CL, and will do same in local club as well. Kinda feel bad posting it in the club, as that is where I found it for sale as well. Would kinda be bad form if person I bought it from sees that I am looking into selling it now, or trading it, only a week after I picked it up. I am definitely taking my time, and hopefully I find one before I am ready to start setting it all up in few months.

Thanks