I have a 65 gallon tank that was used for freshwater and I would like to use it for saltwater. It does have a typical HOB filter and it also has a canister system. Is this possible or should I sell it and go with a drilled tank with a sump? I know I will need new lights, sand, rock and everything else. I just wasn't sure how good it will work.
Non-drilled vs drilled
- Thread starter ridgerunner229
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FishyDP
Active Member
My first reef tank was a 125, undrilled. If I could go back in time I would have never considered running an undrilled reef..trust me. I wish I would have listened to the people telling me to get a drilled tank. You can drill the tank yourself, or buy a hang on back overflow. You will end up wanting a sump for all of your equipment/filtration. Welcome to reef keeping, has been really awesome transitioning from freshwater for me, have fun! Canisters and hob filters are not the best choices for reefs, in my opinion. They tend to trap detritus and release nitrates into your tank. A sump with a quality protein skimmer in it will replace that equipment, along with live rock.
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Thanks for comment. I'm on the fence because when you sell a tank you never get what you have in it.
jd371
Valuable Member
My tank will be 4 years old this August and I have been using a HOB overflow the whole time without any problems. The only reason I didn't drill was I wasn't 100% sure about the back glass and wasn't going mess up a brand new tank. I'd drill but if you can't although they will work I'd stay away from using a canister or HOB filter and go with the sump and HOB overflow, less maintenance and a place for the heater and other equipment.
ajhudson15
Valuable Member
I had nondrilled for my first tank. I have since upgraded to multiple drilled tanks and will never go back
Captain Quint
Plank Owner of the Orca
Welcome to R2R and you're right in saying we don't get our money back on tanks nor equipment.
What are you leaning toward doing? I see a lot of good responses in your thread.
What are you leaning toward doing? I see a lot of good responses in your thread.
I'm leaning more to the drilled option. I like the functionality and the look better. I just hate to get rid of a perfectly good tank. However it's not going to give me what I want. I've heard people using the HOB filter and canister. I like to do as much research as I can before making a big move. I like to learn from other people's experiences before making a costly mistake.
ajhudson15
Valuable Member
have you checked to see if the tank you bought is drillable?
FishyDP
Active Member
This is absolutely an option. My buddy just started drilling a bunch of his tanks. It takes practice. He misdrilled his first hole by a little, and cracked the 2nd tank (20g). Since then he has drilled multiple tanks with good success. You could buy a 10 gallon tank for $14 at Wmart for practice. A diamond drill bit is not too expensive..a good skill to have in this hobby. As long as the glass is not tempered you can drill it. Tempered glass will shatter if drilled I believe. I think there is a trick using polarized sunglasses to see if the glass is tempered. Every manufacturer is different but generally the bottom panel is tempered.
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