Brand new to Saltwater & Knoxville! Intro post/looking for help or advice.

[Schreiber]

Hey everyone! My name's Brandon & I just moved to Knoxville for my first job out of college. I've been saving money for years to set up a reef tank when I got my own place & the time has finally come!

I'm in the process of cycling a 55 gallon tank now. I've got a protein skimmer, UV sterilizer, a few T5 overhead lights, an Eshopps sump, & a few other doodads ready to go. Biggest question I have at the moment is how to install the sump into my system? I've looked into the BeanAnimal overflow which looks pretty nice, but it will require drilling holes into the aquarium. I'm not opposed to that, but I don't have the tools to do it, which proves to be a problem on the budget of someone who literally hasn't got their first paycheck yet. Are there any other methods that are failsafe? I live in a carpeted apartment, so any system like a typical overflow box is completely out of the question for me.

Anyways, I found this forum when I googled "Knoxville aquarium drilling" & feel like I discovered buried treasure. I look forward to hopefully meeting some of you & learning from those of you much more experienced than I am!

 

[Chriscrna]

Welcome Brandon! So glad you found Reef2Reef! You're on the BEST reef forum on the planet!

Ahhhhh.....many years ago, I was once a new grad just like you, salivating for my very first paycheck! As were most of us in the ETRC. We can relate, and we got your back.

Sounds like you're on the right path to a successful reef tank.

Personally, I run a bean animal, as do several of my club mates. I've never drilled a tank, but I think a few in ETRC have. Someone may have tools to help you.

If your tank is not drilled, you can run a siphon overflow box. I did this for years without any problems.

Pictures man......we like pictures here. Again, welcome, and happy reeling!

 

[cale0721]

Hey man! Welcome to r2r and the Etrc forum!

I don't have any experience drilling a tank. I know a few members have so hopefully they will chime in.

@BlueDevil any suggestions for Brandon?

 

[Schreiber]

If your tank is not drilled, you can run a siphon overflow box. I did this for years without any problems.

Pictures man......we like pictures here. Again, welcome, and happy reeling!

I'm just terrified of the power going out for a few minutes, losing a siphon, then the pump kicks back on. I'd rather not deal with that nightmare.

Also.... Pictures!! It's a bit cluttered at the moment since I'm still setting up, but all of the stuff hanging on the back will go into the sump in the cabinet (except maybe the HOB filter, still debating whether to even use it or not).

 

[Chriscrna]

Looks good dude. I like the 2 island look. Big fan of that rock scape.

 

[jsker]

Welcome to R2R, looking forward to your build thread. Thank you [HASHTAG]#etrc[/HASHTAG] reaching out to Brandon

 

[Mgoc]

When I started my tank almost 3 years ago I couldn't get anyone to drill it for me and I didn't have the tools to do it so I figured I could just do 3 siphon overflows and it has worked for the most part but I did loose siphon more than once. Thankfully I caught it right before it spilled all over the floor. I know now that I will NEVER start a new tank unless it's reef ready. Save yourself the headaches and the never ending anxiety of being at work or school or anywhere else but home and wondering if your tank is safe.

 

[Robink]

Welcome to R2R and congrats on your new job!!

 

[tonto95]

Welcome to the east tennesse area, great place to live. I don't have experience of drilling a tank. Good luck with the tank.

 

[Schreiber]

When I started my tank almost 3 years ago I couldn't get anyone to drill it for me and I didn't have the tools to do it so I figured I could just do 3 siphon overflows and it has worked for the most part but I did loose siphon more than once. Thankfully I caught it right before it spilled all over the floor. I know now that I will NEVER start a new tank unless it's reef ready. Save yourself the headaches and the never ending anxiety of being at work or school or anywhere else but home and wondering if your tank is safe.

I'm definitely not wanting that worry. I'd rather just not use a sump at all if I can't find a way to get it drilled.

Welcome to R2R and congrats on your new job!!

Thanks! Week one is behind me & I'm enjoying it. Have to make money to afford the tank!

 

[Schreiber]

Looks good dude. I like the 2 island look. Big fan of that rock scape.

Thanks, took a few re-designs, but I finally found an arrangement I was happy with. Doesn't show up well in the pictures, but that right one has a pretty nice sized tunnel/cave there in the bottom.

I tried to model it after the area I went scuba diving in last year. Was awesome having walls of rock & coral on both sides of you.

 

[Chriscrna]

Hang on siphon overflows are very reliable. Don't listen to the naysayers. I and many others have run/ran one for YEARS without a hiccup.

You absolutely want to use a sump. If you need a siphon overflow to do so, then do so.

You're more than welcome to come by my place sometime. I'll show you my current setup and help you figure out what you can do with your current setup.

