follow me and my new 75 gal.

[kau_cinta_ku]

i got this 75 gal. tank from a local reefer that had just upgraded and i thought sence i already got my 46 going good i am gonna take my time and set it up the way i want it to and get everything for it first before i add any livestock so i don't have to keep adding equpment later on when it feels i need it. it is gonna be a very slow process so for those who do keep up with this thread i am sorry but i will do the best i can and any advice along the way will be great. so first off we will start with some pic.s of my 46 gal.:D it isn't the greatest but i am happy of it for being my fist saltwater tank
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/kau_cinta_ku/1.jpg

and now for the 75 gal that i got which IMO is gonna go through alot before i am done with it.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/kau_cinta_ku/PIC00005.jpg

first i begun to drill 2 holes in the tank for 1 1/2" bulkheads 1 for the corner overflow (will not do the over the tank kind again it is to much work) and the 2nd hole for the closed loop.

here are the 2 holes i put in the tank all nice and perrty
:D with the bulkheads installed
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/kau_cinta_ku/PIC00013.jpg

well that is all i have for now but if you have any questions or comments so far i am glad to hear them and thanks for looking

[TippyToeX]

Sweet! :thumbsup:

Did you drill the tank yourself? If so that's awesome! Do you have a target finish time to make the move to the 75g. I know you said it will be a slow process, but any idea? :)

[kau_cinta_ku]

thanks for the great comments.

yes i did drill the tank myself. very nervous at first but after a couple practice parts it was so easy:)

as for a target date i am hoping if all goes to plan will be done sometime around early next year. all depends on how much i can afford and how much time i can put into it but money will be the main part:p but don't wanna make any mistakes this time and don't wanna do things cheap this time around like i did the 46 gal. then having to get all new parts to make up for the crappy junk i put into it:rolleyes:

BTW it looks alot better now with the black background on there so the bulkheads blend in with the back

[TippyToeX]

Good for you for taking your time and doing it the way you know is best. So many just rush in and make mistakes along the way, only to have to correct them later.

Can we see an updated picture with the black background? :)

[drewtah]

Hi. Nice setup.
Question, won;t the 2 bulkheads you created make a lot of noise?

[Sindjin]

I have a question:

Can you give some details on how you drilled the tank?

Thanks!

[kau_cinta_ku]

Good for you for taking your time and doing it the way you know is best. So many just rush in and make mistakes along the way, only to have to correct them later.
ty and yes taking my time to make it the way i want will be alot better as i made alot of mistakes on the 46gal. and corrected them later but luckly i didn't lose any fish so that was a good thing:)
Can we see an updated picture with the black background? i will have a pic. of it in the morning for you

Question, won;t the 2 bulkheads you created make a lot of noise? from what alot of ppl tell me the bigger the bulkheads the better and they say it will be quiet. i can always restrick the flow with a ball valve. as for the hole in the bottom left it will have an acrylc overflow box put in there so it will work just like a normal RR tank but i won't find out till i get the pumps for it and freshwater test it.

Can you give some details on how you drilled the tank? i will be able to explain this better in the morning when i have more time but i did take pic.s on when i was drilling it so i will post them also

[kau_cinta_ku]

ok sorry for the wait as i didn't have the time last night to post the pics. (had to get to work to make some moola)so here they are.
first is the pic. with the bulkheads and black background to show how nice they blend in. well kind of hard to tell cause of the reflection of the glass but it does look much better in person and i am sure once filled up with water it will look better and easier to get a good pic.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/kau_cinta_ku/PIC00009-1.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/kau_cinta_ku/PIC00007.jpg

ok and now we will talk about the drilling part. i first ordered a 60mm diamond bit from lao off ebay and when i got it i tried it out first on a 10 gal. and it was good and easy so i was ready for the 75 gal.
here is the pic. of my trusty craftsman drill and the bit i used. if you are gonna use a cordless just make sure your battery is full and an extra battery on hand just in case.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/kau_cinta_ku/PIC00009.jpg
here you can see a pic. of the tank right before i started drilling. i took a plastic cup i got from taco johns and cut the top half off. next i used plumbers putty and rolled it into a nice strip and attached it to the cup i just cut and put it over the area i was gonna drill and sealed it up. next i took duck tape and taped the inside of the tank in the area the hole would be. (so the piece of glass didn't fall and hit the other side)
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/kau_cinta_ku/PIC00008.jpg
next pour a little water into the cup so that way you will always have collent to your bit. as for starting the hole i found it is easier to start the drill at a little angle and hold the drill tight or it will move all over the place on you but once you get the hang of it, it is easy. as soon as you got a little cut away from the angle cut you can then start to ease the drill up so it is straight up and down from your glass. (by the way do not apply pressure while drilling as you will crack the glass just let the weight of the drill do the cutting for you). after drilling for a bit and you notice the water is getting a milky color i stopped and took a turkey baster and sucked all the water out and the glass shavings and replaced it with clean water. (that will be so you don't keep using the glass shavings in your bit i am sure it will dull your bit faster)just keep doing that till your all the way through. and here is the outcome.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/kau_cinta_ku/PIC00010.jpg

i hope this helped you all out and ask anymore questions if your still confused about anything

[Jamesurq]

Word of advice - when plumbing the pipes for the bulkheads - be sure to allow for a settling of the tank due to the weight of the water. When I plumbed up my 90 - I had the pvc really tight - because that's the way I always did it when building pools.

