DIY - 40 breeder AIO

Snitch · Apr 1, 2020

I'm planning out a standard 40 breeder that would be a self contained / AIO. I got the tank from Petsmart some years back and have moved around some in the past few years, so it's been empty.

Anyway - it's not drilled, just a typical Petsmart 40 breeder. I have a black acrylic, Modular Marine center overflow (Ebay) that I want to incorporate to help hide the heater, ATO, pump, and help with surface skimming - all keeping it self contained and sumpless for my own personal reasons. It will be a super simple reef, focusing mostly on softies and some simple LPS - no SPS anymore, no nems, no clams, etc. I've been in the hobby close to 20 years now and I enjoy the simple reefs with mature colonies.

My dilemma - I want to use this overflow I have and I want to try to hide the heater and the pump in it. I'm going to get a small ATO (haven't decided on that one yet) and the sensor will be in there too. The overflow looks like a typical black tower / center, 3-sided thing - not a corner. I was wondering if I could shorten the tower a little (cut the bottom 1/4" off or so) and silicone the overflow to the back glass, and not the bottom - effectively having an "open bottom overflow". Then I can put a wide flow powerhead or wavemaker inside the overflow and point it down, so it blows out the open bottom - dispersing water movement that way and cleaning / blowing out the rocks from the bottom - all the time. I've been considering going bare bottom for this build anyway since I've had sand in every tank I've ever had - want to try something new.

I think it would take a little dialing in so it works right, but what do you guys think? Has anyone ever done something like this, or pros / cons about it?

Reefpuck · Apr 1, 2020

Depends on how big the overflow box is and the equipment you use. You can get by with a small 150w to 200w heater (aqueons are pretty small), which should fit easily. Maybe another thing to consider is a small external pump, if you have room maybe behind the tank. You could plumb basically a closed loop for flow, and even t it off if you want to run a reactor or anything else down the road. I would think you would get better flow from something like that, than having a powerhead in the overflow box pointing down at the bottom. You want surface agitation as well...not just surface skimming.

Molsman24 · Apr 1, 2020

Essentially i did the same thing as what u are describing...it works pretty well u just get to the point where u want more haha...i used a different overflow box in the tank but then suspended the box off of the tank floor....dialing in your height for proper flow into the return pump is most important to ensure water flows through chambers the right way...just make sure u really have everything dialed in before u silicon

Snitch · Apr 1, 2020

Reefpuck said:
Depends on how big the overflow box is and the equipment you use. You can get by with a small 150w to 200w heater (aqueons are pretty small), which should fit easily. Maybe another thing to consider is a small external pump, if you have room maybe behind the tank. You could plumb basically a closed loop for flow, and even t it off if you want to run a reactor or anything else down the road. I would think you would get better flow from something like that, than having a powerhead in the overflow box pointing down at the bottom. You want surface agitation as well...not just surface skimming.

The overflow is 5" wide x 4" deep x 15-1/2" long - teeth on all 3 sides. That gives me roughly 4-1/2" wide x 3-3/4" deep on the inside to fit whatever I need to in there - and my hand for maintenance. I could have sworn there was a calculator somewhere where I could figure out an overflow's GPH, then I could work backwards to figure out and dial-in what pump would be best. External pumps / anything external is out of the question for this particular build.

Snitch · Apr 1, 2020

Molsman24 said:
Essentially i did the same thing as what u are describing...it works pretty well u just get to the point where u want more haha...i used a different overflow box in the tank but then suspended the box off of the tank floor....dialing in your height for proper flow into the return pump is most important to ensure water flows through chambers the right way...just make sure u really have everything dialed in before u silicon

How did you dial in the pump and flow rates if the overflow wasn't bonded in yet? I can definitely see needing more flow over time, that's not a problem, I have a lot of pumps. Just trying to minimize the appearance but maximize the flow to hopefully avoid adding anything later on - or if I do, make it as minimal as possible.

Molsman24 · Apr 1, 2020

Honkeysauce said:
How did you dial in the pump and flow rates if the overflow wasn't bonded in yet? I can definitely see needing more flow over time, that's not a problem, I have a lot of pumps. Just trying to minimize the appearance but maximize the flow to hopefully avoid adding anything later on - or if I do, make it as minimal as possible.

