Untapped tank: How would you add filtration to an undrilled cube?

[brandon429]

show a post of one instance that happened

any forum on the web, link the thread

I've been looking for one instance for years, my login date at nano-reef.com is 2002 and nanos are the #1 most likely to see that condition due to lack of dilution. never seen it

old cycling science is the fear that our surface area and bacteria just might not be enough

in that unfounded fear is millions of $ in feel good sales


try and beat this with a link for bioload per gallon (I like to keep track of record high bioload instances)

Nitrite and nitrate

Just did a test at my lfa one month into it , dead rock, put boosting bacteria and been dosing stability twice a day added two clowns and mu eel their doing fine but now my testes read 4.1 nitrites and 77 nitrates from 0 nitrites and 3 nitrates going to do a large water change but would like to...

www.reef2reef.com

I bet that's an 8-12 lb eel coiled up in a large nano.

 

[vlangel]

I have an untapped tank and I started it as an all in one. I have a basement sump and when I went down to just one display tank, I used my HOB overflow that I was previously using on the other seahorse display tank. With the variable flow pump I was able to dial the pump return perfectly with the overflow drain and the HOB has run flawlessly for years without any mishaps or air bubble build up.

 

[ClownSchool]

Untapped tank: How would you add filtration to an undrilled cube?

There was a beautiful cube aquarium that was on display recently at Reef-a-Palooza Orlando that held approximately 60-gallons. Everything about the aquarium was stunning – it was a rimless tank, using low-iron glass, and the seams were perfect…but it wasn’t drilled. Let’s assume that the tank remains undrilled, how would you filter this beautiful undrilled cube? After all, drilling is not always an option for a variety of reasons. Turning a tank into an all-in-one (AIO) may seem like an obvious choice but a ready-made conversion kit may not be available, and a fair amount of DIY may be required. There may be some ways that are recommended and some ways that are not recommended – please share how you would add filtration to an undrilled cube.

PRO TIP: Increasing the frequency and amount of water changes, reducing the biological load (fish food, fish waste, etc.) in the tank, and stay current with water testing are some ways to manage the water parameters with lower levels of filtration.

View attachment 3140297
Photo by @Jack_Ravenbergen; Reef of the Month April 2021


This QOTD is sponsored by: www.tidalgardens.com

View attachment 3144737
“The goal of Tidal Gardens is to offer the highest quality corals to those seeking a piece of that world without destroying it. We hope to instill a deep appreciation for the natural reefs and help develop a self sustaining hobby that no longer requires the collection of fish and corals.”

I chose ‘other’ because BRS recently shared an update on a cube without filtration that looked incredible. They only did daily water changes.
I’d use a dosing system set set to do 5% water changes daily.

 

[Spieg]

Drill a coule of holes in it. You can buy conversion kits.

 

[Martym19]

Can you send some pics of the seam where the two pieces of glass meet at the corner? I have a 60 aqueon cube and am wondering if the way they have it done is okay or should I add a bead of silicone

I’ve got it stored it’s a 60g star fire glass tank from glass cages it’s 5/8 thick glass with smoke euro bracing on the bottom

 

[Martym19]

I chose ‘other’ because BRS recently shared an update on a cube without filtration that looked incredible. They only did daily water changes.
I’d use a dosing system set set to do 5% water changes daily.

So almost 100 gallons a month? On a 60g cube No thanks

 

[kmzhq]

i have three Untapped tanks and were healthy.

 

[Dan_P]

Add corals and wild or maricultured live rock with cryptic sponges.

If you are also suggesting no fish, this seems like a reasonable approach for no external filtration. Keeping the daily nitrogen input below 0.3 ppm might be another way to specify the filterless system though I’m not sure how much coral biomass that would support. At least the aquarium would look clean

 

[ClownSchool]

So almost 100 gallons a month? On a 60g cube No thanks

I didn’t read the tank’s volume and don’t know the water change schedule on the BRS tank.
they’ve actually suggested a 1% daily water change, but that wasn’t for a tank without filtration.
Recommending a 5% change was just a suggestion.

 

[liutao188]

i have three Untapped tanks and were healthy.View attachment 3146021​

View attachment 3146023

View attachment 3146025

很惊喜，没想到您在这里活跃，感谢您的藻类相关的整理和列表。were意味着过去是，那现在情况怎样呢？我个人是喜欢pico tank，我来这里主要是关注Brandon429d的动态，他是我心中的微缸大佬。

 

[meysam_b61]

Untapped tank: How would you add filtration to an undrilled cube?

There was a beautiful cube aquarium that was on display recently at Reef-a-Palooza Orlando that held approximately 60-gallons. Everything about the aquarium was stunning – it was a rimless tank, using low-iron glass, and the seams were perfect…but it wasn’t drilled. Let’s assume that the tank remains undrilled, how would you filter this beautiful undrilled cube? After all, drilling is not always an option for a variety of reasons. Turning a tank into an all-in-one (AIO) may seem like an obvious choice but a ready-made conversion kit may not be available, and a fair amount of DIY may be required. There may be some ways that are recommended and some ways that are not recommended – please share how you would add filtration to an undrilled cube.