When I added water, the weight settled the floor, tank and stand - but NOT the PVC plumbing that lead into the wall. Long thread and story short "CRACK"....

[Scuba Oz]

good idea with the cup there!

[kau_cinta_ku]

Jamesurq - thanks for the info i will keep that in mind

scuba oz - i can't take all the credit i read the cup part somewhere in a diff. thread but they didn't say to clean out the water every now and then to remove the glass shavings. (and also i think they used antifreeze, not sure if that worked any better) however i am not sure if you really need to but i just think it will make the bit last longer.

[coldwaterreefer]

with the holes like that what happens if power goes out?

[kau_cinta_ku]

with the holes like that what happens if power goes out?
if the power goes out the water stops flowing. i know it is hard to see now but i am ordering a acrylic corner overflow box to put in the right side corner of the tank and that will handle that bulkhead. so if the power goes out the water stops flowing over the overflow and therefore no flood. as for the middle hole that is for the closed loop i am hoping to do this weekend

[fishforsure]

Nice shape. what are the dimesion of that thank. Thank

[kau_cinta_ku]

the outside dimentions of the tank are 48''L x 18''W x 21''H

[coldwaterreefer]

ok thanks for the update

[kau_cinta_ku]

ok next on my list of many was to start on my closed loop part so after many fusterating hours of tring to figure out which way would work best i came up with this finished idea.
here is the parts i picked up at bomgarrs:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/kau_cinta_ku/PIC00001.jpg
next i went to town and started cutting and fitting all the parts together this was my first time really working with PVC but it was actually kind of fun. and here is the pic. of the finished product
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/kau_cinta_ku/finishedloop.jpg
although work was out of the locline so i will have to wait till i can get some more to finish putting them on but you can get the basic idea.
however maybe someone can help me out on this on: the closed loop will fit perfect inside the tank up around the top trim and i think it looks better there hoever the only way i can see that to work to get water to that is by using 3 90 elbows and that is gonna slow down my water alot so i am thinking that putting it on top of the tank like in the pic. is my only option. unless someone knows a better way of doing it. it isn't glued yet so i can still take it apart and adjust it as needed. any help on that part would be great and if anyone needs a pic. of what i am talking about when i mean inside the tank feel free to ask and i will get one taken.

thanks for looking and comments are very welcome:D

[2639]

Is your pump for the closed loop gonna be on the outside or inside of the tank?

That looks really good btw.

[kau_cinta_ku]

the pump will be under the tank in the stand. still tring to determin what size to go with though.
That looks really good btw.
thanks i was quite happy with it.

i still have to finish plumbing the 1 1/2 pvc down to where the pumps will be but i am gonna wait till i figure out where it will all go before i do any of that.

[2639]

Get the largest utility pump you can and a ball valve. I tried using a RIO 3100 in my sump to return the water through a scwd but the height + the scwd was too much for the pump and I ended up having to put the setup inside the display..Very unhappy about that but I have to live with it now :(

[2639]

I have a spare tank that I'm gonna make an overflow in-tank. What exactly do I look for when I look for a hole-bit like yours? I drilled 3 holes using my dremel and it turned out ok but could look better.

[kau_cinta_ku]

as for a pump i am thinking maybe a mag 24 or 36 which should give me plenty and a mag 9.5 for my return.
What exactly do I look for when I look for a hole-bit like yours?
as long as it is a diamond bit hole saw you will be fine just make sure your glass that you are gonna drill is not tempered you can't drill through that. the cheapest place i found the hole saws were on ebay. if you type in diamond hole saw and look for a guy named lau he has about any size bit you need and cheap. mine it a 60mm bit that cost 12.00 all together with shipping from hong kong and only took 5 days to receve it.

[aquaman2]

iam doing the same thing on a 75, minus the closed loop. waiting on my bit to get here to drill. glad to hear it wasnt too hard. what did you use to paint? also my BIG question is where are you going to get the intank overflow. i've been looking forever for one of those. what are you using for a return pump?

[kau_cinta_ku]

what did you use to paint?
i didn't paint the tank i just used the backing that you can get at the LFS the guy i got the tank from gave it with the tank so i thought i will try it out.
also my BIG question is where are you going to get the intank overflow. i've been looking forever for one of those.
it was very hard cause in the beginning i was just gonna make one out of glass but then found out there is no way of painting it to match my back of the tank and won't be toxic. so i am just gonna order mine from http://www.wetdryfilter.com/internal_overflow_boxes.htm

as for my return i am thinking a mag 9.5 or a mag 12.

and if you are like me and never drilled a tank before it is so much easier then it seems but still i would practice on an old sheet of glass first. just remember the thinner the glass the harder it is to drill and not break so when i drilled my 10 gal. with thin glass and didn't break it i knew for sure i was gonna be fine on the 75 gal.

good luck and let me know how it goes

[aquaman2]

that seems steep for an overflow. i think i am going to try to make one. just need to get black acrylic. then bend one corner into it and cut the teeth. shouldnt cost more then 20$.

i just bought a mag 12. the head loss calc. says that with my setup i should still get about 1064gph back to the tank. with 1" drain i have heard that it will drain 600gph. so does that mean that the 1-1/2" that we are using will flow 900gph. if so i will just divert back to fuge for some flow there. my hang on overflow flows 600gph and has 1" drain. but i think the limiting factor is the U tube not the 1" pvc. so i guess we will see.

