Bean animal lighting issue

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

I decided i was to drill the glass.

I was sure i wanted to bean animal, but the more i look at it the less it gives me for lighting and aquascaping.

If i am putting a full width overflow box and taking 4 inces from the depth in my tank im back at a slim design.

I just bought s 40 breeder snd adding the full width overflow for my tank i only have 14 inches of direct lighting. And i lose 5 inches top to bottom. That defeats the purpose of getting a deeper tank in the first place.....

I might asxwell turn it into a biocube design and make the back an internal refugium

Thoughts? Not on the internsl refug just the eay a full eidth overfliw box kills tank space.

[m0nkie]

buy an outside hanging overflow box.

and you don't need the overflow to go full width. Just wide enough to hold 3 PVC pipes

http://www.thereeftank.com/gallery/files/5/5/5/6/8/facebook__1905398882_439050.jpg

I have a Coast 2 Coast overflow (what you described as full width box). I built it out of glass. After a year, it turned out to be a great refugium for pods/snails to breed. I have a full refugium in the sump that grow pods. But my overflow grows much more. I tossed some chaeto inside now.

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

buy an outside hanging overflow box.

and you don't need the overflow to go full width. Just wide enough to hold 3 PVC pipes

http://www.thereeftank.com/gallery/files/5/5/5/6/8/facebook__1905398882_439050.jpg

I have a Coast 2 Coast overflow (what you described as full width box). I built it out of glass. After a year, it turned out to be a great refugium for pods/snails to breed. I have a full refugium in the sump that grow pods. But my overflow grows much more. I tossed some chaeto inside now.


Hmmmmm i didnt think of that.

And a Full width refugium woukd be nice too!

I have another wuestion.

If i build an internal overflew, couldnt i just still use a HOB filter with the pickup ibside the overflow box?

[MysteryReef]

I wouldnt do that, a HOB filter wouldnt have nearly the turn over and fexibilty that a sump would.

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

I wouldnt do that, a HOB filter wouldnt have nearly the turn over and fexibilty that a sump would.



Ok makes sense

What kind of silicone can inuse to ashere the box to the glass?

This good?:
http://m.petco.com/product/104409/All-Glass-Aquarium-Black-Silicone-Aquarium-Sealant.aspx

[Mrramsey]

I don't have lighting issues. I don't keep my rock on the back glass at all. Probably a good 3-4" from the back glass anyways. Just gives the fish and other critters a place to go.

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

I don't have lighting issues. I don't keep my rock on the back glass at all. Probably a good 3-4" from the back glass anyways. Just gives the fish and other critters a place to go.


Yea its probably just me being too critical lol

I was just planning on doing some rock scspe against the back. I might rethink that then

Im also making my own overflow box from black acrylic to test it out is 16" long enough for the 3 drains?

My dimensions are 16" x 4" x 5"

[Mrramsey]

The benefit to going clear at least on the bottom is it let's some light through.

[m0nkie]

Yea its probably just me being too critical lol

I was just planning on doing some rock scspe against the back. I might rethink that then

Im also making my own overflow box from black acrylic to test it out is 16" long enough for the 3 drains?

My dimensions are 16" x 4" x 5"

I wouldn't attach that acrylic overflow box to glass. Acrylic and Glass does not bond well together with silicone. It might fall off one day. I had to go to a glass shop and cut a few pieces of glass. Silicone that to my tank as overflow.

I put rocks all the way to the back. There are some shades directly under the overflow. but light penetrates through. I don't put any light sensitive corals there. I have frogspawn and hammer there. They grow toward the light away from the shade.

as for silicone. GE II silicone are safer than GE I. anything from Petco/Petmart should work. Allow it to dry for a few days before putting water in.

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

I wouldn't attach that acrylic overflow box to glass. Acrylic and Glass does not bond well together with silicone. It might fall off one day. I had to go to a glass shop and cut a few pieces of glass. Silicone that to my tank as overflow.

I put rocks all the way to the back. There are some shades directly under the overflow. but light penetrates through. I don't put any light sensitive corals there. I have frogspawn and hammer there. They grow toward the light away from the shade.

as for silicone. GE II silicone are safer than GE I. anything from Petco/Petmart should work. Allow it to dry for a few days before putting water in.



Thanks ill keep that in mind. I might do a full box and use the bulkheads to sandwich it to the glass

[RocketEngineer]

The best type of silicone is actually Momentive 103 (Black) (http://www.mcmaster.com/#7545a462/=v2rxel) or 108 (Clear) (http://www.mcmaster.com/#7545a472/=v2rxww) as these are USDA approved for food contact. While it claims to be full strength in 24 hours, most folks like to wait a full 7 days for it to fully cure before adding water. If you can still smell it, its not ready for water yet. While silicone doesn't bond to acrylic well, an internal overflow box should be able to be held in place without a problem. The issue is with baffles which have nothing to push against and end up bowing under the pressure. Also acrylic baffles swell and can break a glass tank if not given enough clearance.

While it may seem that adding a C2C overflow cuts down on lighting options, remember that you probably aren't going to be lighting behind the rocks anyways. In my case I have an 18" wide tank but the lighting is only 12" wide so having a 4" wide C2C doesn't impact my lighting at all.

If you are going to use a full box, you will need two gaskets per bulkhead. Most purchased bulkheads only come with one gasket and I am unaware of where you could purchase extras.

