Neptune Aquatics

New tank setup help

sendo

sendo

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Hello,

I recieved a few very nice frags for free at the last February meeting (thanks Mr.Ugly:)). I started off with a 12 gallon and now a few months later I have

28 gallon glass tank
10 gallon sump
150 MH w/ 2x65 pc

I am finding out that reef tanks, much like crack, is addictive and all consuming of your time and money(thanks Mr.Ugly :().

First question - I have a CPR overflow right now and I have read on several forums that these are prone to losing syphon even with the aqualifter. Is there a good glass shop in the Walnut Creek area that will drill my tank? How risky is it to drill the back of a glass tank?

Second question - I am looking for a good return pump. I have a Via Aqua right now that is very noisy. Any suggestions for a quiet, reliable return pump? I have heard good things about the ehiems. How quiet are the Koralia power heads? I was thinking about getting a Koralia 1.

Thanks guys.
 
I THINK that backdrilling a glass tank would be bad because you can get a lot of torsional strain with plumbing. I could be completely wrong though.

I have two Koralia 1's that I got a few weeks ago. I really like them. Mine are very quiet.
You can't go wrong with the eheims.
 
A couple of things to consider when drilling a glass tank

* Make sure the pane glass you are planning on drilling is not tempered
* Glass shop may do it for you assuming they have the right size diamond drill bits. You must be able to tell them the
size of the hole you want drilled. The size of the hole for the bulk head is actually a little larger than the actual
dimension of itself
* It is always risky to drill the glass tank. Usually the smaller the tank the thinner the glass the easier it is to shatter

I have used the Lifereef overflow and liked it never lost siphon- it's the design of the overflow box that can keep the siphon. I believe there are other manufactures that make similar overflow boxes to the Lifereef ones.

I like Eheim pumps but they are pretty expensive pumps. A Mag 5 might work as well, but it does eat electricity and it can run a little warm (it will heat the tank).

I have no experience with Koralia pumps so I cannot comment on those.
 
Even in that small of a tank I'd go with a Koralia 2 at least. I'm using a quiet 1 3000 and love it but it's only a few months old. I've seen a lot of people drill the back of their tanks but I've read most glass shops won't do it even if you tell them they won't be responsible for cracking it. I've been wondering what it's like to drill glass myself so if you tank it on let me know I'd like to help :) There are a lot of DIY threads on drilling glass out there and it's fairly simple and just like this hobby, take your time, it can't be rushed.
 
I drilled the back glass of my 150 because it is common that the bottom is tempered, which was the case for me. Ensure that the weight and support of all the plumbing is supported by something other then just the tank. I strapped the plumbing to the stand of my tank, so the weight is held by this and not the glass.
 
Although the concept of drilling a glass tank is intimidating, You will be suprised how easy it is after youve done it once. Be sure you look up the proper procedures and also ensure you have the correct hole size for the bulkhead you plan on using.
 
I have only drilled a 10g tank so far and it went very easy. As Eileen mentions, those are easy to crack because the glass is so thin. Although I drilled two holes in it with no problems I would be more nervous drilling a big tank in case it would crack. A 10g is not very expensive to replace :)
 
I used a CPR CS-50 overflow box with aqualifter before and didn't have any issues w/it. To be on the safe side, I actually tapped the overflow box on the side and placed another bulkhead there just in case the other one clogged or something.

Eheim pumps are nice and quiet. You might want to take a look at the ocean runner pumps; they're supposed to be eheim knockoffs.
 
My tank is made by odyssea, which is a part of JBJ I believe. Since it is made in China I am thinking that the glass might be hard to drill / break easily. LeviTillie, if I decide to drill you will be the first to know. The videos on youtube make it look easy. I will have to see if I can track down some diamond tipped drill bits.

Ibn, you use the exact same model as mine. Did you have to use the prefilter for the aqualifter? how exactly did you have it set up?
 
I drilled the back of the same brand tank and didn't have any problem. I used the diamond bit. Like everyone said, there is risk when you drill the tank. Don't put too much pressure when you drill...
 
Not sure which model is your's but mine was the CS-50 w/the 3/4" bulkhead. It came w/a prefilter, but I didn't use it and just ran it herbie with the strainer.

Pretty basic setup. Box on the side of the tank, aqualifter plugged into the hole on the top. CS-50 flow to the sump with a true union ball valve to regulate the level. Extra hole and bulkhead drilled in the overflow box in case something was to clog the main drain.
 
28g (are you sure it's not a 29g?), I'd throw a Bak-Pak on it and be done with it. Do you really need a sump? Wait until Saturday to determine what to do with flow, I'm sure we're all going to be scrambling around changing stuff up.
 
I checked the dimensions on one of the volume calculators and it is 28 gallons. I already have an in sump protein skimmer plus a sump so I am kind of half way there already. Hey Elite, would you be willing to help LeviTillie and I drill the tank?
 
One of the reefer borrowed my bits and hasn't returned yet. It's easy.. Just take your times and don't apply too much pressure and you should be fine.
 
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