[kau_cinta_ku]

yeah i know 60 bucks seems steep for an overflow. which is why i am still thinking about making on myself. do you know any good places to get the black cast acrylic? i would like to do as much as i can DIY.

i figured with my mag 9.5 or mag 12 using a 1 1/2 bulkhead i should be fine cause like you i am gonna have the fuge that i can divert some of it to and also with a ball valve to get the flow that i need. this is what my fugie is gonna be kinda like

sump----return-----fuge

so it will have a tee in there do divert the water to eash area that i need.

the 1 1/2 bulkhead should flow around 1200gph but like i said if i don't want that much flow or if my pump can't handle it then i will just adjust the ball valve to where i need it:D

at least i hope it is gonna be as easy as i think it is:p

[2639]

Just ordered one from that guy ;)...Glad I found this thread. I can now pretty up the holes i made LOL...

[2639]

Explain one thing though...60mm is 2.36 inches...if the hole in the glass is that big, then how can the bulkhead be 1.5 inches? Can you get a closeup of the bulkhead? OH YEA...where can I buy bulkheads?

[kau_cinta_ku]

the inside of the bulkhead is 1 1/2 the outside is 2 3/8 so it fits the hole perfect. i bought my bulkheads from http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4013&ref=3532&subref=AJ&N=2004+113786

any certain part of the bulkhead you want a pic. of?

Just ordered one from that guy ...Glad I found this thread. I can now pretty up the holes i made LOL...
yeah they really do make the holes very nice looking good luck:D

p.s. i am very glad that this thread is helping ya and others it makes me feel like i am doing more than just showing off my tank:D

[msuzuki126]

Where did you get that hole saw?

[kau_cinta_ku]

hole saw (http://cgi.ebay.com/60mm-Diamond-coated-drill-bit-bits-hole-saw-tile-marble_W0QQitemZ4468451620QQihZ001QQcategoryZ11704QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

this is the 60mm bit for an 1 1/2 bulkhead but if you need any other sizes he can get them also.

[R33f3r]

WHat lights are you using? Which bulbs?

[bjonesjr1]

Nice progress on the tank, will be following this thread as it is fun to see how things go along for someone... Myself I am new to the saltwater hobby, but have messed around with freshwater for a long time... Couldn't wait to get my tank going, and loving every minute of it.

[jmait769]

Sam – great info on the drilling. One question. I read some other threads that you could not drill glass aquariums. I looked on my current 55 and it had a sticker at the bottom glass that said “do not drill – tempered glass”. I guess my Newbee question is are the sides of the aquariums not tempered or are you drilling thru tempered glass. I like the way you plumbed the closed loop. Will try something similar on mine.

Thanks!!

Jay

[kau_cinta_ku]

well first off the progress hasn't come as fast as i wanted as the wife was in the hospital for a while due to pancritise (sp.) but i have been getting alot of other equipment for it that i need to update here. still all i need let to get is the lights which i am gonna go with the Icecap T5HO retro and then a closed loop pump which will be a sequence 1000 series pump just not sure which one yet.

as for the 55 gal. tanks the sticker on the bottom usually says if the whole take is tempered or if just the bottom of the tank is tempered. in my case it says bottom glass is tempered do not drill which is why i had to drill the back of the tank. all the glass is safe to drill other than the bottom. however on 55 gal. tanks most of them are tempered on all the glass which makes drilling it impossiable. but if you know what company built the tank you can contact them and they can tell you for sure. but i wouldn't try to drill it unit you know for sure as if the tank is tempered on all sides it will shatter (you cannot drill through tempered glass). or as another option you can get a piece of glass to replace the back of the tank that is not tempered and replace it then you can drill it.

[meco65]

Just wondering if you had any thing new on the tank.

[mg426]

Nice helpfull info, Nice job, By the way I think you are doing very well on your set up.

[jeffb3t]

Great thread you have going. I like the manifold you made for the top. I am working on a 75 myself that will be for 3 way viewing (sort of a room divider tank) I am doing this one on a very small budget and have been very lucky so far. Tank was free, Halides were free so so far the only thing I have paid for is glass for the overflow to be cut and diamond tip dremel bits. All said and done, I should only spend a few hundred $ since I have most of the stuff I need from "donations" and trading. I look forward to seeing the finished plumbing of your tank.

[cdentii1]

I was wondering if you have the plumbing on your tank done yet?