Glb's 40g upgrade!

[glb]

Well, I'm finally moving up from my 12g nano to a 40g breeder. I'm very excited! Petco had their $/gallon sale so I picked up the 40g and a 10g for the sump for only $50. I'm going to diy as much as I can. I plan on building the stand and sump. I also need to get the tank drilled. Is there anyone in Miami who could help me with this or is it easy to do yourself? I'll be asking for help on everything, plumbing,equipment, you name it. I plan on paying as I go to get the equipment I really want, so it will be awhile before everything's up and running. I hope you enjoy watching my tank from the ground up!

 

[NanaReefer]

How exciting! I built my 40B/20L sump setup myself too. I used the Gla$$Holes 700gph Kit. Comes with everything needed. Including diamond drill bit [emoji2] I watched a ton of DIY tank drilling videos before I attempted the process. Still wound up cracking my first tank. Thanks to my son who went out and bought me another 40B, then said "ready to try again"? Second time was the charm.
There's nothing like building your own setup! [emoji7]

 

[glb]

How exciting! I built my 40B/20L sump setup myself too. I used the Gla$$Holes 700gph Kit. Comes with everything needed. Including diamond drill bit [emoji2] I watched a ton of DIY tank drilling videos before I attempted the process. Still wound up cracking my first tank. Thanks to my son who went out and bought me another 40B, then said "ready to try again"? Second time was the charm.
There's nothing like building your own setup! [emoji7]

Thanks! Do you think I can drill into some of the black frame at the top without damaging the integrity of the tank? It's pretty big.

 

[glb]

Here's the order I plan for now:

Drill/paint tank
Build sump
Build/finish stand
Do plumbing
Get saltwater going/add live sand/live rock
Get a few fish
Add skimmer
Add ATO
Add Apex
Add LED lights
Add coral
This may take a year to do, but I'm in no rush. I want to get the right equipment. I'll be keeping my 12g up as a quarantine tank.

 

[NanaReefer]

There's no need to drill into the frame. Why do you ask?

 

[glb]

There's no need to drill into the frame. Why do you ask?

Because it's pretty wide and I don't know if I want my water level to be lower than the bottom of the frame. How big of a hole do I need?

 

[glb]

Leak test.

 

[glb]

Because it's pretty wide and I don't know if I want my water level to be lower than the bottom of the frame. How big of a hole do I need?

Wait, does the height of the overflow determine the water height instead of the height of the hole? I don't know anything about tank plumbing.

 

[glb]

Success! No leaks.

 

[glb]

Next step. Figure out right size for holes in glass, buy bits and practice on an extra aquarium first.

 

[NanaReefer]

Here's the exact kit I used. All measurements included. Hope this helps.
http://glass-holes.com/700-In-aNd-Out-Complete-System-innout7.htm

 

[glb]

Here's the exact kit I used. All measurements included. Hope this helps.
http://glass-holes.com/700-In-aNd-Out-Complete-System-innout7.htm

Thanks Nana!

 

[glb]

I changed out the 10g for a 20g long for the sump. That will give me plenty of room for everything.

 

[NanaReefer]

Exactly what I'm running [emoji2] Works wonderfully!

 

[Mandrew]

I just did my 40b with a glass holes kit! I love it works great and it was my first time drilling a tank and I didn't have any issues.

 

[glb]

I just did my 40b with a glass holes kit! I love it works great and it was my first time drilling a tank and I didn't have any issues.

Love this! So what size bit, bulkhead and pipes did you use? I may buy that stuff locally.

 

[glb]

Ok I have a sump size question. I just realized that a cabinet I already have is built like a fortress so I'm going to use it for the stand. The inside is 30" in the opening and probably an inch or two more inside. My 20g long will take up the entire length of the bottom shelf. I have a 10g that would give me a little space for my ato water, etc. I have a top shelf I could use for electronics. Based on your experience, does the bigger sump make more sense or am I really going to need some extra space down below for other things? Here's a pic of what I have. The upper shelf can be moved up quite a bit.

 

[glb]

And two more questions. What type of return pump and skimmer would you recommend for a 40-50g (with sump) setup. I especially want to get a solid skimmer to make my life easier. I saw Jabao and Rio return pumps both at about 700gph. After accounting for resistance, does this gph make sense? Are there other brands that are better? As far as a skimmer, I've heard great things about reef octopus but don't have a ton of space/height for one. Any and all suggestions are welcome. I'm going to mightily plan this tank!

 

[davocean]

Reefoctopus makes a space saver skimmer that might work for you, aquamaxx also makes a decent skimmer w/ a small footprint.
I'm not crazy about either of those returns myself, I prefer an Eheim or Tunze.
I have a Tunze silence on my tank right now and very happy w/ it, super quiet, has a flow adjustment on it.

 

[Mandrew]

I'm using a reef dynamics skimmer I got at my LFS. It's kinda touchy but I loved my reef octopus hob I had on my last tank so I'd go reef octopus anyday again. I'm using a Sicce syncra silent 2.0 which is 568gph. That's also what my LFS suggested. As far as plumbing goes I used everything outa the glass holes kit for my overflow, including bulkhead and drill bit. The return I used braided vinyl tubing and some rigid PVC for the part that actually hangs on the tank.