Established 40 Breeder sump install

[Orey_P]

I've got a very established 40-breeder reef tank that's been running on hob equipment for about two years. I was given an eshopps AR-100 sump that I want to put to use. my dilemma is that I don't want to use a hob overflow for obvious reasons, but I also don't want to tear down the whole tank to drill it. I was wondering if I could drain the tank to the sandbed, install overflow, then fill it back up without completely tearing the tank down. Any thoughts on doing this or equipment I may need, return pump, skimmer, etc..? Any advice is much appreciated, cheers!

 

[legionofdoon]

I think you'd have a hard time keeping the drill cool. When I drilled mine I used plumbers putty to make a dike around where I was drilling and out water in it. Also you'll end up with ground glass in your tank.

 

[Orey_P]

I was thinking having a bucket below the drill and using a hose to keep the bit cooled. As for the ground glass, I’d put painters tape behind the bit and make a tape tray underneath the hole to contain any granular shards

 

[Orey_P]

Here’s what I would be working with. I am definitely going to build a stand for the breeder and sump btw. Also that is a crack in the top of the sump but it is repaired and leak tested, hence why it was given to me.

 

[legionofdoon]

Your tank looks awesome, if it's working I'd leave it be. You really don't need a sump. What lights are those?

 

[legionofdoon]

If you are going hose route for cooling, not to state the obvious please make sure you are using a cordless drill.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

It's doable but going to be messy.

Make sure to take it Extremely slow as cracking the glass, when you are planning on filling it right up would be a huge pita.

 

[Orey_P]

Your tank looks awesome, if it's working I'd leave it be. You really don't need a sump. What lights are those?

I appreciate it!! The lights I’m using are two “hipagero aqua knights” pretty much $60 Amazon lights I bought like three years ago I can’t believe how well they’ve done. However I think it may be time for an upgrade for some better acro coloration

 

[lion king]

I've known many crack their tanks even under the best conditions. You really need to position the tank with the drill spot facing up and allow the weight of the drill to do the work, keeping the weight evenly distributed. If you try and drill it horizontally your chances of failure will be great. I have drilled a few.

 

[Orey_P]

I've known many crack their tanks even under the best conditions. You really need to position the tank with the drill spot facing up and allow the weight of the drill to do the work, keeping the weight evenly distributed. If you try and drill it horizontally your chances of failure will be great. I have drilled a few.

I might be able to empty the tank by putting all livestock and rock in my frag system and the sand into a bucket to drill it. However, I would absolutely hate to restart the tank. I don't think that would be a problem though if I just added everything right back a day or so afterward.

 

[Orey_P]

If I do go that route what is the best way to set up the overflow and return line? I don't know very much about plumbing layouts. Also what equipment would be best suited for this project like a return pump, overflow, etc..?

 

[legionofdoon]

I use the synergy 16.

 

[lion king]

The Fiji Cube is your best bang for your buck, I find them nice enough. Eheim or Sicce return pumps rated for the turn over you are looking for, they are also adjustable. The overflow in the center of the back wall works for most, although their are tanks that have corner overflows, my 90g pre-drilled has a offset overflow; so I guess it's really a dealer's choice. Maybe based on your scape planned layout.

 

[legionofdoon]

As for plumbing the synergy is set up for beanimal so it has 3 drains. One is main siphon (you put pvc sections in the box) that has the lowest height then your emergency which is higher and then the extra emergency at the highest. You can put them however you want in the box. The bottom of the box I used true unions to attach them to my pvc drain lines then it's just elbows and PVC to where you want it to go. It's simple but take your time and get extra everything if you don't use it you can return it.

 

[Orey_P]

I do have an eshopps eclipse L overflow (1000 GPH) on a tank that I want to take down, do you think that would be too overkill for a 40 breeder?

 

[legionofdoon]

Not at all. I can push over 2000 through mine.

 

[legionofdoon]

I'm probably running around 1000 through sump and another 2400 through circulation pumps.

 

[legionofdoon]

I'm using two SL-20s which push 2600 a piece but I currently have them on the lowest random setting. I did have them cranked up before without an issue. I use the special grade sand so it doesn't get blown around.

 

[Bruttall]

Couple of questions before you drill. How old is that tank and who made it. If it is Aqueon and less than 10 years old, high chance it is Tempered Glass. You should watch a video on what happens when you try and cut or drill tempered glass. it literally explodes.

Alternative you may not have thought about, Plumb over the back using black PVC. With that small of a tank the pvc would not be real noticeable, it would almost disappear in the corners. I'll link a pic of a 75g I did with OTB plumbing to give you ideas. (Closed loop experiment #1)



General rule of thumb for sump is 5x tank volume return pump. 5 x40 = 200gph, and then 30 to 40x tank volume powerhead/wavemakers.

I'll also include a pic of the sump I am using so you can see DIY Skimmer, Biological Media and Mechanical Media's I use. I use Seachem Matrix for bio, that's the little rocks in the middle of sump with a bag of activated carbon. Polyfil pillow stuffing is the fleece looking stuff. I like it because it is cheap and disposable. when it turns brown , yank it out and toss it!




Skimmer link;
Thats pretty much the basic's of what you need, I hope this helped.

 

[Orey_P]

Couple of questions before you drill. How old is that tank and who made it. If it is Aqueon and less than 10 years old, high chance it is Tempered Glass. You should watch a video on what happens when you try and cut or drill tempered glass. it literally explodes.

Alternative you may not have thought about, Plumb over the back using black PVC. With that small of a tank the pvc would not be real noticeable, it would almost disappear in the corners. I'll link a pic of a 75g I did with OTB plumbing to give you ideas. (Closed loop experiment #1)

View attachment 3050442

General rule of thumb for sump is 5x tank volume return pump. 5 x40 = 200gph, and then 30 to 40x tank volume powerhead/wavemakers.

I'll also include a pic of the sump I am using so you can see DIY Skimmer, Biological Media and Mechanical Media's I use. I use Seachem Matrix for bio, that's the little rocks in the middle of sump with a bag of activated carbon. Polyfil pillow stuffing is the fleece looking stuff. I like it because it is cheap and disposable. when it turns brown , yank it out and toss it!


View attachment 3050443

Skimmer link;
Thats pretty much the basic's of what you need, I hope this helped.

The tank is a standard Aqueon 40 breeder, from what I can tell there is a lot of successful drillings in these tanks, and I’ve used some polarized sunglasses to determine that it isn’t tempered. Huge thanks for all the info, the main thing I’m worried about now is the return line and the return pump. I’m worried about going with something like a sicce and the head pressure reduce the flow way too much. Also how should I make the return line? I assume drill for another bulkhead and screw some flexible ball joint nozzles into the bulkhead but I’m not sure if the best practice.