Drill 40 breeder or spring for a reef ready 34 shallow?

[Hazmatreefer7]

As the title says, I am thinking of either drilling my 40 breeder to eliminate the CPR cs 50 and buy a new stand or buy a deep blue 34 shallow rimless that is reef ready. The footprint is the same so I could reuse my DIY stand and simply make it better haha. The stand is literally a frame and I want to enclose it to cut down on noise. The cost of either option is going to be roughly the same give or take a few bucks. I am diggin the look of a rimless reef tank and I can't make up my mind. Help me decide please!

[RobZilla04]

Rimless tanks have a sweet look! I'm looking to do a 40B as well in the fall, drilling as well. From my research you should practice drilling another small, used/cheap, tank before trying the new one.

Currently waiting for the PetCo dollar a gallon sale.

[mcgyvr]

Originally Posted by RobZilla04

Currently waiting for the PetCo dollar a gallon sale.

40B isn't inclued the $1/gallon sale anymore..neither is 55G.. But they do discount it during that time..
I think I paid like $55 or something.. I forget now.


IMO the 12" height on the deep blue tank is too shallow unless its a frag only tank.. 16" min for me.. So I would pick the 40b
I personally just switched from a 40b to the deep blue 80 rimless.. I drilled it for an external bean animal with a 24" internal weir..

[Darth_Tater]

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

40B isn't inclued the $1/gallon sale anymore..neither is 55G.. But they do discount it during that time..
I think I paid like $55 or something.. I forget now.

Sad news!



I drilled two holes in the back of my 40 breeder. Piece of cake. Just don't rush it and make sure to put something in the tank to catch the big circles that fall out when the drill bit gets all the way through. I just put a chunk of plywood under the drilling location and that protected the front panel.

I also think 12" is too shallow. I'm running a 20 Long hooked up to my 40 breeder's sump and I can barely put anything in it (I do have 4" of sand in that tank, so that is part of the problem). I'm going to have acros growing out of my 40 breeder before too long as well.

12" depth also makes it hard to place powerheads without blowing sand all over the place AND without sucking air.

One positive with 12" depth is that the PAR from lighting will be higher. If it's the same footprint as the 40 though you'll probably end up with at least 2 fixtures anyways if you go LED and it will end up as complete overkill and the extra 4" of depth won't matter one bit. Mine are turned clear down to 20% on the 40.

Things to consider

[RobZilla04]

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

40B isn't inclued the $1/gallon sale anymore..neither is 55G.. But they do discount it during that time..
I think I paid like $55 or something.. I forget now.


IMO the 12" height on the deep blue tank is too shallow unless its a frag only tank.. 16" min for me.. So I would pick the 40b
I personally just switched from a 40b to the deep blue 80 rimless.. I drilled it for an external bean animal with a 24" internal weir..

Close enough. I cannot remember what my local store does as far as 40 and 55. It's been a while. Ill def take the 50% and then $1/gallon for a sump.

[RobZilla04]

Originally Posted by Darth_Tater

Sad news!



I drilled two holes in the back of my 40 breeder. Piece of cake. Just don't rush it and make sure to put something in the tank to catch the big circles that fall out when the drill bit gets all the way through. I just put a chunk of plywood under the drilling location and that protected the front panel.

I also think 12" is too shallow. I'm running a 20 Long hooked up to my 40 breeder's sump and I can barely put anything in it (I do have 4" of sand in that tank, so that is part of the problem). I'm going to have acros growing out of my 40 breeder before too long as well.

12" depth also makes it hard to place powerheads without blowing sand all over the place AND without sucking air.

One positive with 12" depth is that the PAR from lighting will be higher. If it's the same footprint as the 40 though you'll probably end up with at least 2 fixtures anyways if you go LED and it will end up as complete overkill and the extra 4" of depth won't matter one bit. Mine are turned clear down to 20% on the 40.

Things to consider

Which drill bit did you use? Can you link to it?

[mcgyvr]

I bought a whole set of diamond glass hole saws from Amazon..
Whole set was cheaper than a single one at other "aquarium related suppliers" and the quality is the same (low).. But they work just fine for what you need..
Took me about 20 minutes to make 3 holes in 1/2" glass on my deep blue rimless 80G
I used my wood hole saws to create a hole in a piece of plywood first that the diamond bit fits into.. Then clamped it to the tank.. Used some plumbers putty to create a damn around everything and filled it with water to keep the bit cool.. Taped the backside to keep the "slug" from cracking/falling out and put a towel in a bunch to catch the water and the slug if/when it drops..
Let the bit do the work.. Don't push..
Be very careful when its just about through to avoid chipping out the back of the hole..

Diameter depends on which specific bulkhead you are using..

Here is an "example" of what I got..
https://www.amazon.com/WORTOOL-Diamo...hole+saw&psc=1

[bo0sted2g]

I just drilled my 40b this weeekend. I was nervous for sure but after you get the first hole done without shattering the glass the nerves settle down. It's really not as bad as I expected. Just let the weight of the drill do the work. Don't push it down, keep water running over the hole while you drill and you'll be fine!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RobZilla04]

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

I bought a whole set of diamond glass hole saws from Amazon..
Whole set was cheaper than a single one at other "aquarium related suppliers" and the quality is the same (low).. But they work just fine for what you need..
Took me about 20 minutes to make 3 holes in 1/2" glass on my deep blue rimless 80G
I used my wood hole saws to create a hole in a piece of plywood first that the diamond bit fits into.. Then clamped it to the tank.. Used some plumbers putty to create a damn around everything and filled it with water to keep the bit cool.. Taped the backside to keep the "slug" from cracking/falling out and put a towel in a bunch to catch the water and the slug if/when it drops..
Let the bit do the work.. Don't push..
Be very careful when its just about through to avoid chipping out the back of the hole..

Diameter depends on which specific bulkhead you are using..

Here is an "example" of what I got..
https://www.amazon.com/WORTOOL-Diamo...hole+saw&psc=1

Thanks! Already watched many YouTube vids and have the process, just needed the bits. I will practice on a cheap tank first.

[mcgyvr]

Originally Posted by RobZilla04

Thanks! Already watched many YouTube vids and have the process, just needed the bits. I will practice on a cheap tank first.

I did forget a few steps along the way..
They are all.."Drink a beer" and you can fit them in wherever you want in the process..
I suggest sticking them in quite frequently

As stated above .. After your first one you are almost an expert.. Its really not bad.. Just go slow..

No shame in taking 30 minutes to drill a hole..
Just don't get too cocky..

[RobZilla04]

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

I did forget a few steps along the way..
They are all.."Drink a beer" and you can fit them in wherever you want in the process..
I suggest sticking them in quite frequently

As stated above .. After your first one you are almost an expert.. Its really not bad.. Just go slow..

No shame in taking 30 minutes to drill a hole..
Just don't get too cocky..

I'll save the beers for after in that case

[mcgyvr]

Originally Posted by RobZilla04

I'll save the beers for after in that case

Oh you are one of those guys...
"Here.. hold my beer and watch this"

Then yes.. save them for later..

[nereefpat]

Alcohol and power tools don't mix. So make sure to drink all of your beers first.

[Jon0807]

I drilled 5 holes into my 40b. I was super nervous for the first one, but after that, the others were cake. Personally I like the 40b but sometimes wish it were just a bit taller