Switch to Sump

[Foody]

I would very much prefer to have a sump situation in my 55g Reef Tank. The tank is not drilled. Therefore, I suppose I would need an overflow box. Never having set up a sump before, what equipment would I need to do this? I have 2 spare tanks that are not being used right now, one being a 10g and the other a 30g. Please reply as in "sump set ups for dummies," such as:

1) overflow box
2) etc.
3) etc.

thanks!

 

[E_rock]

can you fit the 30 under the cabinet of the tank? if not where do you plan on putting the sump?
-ether way you will need an overflow bow. I would recommend a "weir" type as opposed to a "pipe" type. You many also need an aqualifter pump to start the siphon on the overflow box
-Proper plumbing from the box to the input on the sump, if you dont know how to use pvc. Flexible tubing is available with simple "compression" fittings.
-There are 100's of sump designs out there to choose from. Biggest thing is to find what works with whatever skimmer you have/plan on using.(footprint and water depth).
-What ever else you plan on putting down there (fuge,reactors,heaters etc)
-Then you just have to send the water back up to the tank. With a pump of some sort that does in the ball park of 500ish gph.

I know the lfs around here show you. I have been the store and overheard someone ask and they did I good job of explaining.

 

[E_rock]

You dont technically have to use a baffels in your design. I would recommend it and it is nowhere near as scary as it sounds.
Just have a local glass shop cut you 1/4" plate glass. Should be less than ten bucks a piece. I only used three pieces. Two for a bubble trap one to divide the skimmer/fuge area.
Then silcone it in with ge silicon I i believe is the window door. not the bathroom silicone. Or use aquarium silcone for ten bucks...

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

sumps 101

 

[Flanders]

I used to use an overflow box and honestly I would empty the tank contents into a Rubbermaid tub for an afternoon and drill it and install a glass holes overflow or something similar before ever using a siphon overflow box again. you'll be much happier long-term, I think, and we're only talking about a couple hours' work. they come with the hole saws and everything.

 

[cardiffgiant]

I recall that most 55s use tempered glass on the sides. You'll want to verify before thinking about drilling. If you use an overflow box, go with a "u tube" or continuous siphon overflow. Lifereef used to make one. DO NOT use the flat CPR style that requires a lift pump (unless you like wet floors).

I had a 55 and was only able to fit a 10 under it. You could also get an acrylic sump made that would give you more volume in the space that you have available.

 

[Willistein]

I'll second what Flanders said, DRILL IT. It's actually very easy. If the glass is thin, it's probably tempered. I do think a lot of the 55s out there are tempered. Sometimes they have a little sticker on the bottom that says if the bottom is tempered. You could try to check with the manufacturer.

 

[Foody]

Definitely a sticker that says, "TEMPERED."

 

[Flanders]

That means the bottom is tempered. The sides may or may not be tempered. I looked into this awhile back and apparently AGA/Aqueon would use whatever glass they had lying around to build 55s because they made so damn many of them, but they keep good records and if you call them and give them the details from the sticker on the bottom they can tell you whether your tank is tempered. I have a 55 for my sump that I took my chances on and it wasn't tempered. Hope that helps. If it's tempered I'd think about a new tank. JMO

Virtually 100% of people regret going the overflow box route and a quality one isn't any cheaper than buying a glass holes kit. Just saying.

 

[Foody]

No way to get to the sticker now. It's underneath an inch of aragonite, 50 pounds of rock and 400 pounds if saltwater.

 

[aj2494]

I was in your exact same situation about a year ago. I wanted to do an overflow box, but in the end, I bought a gl*******s.com kit and drilled the overflow. Long story short, that tank leaked and I now have both the overflow and the return lines drilled. From someone who has personally tried not drilling, it's way better to drill and not nearly as scary as it seems. Gl*******s gives you awesome instructions. As for the sump itself, I spent like thirty bucks on glass and cut it myself. I now have a chamber for my protein skimmer. Water overflows the front of that glass into a little section for growing macro, and over the side to the baffles, through the baffles to the pump and back up to the tank. My siliconing is a little messy, but it was my first try. Overall, it works, and I'm very happy with it. As for sump size, you are limited by what you can fit in your stand, but the bigger the better. I have a 29 because I built a stand specifically for a 55 display and 29 sump.

