help anyone? Newbie looking for supplies.

[hellfish01]

also if anyone has drilled holes before and is interested in helping me out with that, let me know. we can work something out.

[aquaph8]

If your confident with your woodworking skills I'd say go for it.

[hellfish01]

I know for alot of you its easy cause youve been trough the "scared itless of cracking the glass" feeling im sure i will go though. im okay taking the risk, like you said im comfortable with my woodworking skills, yet not my pluming skills. i dont know how far down from the top of the aquarium to make the holes as to determine how much of the water will drain out in case of a power outage, or if they should be even (intake and outtake), small details like that. i found some really good info that some people may also benefit from. but i would still prefer to go at it with someone thats had a bit more experience than none (aka me).
Step 1. Finding out if your grass is tempered.
Step 2. Basic drilling
extra information on how to determine if my sump will be big enough....
Im still not done with my homework but i feel like my first steps are coming along nicely. once i feel confident about the drilling process im going to start researching the sump/refugium. i heard a 10g may be way to small for all this. but i dont know. i may have to pass on the refugium part of my sump.....

[aquaph8]

I can't help you with the drilling, I've never done it

[hellfish01]

No worries, but thank you for commenting.

[CReyes350]

Yep, the second stand is ideal for having the space and ability to fit a larger sump. A 10 gallon sump would work but it will leave a lot to be desired especially if you want to have separate areas for the skimmer, refugium, and return pump.

Out of the questions you have, i would say that you have done your research and have a pretty good idea of what you need to do but the most important issue would be the stand. I am not comfortable with my own skills at reengineering a stand and would probably look for one thats already made to fit my needs, however if you feel like you can make it then by all means because the second stand you posted is way better

[GrampaDon]

After your PM I found this thread. So here is my advice. 1]There is no reason you cant start a salt/reef tank with your Rena filter. just keep it toped off to control your parameters. If budget is your goal then start this way first. 2] Your tank likely has the tempered bottem. So drilling the back corners is the next idea. I have drilled like 15 or so holes myself and its not hard. But if it were me I wouldnt. Why ? because it will keep the tank to far from the wall when the plumbing is done. And to much restructure needed for the stand to work. [the overflow should use .375 acrylic not .220]

If you are stuck on a corner tank then get a normal Reef Ready with proper overflow and stand [ CL is a great source ] for 250 or much less.

Or while on CL watch for 90g with stand. Or just step into a 120 [48X24X24]
Both will be easy to equip with normal equiptment.

Of course its up to you. But adding the cost for a hole saw / 2 bulkhaeds / 10oz tube of silicone and acrylic [and the risk of screwing up the hole] and last fixing the stand.

[Holyassasin]

Lets get this guy a starter pack once he has everything set up

[phenom5]

Originally Posted by hellfish01

i dont know how far down from the top of the aquarium to make the holes as to determine how much of the water will drain out in case of a power outage, or if they should be even (intake and outtake), small details like that...

i heard a 10g may be way to small for all this. but i dont know. i may have to pass on the refugium part of my sump.....

On the stand, I would definitely make the change you've shown. More room to work under tank is always a good thing. I can't ever remember a time when I thought to myself...gee, I wish I didn't have so much space under my tank.

As far as the drilling goes. I would really consider just drilling your drain, and running your return lines up and over the back of the tank. Less to drill, and worst case you can spray paint any exposed PVC black so it looks okay.

I would go with a 1" drain, which will require a 1 3/4" hole. You want the distance from the edge of a glass pane that you put any hole to be at least equal to the diameter of your hole. So in this case, you'd want it at least 1 3/4" from the top. The overflow box on your drain, and a siphon break (a hole just below the water line on your return pipes that allows air into the line...which breaks the siphon) are what control the amount of water that drains into the sump in case of a power outage/ or if you shutdown your return, not the level of your holes.

A 10g is fine for a sump, bigger is better, but you can make do. You may have to get creative if you choose to have a refuge, but it can be done. I would even consider building out the new stand, and sticking with a 10g sump. That leaves room for an auto topoff reservoir...which I highly recommend.

I agree with GrampaDon on going bigger if possible, but you want to make sure you can equip a bigger tank. If you step up to a 120, but don't have the cash available to set it up with the right equipment, you may not be as happy long term.

Something else to consider, is a HOB overflow. I cannot speak for other HOB overflows, but my father in law had a lifereef overflow on his tank for years, and it was very reliable. Cost more money than some of the others out there, but that thing always started right back up.