You've got a great looking tank. And there's nowhere to go but up from here. You've got lots of help in this forum, take advantage of it.

 

[smh254]

I'm just terrified of the power going out for a few minutes, losing a siphon, then the pump kicks back on. I'd rather not deal with that nightmare.

Also.... Pictures!! It's a bit cluttered at the moment since I'm still setting up, but all of the stuff hanging on the back will go into the sump in the cabinet (except maybe the HOB filter, still debating whether to even use it or not).

what I can see in your sump and tank pics I don't think your tank would overflow if you had a hang on the back siphon overflow. Only the last chamber in your sump would empty and it looks like you have plenty of space in the tank so I think you'd be fine. I've had my tank running for two years now with a Eshopps hang on the back overflow and have never lost siphon ones. I have tested by pulling the U tube out and every thing holds just fine. your sump should be able to hold the extra water in case of a power outage.

 

[Chriscrna]

The key with the siphon is to make sure your return pump is returning equal or more than your siphon can handle.

You get in trouble when your returning water at a lesser volume than your siphon can handle. Then you risk getting air in the siphon and breaking the siphon.

I didn't lose siphon a single time with my life reef in over 2 years. NOT ONE TIME!!!

 

[CastAway]

Welcome Brandon!

 

[jmann124]

Welcome. I'm running a hang on overflow. I modified to give it and emergency drain for power outage and clog reasons. I have drilled a tank in the past. I do not have a glass drill bit anymore though. I can help you set up a hang on overflow and show you how I have mine set so that it starts working when the power goes out. I've tested myself three times and had a power outage. Every time it started back without an issue.

 

[BlueDevil]

Hey Brandon,

Firstly, welcome to R2R and ETRC! You're in great hands around here to get answers and advice on anything and everything to do with this hobby!

Now on to you to your overflow question: a hang on the back overflow using a siphon works well ... only until it doesn't I say this through experience. I ran a HOB overflow box for 13 years with absolutely no hiccups. The siphon had no issues with power going off or on. HOWEVER, just a few months back was the first time I had an issue with it. A snail somehow found its way into the overflow box and partially blocked the siphon tube. This resulted in the return flow being much faster than the overflow and my tank ended up overflowing onto my hardwood floors! I was extremely fortunate in that I heard the pump gurgling as I was about to head out the door to go to work. So I was able to shut things off very quickly, and get the area dried off before it could cause any permanent damage to the floors. So yeah, it can and does work but it is most certainly not fool proof.

After having gone through this, if I had a choice, there is absolutely no way I would go with a HOB overflow box again. The bean animal style or even the herbie style is something I would recommend to anyone putting together a new setup. My new tank has the bean animal overflow and I absolutely love it!! Besides just the fact that is virtually bullet proof from clogging or overflowing thanks to the multiple failsafe drains, the amount of noise that is cut down from not having a gurgling overflow box is incredible!

So, for your build, I would highly recommend going with a bean animal overflow if you have the means and are able to do so. I have the drill bit you would need to drill the glass. I only used it to cut two holes on my current tank so it work for you just fine. I have never drilled a tank before (a fellow member drilled the tank for me) so I'm not sure I can help you with the drilling process, though you can most certainly borrow my drill bit if that is the route you choose to go. The drilling wasn't hard at all after I saw how it was done - I was just too much of a chicken to drill the glass. Also, I am not sure if you have one already, but if you do go with the bean animal overflow, you will need an overflow box. I have the Synergy Reef overflow box which is amazing.

I see that Chris has offered as well, but if you would like to come check out the overflow and all the workings in person, give me a shout and I'll be more than happy to have you over.

Your tank is looking really nice and it looks like you're off to a great start! If you have any questions, ask away!

Cheers!
Yash

 

[Schreiber]

Hang on siphon overflows are very reliable. Don't listen to the naysayers. I and many others have run/ran one for YEARS without a hiccup.

You absolutely want to use a sump. If you need a siphon overflow to do so, then do so.

You're more than welcome to come by my place sometime. I'll show you my current setup and help you figure out what you can do with your current setup.

You've got a great looking tank. And there's nowhere to go but up from here. You've got lots of help in this forum, take advantage of it.

Thanks! I've done a lot of reading, but I still don't see how they'd keep a siphon once the water level drops too low in a power outage. In my mind, water would drain from the tank until it was below the box, breaking the siphon. Then once the power came back on, the pump would kick in & flood the tank. I just may be missing something.

what I can see in your sump and tank pics I don't think your tank would overflow if you had a hang on the back siphon overflow. Only the last chamber in your sump would empty and it looks like you have plenty of space in the tank so I think you'd be fine. I've had my tank running for two years now with a Eshopps hang on the back overflow and have never lost siphon ones. I have tested by pulling the U tube out and every thing holds just fine. your sump should be able to hold the extra water in case of a power outage.