As for tempered vs not, there are methods you can google to tell the difference just by looking at the glass. It is highly unlikely that yours is tempered if it is less than ten years old. Tempered glass costs more to make, and as glass overall improved, the necessity to use tempered side panels disappeared. Worse comes to worse, you drain the tank and just tilt it to look at the sticker. I'm 18 and have drained tanks probably a dozen times. It's not as much work as it looks like.

Good luck, and I hope I helped.

 

[Srixon]

almost all 55's ALL panes are tempered.....just an FYI

 

[EllieSuz]

55 gallon tanks are tempered all the way around. LifeReef still makes overflow boxes in several sizes. I have the slim line model on my 60 gallon so it can be closer to the wall. I've used it for several years and it's absolutely foolproof. It never fails to start up after the return pump has stopped for whatever reason. I turn it off every week for water changes. Don't, and I mean this sincerely, don't get an overflow that requires any kind of pump to keep a siphon. It's asking for a flood. Call Jeff at LifeReef and he will supply you with everything you need in the correct size, etc. He sent me the right pump, hoses, nozzles, etc. You can't get better customer service. They are a little more expensive, but you get what you pay for and his workmanship is the best.

 

[Flanders]

It's simply not true that all 55s are tempered guys.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

my two cents

my two cents

do it right the first time.

I wouldn't bother drilling a 48" long 55 because it's a poor choice for a reef aquarium to begin with. Aquariums are the least expensive component when setting up a display. If you choose to go with the 55, get a Lifereef, Amiracle or similar HOT* overflow.

*hang on tank

 

[Willistein]

Can we get you to go to a 75? he he he
Or maybe a 120? Both 4 foot tanks, but way better for reefs. Not that a 55 can't be a good reef, but you limit what fish you can have and the front to back dimension is very limiting.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

there's a very good chance you can purchase a good used DRILLED 75 for less than the price of a new Lifereef HOT overflow

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

It's simply not true that all 55s are tempered guys.

+1. If anyone needs proof I can go into my basement and take a photo of my backup tank, which is a 55 with a tempered bottom and plain sides.

There are plenty of tricks to get an idea about the glass being tempered or not - generally thickness can be an indicator (if you have two tanks of the same dimensions and one has significantly thicker glass, it's probably not tempered). Also tempering plays with the polarization of light that penetrates the glass, you can see this by looking at the glass through polarization filters. With tempered glass if you change the orientation of the filter relative to the glass while looking through it, you'll hit a point where the polaization is exactly out of phase and a pretty distinct pattern is revealed.

At any rate, I vote for taking whatever measure you feel comfortable with to determine if the glass is tempered. If it is not, drain the tank, drill it, slap on a GH box or similar. If it is, start saving pennies and watching the classifieds for a tank that is already drilled or drillable - smaller tanks like 55's come up ALL the time, sometimes for very cheap or free.

If you want to just put a hang-on box on it, use an aqualifter pump or other device to maintain the siphon, regardless of the siphon style. And/or use two overflows or a box with two siphons so you have some redundancy. And choose a box where you'll max out the flow rate - oversizing the siphon reduces velocity which makes it more likely to have problems (it'll be harder to start and more likely to accumulate air bubbles).

 

[cardiffgiant]

do it right the first time.

I wouldn't bother drilling a 48" long 55 because it's a poor choice for a reef aquarium to begin with. Aquariums are the least expensive component when setting up a display. If you choose to go with the 55, get a Lifereef, Amiracle or similar HOT* overflow.

*hang on tank

I'm going to echo this thought, simply for the reason that all of the physical effort that you would go through to drill your current 55 will be about the same as setting up a slightly larger tank. The 12" width of a 55 makes it very difficult to acquascape and limits the room that you have for a sump.

If you have to stick with the 55, I'd save the time and effort and go with a very reliable HOT overflow.