Will's 40g frag tank (New lights on the 80g!!! Post 85)

The plan:
Build a 24" x 24" x 10" tall frag tank 25g
Going to be made of 3/8" glass.
1- 3/4" overflow
2- 3/4" returns
Custom stand/ cabinet
Sump- 20g tall tank/ diy sump

Updated plan: 20g long fish tank
1- 3/4" overflow
1- 3/4" return

Edit: this will be drilled!

Plan changed due to the fact that it would be cheaper to buy a 20g than to build a 25g

Planning on putting LR in the sump

Skimmer- not decided yet

Reactors- diy- not decided what I will run yet besides carbon.

Light- clamp on 150w mh with 1000k bulb and fan.
Will not be clamped to the glass but clamped onto a part of the stand

Racks- custom made acrylic racks

Edit/ Reality

Tank: 40b & 80g

Plumbing: Both tanks are drilled with 1 1/2" drain and 3/4" return plumbed together

Filtration: 30g 3 chamber biofil 240 (Added baffles)
110 lbs of live rock

Skimmer: Marineland Marine Pro 300

Return Pump: Little Giant 2 mdqx-sc

Light: Clamp on 150w MH (over 40b) 2- 65w pc, 2- 150w mh retrofit fixture (over 80g)

Continued Plan:
-Build a canopy for 80g fixture or light stand
-Rewire all electrical (tidy up)
-Reaquascape
-build 2 reactors, 1 biopellet, 1 carbon
-build frag rack for the 40b

tank is only in on it second week of its cycle with NO LIVESTOCK, ghost feeding every few days with IO Krill packets.

Post #75 for most updated pics

 

Can't wait to see it, are you going to run any actinic or blue LED bulbs? I love frag tanks with a more blue look, it really makes the frag colors pop IMO. Just curious, wouldn't it be more efficient to have a larger drain with 2 returns? Say 1" or 1 1/4" drain with 2 3/4" returns?

 

Thanks tgood,
I really didn't know what supplemental lighting I was going to use yet. This is going to be a budget build. I already have the halide fixture with a 10000k bulb and the fixture has 10 blue led bulbs and I don't know exactly how yellow this is going to be yet. (Bnib and never used)
I already have the 3/4 hole bit and 2 bulkheads and plenty of 3/4" over with a vast amount of fittings. If it would be beneficial I could pick up 2 more bulkhead fittings and run 2 drains and 2 returns. Would that sound like a better plan?

 

It's begun. Time to buckle down and get the plan together.
Thanks petco for having your dollar per gallon sale.


Aqueon tanks you can drill the bottom right? It doesn't have a do not drill sticker on the bottom. I'll still double check if its tempered or not with my 3d glasses an a laptop but I think I can drill the bottom.

 

Ok so drilling...

I have a 3/4" hole saw, and bulkheads already. I also can build all the overflow boxes out of acrylic.

Should I,


1. 2 bulkheads in the center bottom toward the back with a overflow box around both of them. And 2 returns on the back wall at opposite corners

2. 2 bulkheads on back wall on opposite side with overflow boxes over both with 1 return in the middle.

3. 2 corner overflows with bulkheads on the bottom glass. 1 or 2 returns on back glass.

4. (What I'm leaning toward)
2 holes in the bottom center toward the back. One for the overflow, one for the return. A custom overflow box around both. The standpipe will be an oversized stockman probably 1" piping with a 3/4" reducer and 3/4" from the bulkhead to the sump.

5. (2nd possibility leaning toward)
One corner drilled bottom for overflow with overflow box and stockman and other top corner back glass for return.

I am going to want this to be a higher flow tank but want to get most of the flow through the powerheads.

If you have any suggestions please I would like to hear them. It is a 20g so I am limited on in tank spacing.

Thanks for the advise.

 

Just checked and none of the panes are tempered so all options for drilling are still on the table.

 

Option #5 but use two drains instead of one, because their only 3/4.

 

Great, thanks Bob!

Anybody else?

 

Going to pick up some black acrylic today for some overflow boxes. Don't know what I'm going to do yet but going to get it just to have so I can do it when I figure it out.

 

Ok so what I am going to do is drill two holes in the bottom glass for the drain. One in each corner and have a corner overflow. The return I will drill the center back glass with a y loc line.

I picked up some black acrylic to fab up the overflows.

Still looking at doing stockmans in each overflow.

Let me know what you think.