Ah, I hadn't really noticed that design feature in the sump, thanks for pointing that out! How does your box keep the siphon once the water drops below it?

The key with the siphon is to make sure your return pump is returning equal or more than your siphon can handle.

You get in trouble when your returning water at a lesser volume than your siphon can handle. Then you risk getting air in the siphon and breaking the siphon.

I didn't lose siphon a single time with my life reef in over 2 years. NOT ONE TIME!!!

Trust me, I won't have this problem. In fact, I may have the opposite. I wound up with a Mag 12 pump that's rated for 1200 GPH, sooooo I'd need a pretty massive overflow box to surpass that.

 

[smh254]

Thanks! I've done a lot of reading, but I still don't see how they'd keep a siphon once the water level drops too low in a power outage. In my mind, water would drain from the tank until it was below the box, breaking the siphon. Then once the power came back on, the pump would kick in & flood the tank. I just may be missing something.



Ah, I hadn't really noticed that design feature in the sump, thanks for pointing that out! How does your box keep the siphon once the water drops below it?



Trust me, I won't have this problem. In fact, I may have the opposite. I wound up with a Mag 12 pump that's rated for 1200 GPH, sooooo I'd need a pretty massive overflow box to surpass that.

Your overflow will have a box on the inside of the tank and one on the outside that both hold water. When the water in the tank lowers the water in the boxes stays and u don't lose siphon.

 

[Schreiber]

Welcome. I'm running a hang on overflow. I modified to give it and emergency drain for power outage and clog reasons. I have drilled a tank in the past. I do not have a glass drill bit anymore though. I can help you set up a hang on overflow and show you how I have mine set so that it starts working when the power goes out. I've tested myself three times and had a power outage. Every time it started back without an issue.

I'd love to see how you have that set up. I've read about people doing it, but haven't seen any pictures or diagrams at all, so I've had a tough time figuring out how it would work.

Hey Brandon,

Firstly, welcome to R2R and ETRC! You're in great hands around here to get answers and advice on anything and everything to do with this hobby!

Now on to you to your overflow question: a hang on the back overflow using a siphon works well ... only until it doesn't I say this through experience. I ran a HOB overflow box for 13 years with absolutely no hiccups. The siphon had no issues with power going off or on. HOWEVER, just a few months back was the first time I had an issue with it. A snail somehow found its way into the overflow box and partially blocked the siphon tube. This resulted in the return flow being much faster than the overflow and my tank ended up overflowing onto my hardwood floors! I was extremely fortunate in that I heard the pump gurgling as I was about to head out the door to go to work. So I was able to shut things off very quickly, and get the area dried off before it could cause any permanent damage to the floors. So yeah, it can and does work but it is most certainly not fool proof.

After having gone through this, if I had a choice, there is absolutely no way I would go with a HOB overflow box again. The bean animal style or even the herbie style is something I would recommend to anyone putting together a new setup. My new tank has the bean animal overflow and I absolutely love it!! Besides just the fact that is virtually bullet proof from clogging or overflowing thanks to the multiple failsafe drains, the amount of noise that is cut down from not having a gurgling overflow box is incredible!

So, for your build, I would highly recommend going with a bean animal overflow if you have the means and are able to do so. I have the drill bit you would need to drill the glass. I only used it to cut two holes on my current tank so it work for you just fine. I have never drilled a tank before (a fellow member drilled the tank for me) so I'm not sure I can help you with the drilling process, though you can most certainly borrow my drill bit if that is the route you choose to go. The drilling wasn't hard at all after I saw how it was done - I was just too much of a chicken to drill the glass. Also, I am not sure if you have one already, but if you do go with the bean animal overflow, you will need an overflow box. I have the Synergy Reef overflow box which is amazing.

I see that Chris has offered as well, but if you would like to come check out the overflow and all the workings in person, give me a shout and I'll be more than happy to have you over.

Your tank is looking really nice and it looks like you're off to a great start! If you have any questions, ask away!

Cheers!
Yash

Thanks! If I'm running a BeanAnimal system, from what I can tell, I'd be just as fine making my own overflow box, wouldn't I? Literally all it looks like I'd need is somewhere to house the PVC & all of that piping would do the actual work.

If you'd be willing to let me borrow that to drill, I'd be super appreciative I don't have any qualms about drilling my tank, worst case scenario is it shatters everywhere & I have to grab a brand new one at PetCo's $1 per gallon sale. I'd definitely love to see your setup too, it's hard to conceptually picture a lot of these things just based off of articles & drawings.