The biggest problem that i have experienced is that the water flow into my system is low because i put my overflow box flush against the black rim of the tank...therefore i had to put a weir pipe in to help water flow through faster just so i can run a nicer return pump to keep flow up...does ur overflow contain a media tower compartment?

Snitch · Apr 1, 2020

Molsman24 said:
The biggest problem that i have experienced is that the water flow into my system is low because i put my overflow box flush against the black rim of the tank...therefore i had to put a weir pipe in to help water flow through faster just so i can run a nicer return pump to keep flow up...does ur overflow contain a media tower compartment?

No - it's a basic of basic overflow - literally cnc routed and heat formed black acrylic.

Molsman24 · Apr 1, 2020

Im not smart what is CNC routed?

Bo. · Apr 1, 2020

I know you have thoughts on using your existing over flow, but look into going this route for the extra space.

Fiji Cube AIO Box All-in-One Kit 4th Gen - 40 Gallon Breeder

This is the 4th generation of the AIO DIY Kit with improvements made. The magnets and clamp are no longer provided in the 4th gen. A permanent silicone seal is required. Build your All-in-One (AIO) aquarium with Fiji Cube AIO box to maximize the fun of the aquarium hobby. Just drop this AIO box...

www.fijicube.com

Have their sump baffles and overflow, really good quality.

Snitch · Apr 1, 2020

lol - no worries - stands for Computer Numerical Control - basically means a machine uses a router to precisely cut parts - similar to laser or waterjet cutting but with a mechanical router

Molsman24 · Apr 1, 2020

Bo Lin said:
I know you have thoughts on using your existing over flow, but look into going this route for the extra space.

Fiji Cube AIO Box All-in-One Kit 4th Gen - 40 Gallon Breeder

This is the 4th generation of the AIO DIY Kit with improvements made. The magnets and clamp are no longer provided in the 4th gen. A permanent silicone seal is required. Build your All-in-One (AIO) aquarium with Fiji Cube AIO box to maximize the fun of the aquarium hobby. Just drop this AIO box...

www.fijicube.com

Have their sump baffles and overflow, really good quality.

It is exactly what i have in mine and thats what i was saying about the overflow and supply of water to the return pump...for aesthetics i made box flush with tank and then had an issue with flow of water due to speed of pump provided might just be me though

Snitch · Apr 1, 2020

Bo Lin said:
I know you have thoughts on using your existing over flow, but look into going this route for the extra space.

Fiji Cube AIO Box All-in-One Kit 4th Gen - 40 Gallon Breeder

This is the 4th generation of the AIO DIY Kit with improvements made. The magnets and clamp are no longer provided in the 4th gen. A permanent silicone seal is required. Build your All-in-One (AIO) aquarium with Fiji Cube AIO box to maximize the fun of the aquarium hobby. Just drop this AIO box...

www.fijicube.com

Have their sump baffles and overflow, really good quality.

That's it - I didn't even know this was available... this would literally solve all my issues.

Molsman24 · Apr 1, 2020

Honkeysauce said:
That's it - I didn't even know this was available... this would literally solve all my issues.

If u actually buy this one reach out to me i have specific tips to help u succeed

Snitch · Apr 1, 2020

Molsman24 said:
If u actually buy this one reach out to me i have specific tips to help u succeed

I'll think about it - I already have what I need, and the $$ used on this could be used for something else.

Molsman24 · Apr 1, 2020

Honkeysauce said:
I'll think about it - I already have what I need, and the $$ used on this could be used for something else.

Sounds good...good luck

Ratherbeflyen · Apr 1, 2020

I made my own 40 breeder all in one. I bought a 24" x 36" piece of 6mm acrylic on amazon and cut it on a table saw.

I put two 50 watt heaters and a bag of carbon in the first chamber. I had an algae scrubber and refugium in the second. Then the return chamber with a simple float valve auto top off. I used a $20 eco 290 for the return pump.

Removable algae and media basket.

30 watts of leds on the outside of the tank.

A small adjustable weir to change the water height in the tank.

Then covered it with a custom rock wall made from lighting diffuser, sanded grout, and lava rock. You can also see in this picture the small acrylic top off reservoir that covers the filter and holds ~3/4 of a gallon of water. (One downside to setting directly on top of the filter is you can't move it without spilling water. Though it usually spills into the tank anyway.)