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

The best type of silicone is actually Momentive 103 (Black) (http://www.mcmaster.com/#7545a462/=v2rxel) or 108 (Clear) (http://www.mcmaster.com/#7545a472/=v2rxww) as these are USDA approved for food contact. While it claims to be full strength in 24 hours, most folks like to wait a full 7 days for it to fully cure before adding water. If you can still smell it, its not ready for water yet. While silicone doesn't bond to acrylic well, an internal overflow box should be able to be held in place without a problem. The issue is with baffles which have nothing to push against and end up bowing under the pressure. Also acrylic baffles swell and can break a glass tank if not given enough clearance.

While it may seem that adding a C2C overflow cuts down on lighting options, remember that you probably aren't going to be lighting behind the rocks anyways. In my case I have an 18" wide tank but the lighting is only 12" wide so having a 4" wide C2C doesn't impact my lighting at all.

If you are going to use a full box, you will need two gaskets per bulkhead. Most purchased bulkheads only come with one gasket and I am unaware of where you could purchase extras.

Ok as you seen from my other diy post, i went with a 16" width overflow (half the length the tank approximately.

now the one thing you mention is the expanding and cracking the glass bit.

i have mine butt up against the bottom of the top lip. will that cause it to expand and crack the glass?

should I peel off the silicon I used and resilicone it? I used the aqueon black silicone

[RocketEngineer]

I have mine butt up against the bottom of the top lip. will that cause it to expand and crack the glass?

That only applies when the acrylic is trapped between opposite sides of the tank. As yours has clearance to expand into the display, you are fine in that regard.

[jason2459]

Ok makes sense

What kind of silicone can inuse to ashere the box to the glass?

This good?:
http://m.petco.com/product/104409/All-Glass-Aquarium-Black-Silicone-Aquarium-Sealant.aspx

I have an acrylic box/weir to go on the inside of the tank that doesn't go out that far like the one pictured above. I didn't silicone the inside weir/overflow box. I just used a bulkhead to attach it as it was a full box not one that didn't have a back and required adhesive. On the back of the tank where the bean animal drain pipes are I used glass I had a glass shop cut for me and siliconed that to my glass tank.


One of these inside attached via bulkhead and got a lid for it too so no fishies jump in as I had many wrasses
http://i61.*******.com/n5hhlz.jpg

Cut glass from a glass shop and siliconed together
http://i59.*******.com/2d1pm2w.jpg

Then attached to the back of the tank with silicone as well.
http://i59.*******.com/w9w4le.jpg

[Shawn O]

Just curious, will the thickness of the plexi expand too much if it is sandwiched to the rear glass with bulkheads?

[jason2459]

Just curious, will the thickness of the plexi expand too much if it is sandwiched to the rear glass with bulkheads?

Hasn't been as issue so far and has been running this way since 2011. I don't recall really tightening it down very hard either. Just enough to keep it in place. By now I could probably remove the bulkhead and would probably stay in place.

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

That only applies when the acrylic is trapped between opposite sides of the tank. As yours has clearance to expand into the display, you are fine in that regard.


cool! thats a reassurance!

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

I have an acrylic box/weir to go on the inside of the tank that doesn't go out that far like the one pictured above. I didn't silicone the inside weir/overflow box. I just used a bulkhead to attach it as it was a full box not one that didn't have a back and required adhesive. On the back of the tank where the bean animal drain pipes are I used glass I had a glass shop cut for me and siliconed that to my glass tank.


One of these inside attached via bulkhead and got a lid for it too so no fishies jump in as I had many wrasses
http://i61.*******.com/n5hhlz.jpg

Cut glass from a glass shop and siliconed together
http://i59.*******.com/2d1pm2w.jpg

Then attached to the back of the tank with silicone as well.
http://i59.*******.com/w9w4le.jpg

sweet ride in the background ;)

and thanks for the visuals!

[Kyle918]

Ok makes sense

What kind of silicone can inuse to ashere the box to the glass?

This good?:
http://m.petco.com/product/104409/All-Glass-Aquarium-Black-Silicone-Aquarium-Sealant.aspx

I too have a bean animal setup and actually had it set up as the instructions with the box on the inside. I knew the dimensions but once it was installed, it suddenly looked to take up even more space than I anticipated. Of course two days later I noticed a thread with a picture like the one in this thread and looked over at my tank and thought, this has to go... So I removed all that silicon essentially redid the entire job, plumbing included and it is awesome as it is now!!

Anyway, I used RTV108 by Momentum. I found it on amazon.com. It is an industrial strength silicon that is potable (safe for drinking water and thus reef safe).

[jason2459]

This is what I used to reseal the tank, reinforce the tank, and build that back overflow.


momentive
http://i57.*******.com/35krdcw.jpg

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

I too have a bean animal setup and actually had it set up as the instructions with the box on the inside. I knew the dimensions but once it was installed, it suddenly looked to take up even more space than I anticipated. Of course two days later I noticed a thread with a picture like the one in this thread and looked over at my tank and thought, this has to go... So I removed all that silicon essentially redid the entire job, plumbing included and it is awesome as it is now!!

Anyway, I used RTV108 by Momentum. I found it on amazon.com. It is an industrial strength silicon that is potable (safe for drinking water and thus reef safe).

RIGHT?!!

so im not the only one who was worried about that too =P

My measurements make the box hidden from my viewing angle so i am not too worried about it anymore, but it still is in my mind LOL

[jason2459]

I painted the back of the tank and the acrylic box that went inside the tank all the same color. A blue krylon fusion for plastics spray paint. All blends together and barely noticeable.

http://i59.*******.com/2l9rvqg.jpg