[hellfish01]

awesome thank you guys for all the help.
i really want to keep this tank i know and im sure your all right about bigger is better but im going to stay with this. as for the sump. i was recommended (and i agree its a great idea) a hob skimmer i can buy within the sump section. if i need to i can rearrange the stand, i can go one of 2 ways that seam best for me... im thinking 4x4 should support enough weight and still give me room to move around. however if i can get away without having to do anything i would prefer that. based on my measurements i should be able to fit a 10 or a 15 tall without problems. the hob can go at the front end or back.
what about something like this.
i really dont see why i cant just avoid the drilling. i know its best but just in case i cant. wouldnt something like this work as well?

[aquaph8]

Rob's a smart man! I can't tell you how much I envy all the people with basements on this forum .

[fed.gallardo]

one other item that you would need is an RODI unit. I tried hauling water for about 1 week and got sick and tired of it quick. Get an RODI and some brute cans or a large water storage container and your life will be much happier.

[hellfish01]

thank you. however i had solfwater planted aquariums for over 5 years by now. maybe longer and ive been getting ro water from the pet store for a good part of that. my question is, i know rodi is better but is it needed or is ro decent enough? theres a saltwater Oceans Finest Aquatics by Arizona Nature Aquatics (were i get my soft water stuff) were i can get rodi. i dont mind but is it that big of a diff? or is it Needed.?

[Holyassasin]

I've only been using RO water.

[hellfish01]

cool. i do plan on dozing i think saltwater is called two part. and doing water changes weekly, unless anyone would care to explain a saltwater soft/sps regimen. i plan to have a low bio load. 4 or so fish, a few hermit crabs and snails and a cleaner shrimp. but all this wont be for a while. first i need to figure out the drilling or pluming to the sump. thanx to some people i have a few options on skimmers, but i still want to know if i can use the hang on back or if i should break down my stand and go for a 20l under the tank with an internal skimmer. i know thats ideal but not the easiest one to do.

[Holyassasin]

Ocean's Finest is no longer running. So the only LFS are Tropical Kingdom (haven't heard any good things from it) and Fishy Bizness.

[hellfish01]

Go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200

[CReyes350]

I must say that Tropical Kingdom is smelly but they have a good selection of SW fish. You MUST ALWAYS quarantine fish from any fishy supply though. Anyways back to the main topic...

[sillygoose]

We chose to go with RODI because there are so many things that are hard to control, but excellent starter water quality is a good place to start. Every little bit helps.

[hellfish01]

Thank you both. Definitely I had a good talk with David and Carlos about that and they gave me great advice on all that.
Thank you all for all your help. All of you rock!

[MurphysLaw]

Originally Posted by hellfish01

awesome thank you guys for all the help.
i really want to keep this tank i know and im sure your all right about bigger is better but im going to stay with this. as for the sump. i was recommended (and i agree its a great idea) a hob skimmer i can buy within the sump section. if i need to i can rearrange the stand, i can go one of 2 ways that seam best for me... im thinking 4x4 should support enough weight and still give me room to move around. however if i can get away without having to do anything i would prefer that. based on my measurements i should be able to fit a 10 or a 15 tall without problems. the hob can go at the front end or back.
what about something like this.
i really dont see why i cant just avoid the drilling. i know its best but just in case i cant. wouldnt something like this work as well?

My tank was tempered so I couldn't drill. I built a similar overflow setup to this one. It has run for almost 1.5years without the siphon failing and flooding the room. However, I used 2 1" overflows in case 1 did fail. Also I think the air valve is in the wrong place in the diagram. The air valve goes at the top of the "U" going over the rim. So that you can remove trapped air and start the siphon. Check out my build thread, it might help you decide. Also that style overflow is very loud IME. I am in the process of upgrading to a reef ready tank with built in overflow that is allready drilled.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2250066

[hellfish01]

That's a nice looking tank. Thank you. My first option is drilling but if that doesn't work I want to try this out. Thank you

[hellfish01]

i have a question about the background. (by the way anyone interested in any freshwater stuff let me know!) my question is once my tank is empty drilled and ready to go, would you paint the back? i have a plastic sheet on it now but always wanted to paint it. i was thinking either latex or plasticdip so i can remove latter on if needed. i know some people like the blue some nothing at all. what is your favorite?

[fed.gallardo]

I used Black PlastiDip on mine. worked well.

[EmeraldReef86]

Myself I like black because when the blues are on my coral have more of a "pop" or "wow" factor to them cause the tank is darker overall, but I know people like the ocean blue color cause it have a more "realistic" to the surrounding area during the day