90 Fresh---->Salt Drilling Tank?
 

I have been searching forums and the internet on this question so I'm hoping someone can help me out. I am converting my 90 to salt and will go with a sump with skimmer as opposed to HOB Remora. From what I gather, it is better to go with a "drilled" tank 3" from top instead of an overflow box.

If my tank has no holes, is it a hassle to drill it or should I just go with an overflow box with a "custom" drilled nozzle hole to prevent backflow if power goes out?

This is basically my biggest dilemma. I don't want to come home to a flooded basement, and I want the better skimming strategy of the two.

Please help me out.

hole
 

i drill mine at the bottom,use a stockman standpipe,and make my own overflow box using large pvc drilled and slotted

I picked up glass hole saws and did the drilling myself. (gl*******s.com) Very Easy. Go VERY slow as you'll end up chipping the glasss otherwise... which I did. To compensate I put the rubber bulkhead gasket on the inside of the tank where the glass is smooth.

I'm doing A 90 Gallon tank right now and am lucky enough to have a friend with glass hole saws to do the holes for me. I would go with drilling vs an overflow box, had one on another tank and found them very noisy. Try a Local glass shop some have a mobile service.

That would be nice just to have someone do the drilling. I will look into that. Is there a standard size of hole used for the plumbing so I don't go too large? And what is the ideal distance down from the top of the tank?

some tanks use tempered glass on the bottom, you can't drill tempered glass!

I'm not looking to drill into the bottom of the tank, the upper 3 inches from the top.

Hey Chammy,
I use an overflow because my tank is old and I was told drilling old tanks could lead to no tank, so I opted for the overflow. I use a tom pump as well and I haven't had any troubles. However, if I were to get a new tank, I'd drill it for sure. You'll never have to worry about the siphon not starting after a blackout. I also use a check valve on the return pump to avoid a spill, so far so good.
Ren

The self priming is key. If the power is out while we are gone for some reason and then comes back, we would have to be there to get it going again. I'm going to inquire about having to HOB Remora skimmers on the aquarium. My brother in law has one and has no issues with his reef setup on the same size of tank. He is also looking to get a second one to be safe.

This is an excellent video tutorial by Bulk Reef Supply

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87yJb...6&feature=plcp

Ideally when drilling for an overflow 3" down and 2.5" in from the side is safe, you can get glass cut for the overflow box then use black acrylic for the front pane so it's not see through, that is... If you don't want to look at a bulkhead....

I have done a few overflow boxes on tanks and usually make the box 7"x6"x2.5" deep, you want to make sure the box is big enough so the water draining doesn't empty too fast causing it to sound like a toilet flushing. Your return supply should be smaller from the drain. ie. If you run a 3/4 return then the drain should be 1", 1" supply, drain should be 1.25" or 1.5"

The reason behind this is you want to make sure your drain can handle the supply the same size drain may not be able to handle water that's being pumped back to the display causing it to overflow.

Need tank drilled
 

Does anyone know if there is someone in Calgary who might be willing to travel to my house to drill a tank? I would be willing to pay. I have a bad back and was able to get some friends to help me pick up the tank but do not want to set them up for an additional two trips :(

Charles

where do you live??

me and the roomate may be able to do it some time this weekend while were doing our rounds:)