68G cube becomes a 95G Reef :)

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

I am finally setting up a proper reef again after a few years of trying to mix aggressive fish and corals. That was fun but I want to get back into sps after about three years away from keeping them.

I have changed tanks soooo many times over the past two years due to moving several times but I have finally decided on two. The bigger one will stay as my fish only and the new 68G will be the reef.

Both tanks are similar heights and are directly across from each other, so the stands are made to match...or will be (the new one is not finished).

The 68G was bought from a member here on Canreef and was going to be sumpless/skimmerless. After a few months, everything is doing great that way and actually I have had the best growth I have ever seen in my sps but I hate not having a sump.

The tank was already drilled, so I am not adding a sump and eventually a skimmer.

I have lots of pics but I will just start with the empty tank for now...

Well kind of empty. My cats claimed it the moment it hit the floor.

This is where its going...







Oh and not quite a real cube...30x30x18. I prefer that over a deep tank.

[Keri]

Nice size! The cats look impressed. What's in the terrarium beside it?

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by Keri

Nice size! The cats look impressed. What's in the terrarium beside it?

Yes the cats loved it.

The terrarium is housing this guy:

[Keri]

Cute....but the kitty looks like it wants to eat it

I'm not fammiliar with the arboreal geckos, is it a gargoyl, or crested?
I have an 8yr old female leopard gecko.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Nice Leopard!

Its a Gargoyle. The cats actually doesn't seem to want to eat it. He had a chance once and doesn't. In that last pic he is meowing and the gecko talks back with some very strange noises.

Im not kidding...they communicate. I thought it was just a coincidence at first but then I realized when the cat (only the little one though) lays by his terrarium, the gecko will come out and see him. Sometimes making weird noises.

So weird.

[Keri]

Very neat... my husband had a bunch of cresteds before I met him....till the cat got into them

I keep the reptiles downstairs where the cats can't go because Mr Pickles (Drew's cat) is just a little bit evil.

(My cat, of course, is perfect lol)

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Plumbing the tank...has been a huge pain!

I wish I had decided right away to go with a sump. Plumbing it full of water has been terrible.

I did not want to take up space with an overflow box, nor drain the tank, so I got an idea from someone on RC to use a PVC overflow. In my case ABS since I like using ABS.

This is the idea. The people who have tried it absolutely seem to love it. I am not going to go coast to coast like this (only about a foot) but same idea.





I have mine done but not running yet. The problem I am trying to solve is noise. The guys who used this method have found ways to keep the thing silent but most of their idea will not work for me for various reasons.

So far with mine, I have the PVC overflow, bulkhead, "T" (drain and a way for air to escape), then down to a few 90's and to the sump. What I am trying to figure out is how to have the water enter the sump.

I will take pics since its hard to follow along with just words but I think I may have another "T" on the end of the drain plumbing right at the water surface to release any air from the water before it hits the sump.

I know people do this...does anyone have any pics? How quiet is this?

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by Keri

Very neat... my husband had a bunch of cresteds before I met him....till the cat got into them

I keep the reptiles downstairs where the cats can't go because Mr Pickles (Drew's cat) is just a little bit evil.

(My cat, of course, is perfect lol)

Oh no...I would hate to see what my cats would do to him if I did leave them alone together for a while

The little grey and white cat is mine and the big one is my fiances. I am not even going to try to pretend my cat is perfect. He is a little terror. My fiances cat is really close to prefect I think though. She says its because she raised him

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

So this is my small version of the overflow.



Nothing fancy but since its right up near the top trim of the tank, you barely notice it. So much nicer IMO than having a huger overflow box. I wouldn't do this in a bigger tank or with a large return pump though. This along with a gate valve regulated drain would be ideal. I didn't have a second hole drilled though for an emergency drain so I couldn't go with the gate valve safely.

Hopefully it will work out like this though!

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Actually this is a good picture. I put the return Loc Line Plumbing beside it for size reference.