PRO TIP: Increasing the frequency and amount of water changes, reducing the biological load (fish food, fish waste, etc.) in the tank, and stay current with water testing are some ways to manage the water parameters with lower levels of filtration.

View attachment 3140297
Photo by @Jack_Ravenbergen; Reef of the Month April 2021


This QOTD is sponsored by: www.tidalgardens.com

View attachment 3144737
“The goal of Tidal Gardens is to offer the highest quality corals to those seeking a piece of that world without destroying it. We hope to instill a deep appreciation for the natural reefs and help develop a self sustaining hobby that no longer requires the collection of fish and corals.”

I think use hob overflow and using sump to increase water volume and having consist system, if you are thinking about simple system it coyld be but with lots of work and vasting your time in future

 

[srobertb]

“All you need is live rock and sand” ….and water changes. I have never had a tank, and some have been very old, that would not experience a buildup of Nitrates eventually without a water change (or a build up of algae if there is nothing to eat it). sand beds, gulfliverock, it doesn’t matter. The statement “all you need is sand and live rock” seems to indicate your tank can remain stable, algae free, and balanced with just these two things and it’s simply not realistic and certainly not the norm. “All you need is live rock, sand, and algae”. Ok. Maybe we’re on to something.

I will assume by “filter” OP means heater, ATO sensors, Chaeto, etc.

As someone running a temporary stock 125g with a line of optical sensors, skimmer, probes, in-tank hanging refugium, and dosing pumps lines running across the back I can tell you it’s awful. Clogging, critters climbing on them, and the coralline algae is the worst. I could have installed a long overflow box with lid to hold some of it (but I was in a rush).

I would go HOB. I have had good success with them but they do get dirty (I mean disgusting). Luckily they’re pretty easy to remove and give a deep cleaning. The built-in skimmers are usually garbage so I’d pass on that. Tunze skimmers tend to blend in well so if I had to have one, that’s what I’d use…but I’d probably not use one.

 

[itrymybest]

I voted HOB overflow. I would mount return pump high in the sump JUST IN CASE the overflow failed, that way pump runs dry real quick, limiting the flood.

That said, HOB filter, internal filter, DIY internal filter would also be an option. . . I have an idea for a "rock" filter. . . maybe some day I will build it. . .

When I had a HOB overflow, I had a check valve in my DT so if that water got too high from the overflow clogging, then it would turn off the return. autotopoff.com has some cool ones.

 

[zoomonster]

Tough call... I would prefer to drill. But you may not know if the glass is even drillable and even if so, always a risk of breakage. In the end I would probably build a plenum, put a sand bed on top and have a small power head on an up pipe. Berlin with DSB would be good also except a skimmer is a little problematic to implement unless a hang on with an air stone lol. Then probably a big real live rock island in the middle with some mangroves on top. Just not sure I like the idea of constant water changes mostly due to lack of a skimmer and carbon. If you wanted carbon filtration it would probably have to be a cannister filter. Assuming no tangs you could add a lot of plants that look nice and serve a filtration purpose.

And yeah been there done that. First tank around 1990 was an undergravel, next I got a sump (with bioballs lol) and had to use a PIA hang on overflow with siphon tubes. Then I added a homemade plenum. Eventually a "reef ready" tank with internal overflow to a sump. I have a 200g internal with sump now, but I have been shopping around for a second tank. On the subject of overflows I have to say I really like the external overflows but way too many stories of leakage and probably going to stick with the safe option of internal.

 

[biom]

Mine is 26 gal cube with Tunze 9004 skimmer, undrilled, no sump. Still young about 4 months old.

 

[Timfish]

Oh, definitely add fish, they're an important source of carbonates, nitrogen and phosphorus for corals.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

I would use this skimmer
HOB-1.5 Hang-On-Back Protein Skimmer
I would get a reactor that could be hung on the side of the tank.

 

[zoomonster]

I would use this skimmer
HOB-1.5 Hang-On-Back Protein Skimmer
I would get a reactor that could be hung on the side of the tank.

Of course all that's doable but all the hang on stuff kinda kills clean aesthetics. Me, I prefer to see nothing but a tank, lights and obligatory powerheads.

 

[Aluco]

Well, I'm tinkering with the idea of running a reactor with gfo and purigen (basically in place of skimming) you could attach inlet, outlet hardware to the back of tank, use and store an inline external pump under the tank and just run soft tubing. That, combined with one or two water changes a week and a decent cuc, theoretically should work out..

 

[jda]

I will also say that I am quite amazed at how low power my sump less tank is. Skimmer is like 12 watts instead of 40, HOB filter is almost nothing like 8 watts. The heaters don't run as much without the overflow, pipes and sump surface area adding to evaporative cooling. You have no return pump. I think that this thing is about fifty cents a day and I am using a metal halide.