Neptune Aquatics

NOOB Needing Help: Drilling 40Br Overflow/20L sump

Hey everyone, I lurk around here and there but i figured I should make my debut into this community. I currently have a 20L reef with an AC110 Fuge, CPR protein skimmer, DIY LED and everything is booming. However, I will be breaking down my 40BR planted tank and what better way to upgrade than to put everything into that.

I really want to use the 40BR as the display and make the 20L as the sump except I have no idea what the hell I am doing. This tank is literally next to my bed and sound will be a huge issue. I looked into a bean animal overflow and other sump designs but I am just really uneasy about taking this project on myself.

Is there anyone in the bay area that has experience that can physically help me with this build?(Drilling the overflow, putting together all the PVC piping, etc) I work at a carwash in Redwood City and would gladly compensate for a few free car washes or a detail. Anything would be a great help to an amateur trying to take the next step up!

Thanks! :)
 
Welcome to BAR, Jonny!

My suggestion is to definitely not rush into things and take your time reading and planning what you want to ultimately do. You'll thank yourself later and will likely have more money in your pockets... well, at least to spend on more stuff anyway. :)

Some better questions are, do you know what livestock you want to keep in your 40B? Drilling the overflow as well as putting PVC piping is fairly simple once you get your hands on things. It's also helpful to watch a few YouTube videos to help guide you.

In any case, I'm sure there are other BAR members that are more local to you that would be willing to help you out. Also, feel free to ask any questions you may have here. Many would be more than willing to help answer your questions!
 
Welcom to the club!!!! Is the tank glass or acrylic?

If it is tempered glass it cannot be drilled.

I have a 40 breeder acrylic which i drilled and set up the herbie overflow method. I went with the herbie because i wanted to save space jn my tank and didnt want my overflow box too big. My herbie setup is quiet and efficient.
 
Drilling isn't that bad, it just takes patience. The drill bits are available online or even at home depot I think. I never did buy a fancy glass bit, just a cheapie and it worked okay.

How thick is the glass?

I have tried drilling a 10g tank in the past and although I drilled the hole fine as soon as I tightened the bulkhead the glass cracked. Same with a 30g tank I drilled at one point. I was much more careful when I tightened the bulkheads on my old Solana and did not have cracking issues there.

Just be prepared that there is always a chance an accident could happen. :)

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for the replies guys! I didn't think this forum was that active, but four replies for my thread overnight is extremely helpful. :D

It was a 40g from Petco $1 per gallon sale about a year ago.

Yeah I was actually planning on becoming a supporting member to take advantage of the community with frag swaps and what not. I am still fairly new to reefer and have been somewhat just a lurker through my adventure thus far. But thanks Mike, I will def consider it more when my tank is up and running and I can blow all my money on corals. :)

My dad says he has ceramic drill bits but he's unsure if its usable for glass. I think my only concern is drilling the holes. Once I can get that down, I feel like I can do the bean animal PVC build for the overflow. Should I consider going to a glass shop to get it done cleanly? I don't think I will be needing drill bits again?

How can I silence the drain into the sump? are there any other potential big noise problems I should be worried about?

How should I do the overflow? corner? bend my own acrylic? purchase a ready made one? Links/brand specifics would be nice to obtain.
 
For my herbie overflow, I bought a overflow box on ebay. They can be expensive as all things are in this hobby.

The probelm with buying an overflow box is that it HAS to fit the amount of bulkheads you want to put in. So buy the bulkheads first and plan where you want to place them. Then measure that out and you will know the size of the overflow box you need.

You could also make your own overflow box. TAP plastic will sell custom cut acrylic pieces for pretty cheap. Then just get some weldon glue to glue the pieces together. Weld On 16 is what I use to attach the acrylic overflow box to my acrylic tank, so I imagine it can be used to glue acrylic pieces together. I like having teeth on my overflow box.
 
Good link, I will read more in depth once I get home. But quietness is the top priority. My tank is literally 3 feet from my head next to my bed. Its actually pretty awesome this way. hah ;)
 
Put drains ever so slightly submerged under the surface of the water in your sump is my best suggestion for quietness there. Bean animal is pretty quiet so that's what you likely want. You can buy overflow boxes on bulk reef supply as well.
 
So I've been reading more and more about beananimals and I'm getting a bit more comfortable. I still need help with the drilling part and see if one of my clients at the carwash maybe able to help me (they own a glass company). Besides that I was also really contemplating about getting that overflow kit from ebay that I posted above. Any comments or criticism about this purchase? Figured all the kits are around this price and this seems the nicest.
 
If you haven't already, check out the BeanAnimal thread on Reef Central or BAs own web page. There are all sorts of solutions to the OF.

I have a BA on my 120g. It is real quiet. So much so that the predominate noises are pumps - return and skimmer. I don't think I'd like sleeping in the same room with it but it might be possible to get used to the 'white noise' of the pumps.
 
Yeah I've been following that thread and working my way through it. I also went to the guys site and read his take on it. Pretty ingenious idea. As for the sound, I can bare the hum and light splash here and there. An aquaclear 110 isn't the quietest HOB on the block but waking up to my fish staring back at me is worth it. What I think is worse is my fuge light in the middle of the night!
 
Hey Justin, glad you could help out! I'm located off of Westborough in ssf. I can definitely come out to you. I'm currently waiting for my overflow to come in with a template on where to cut the holes. I believe they are 1.5" bulkheads so we would need two holes of that size to connect the internal box to the external box.

650-534-4389

PS: if Justin comes through. I'll sucker in and become a supporting member :p
 
I'm pretty sure my hole saw is 1 3/4" to accommodate a 1 1/2"bulk head. I'll check tonight and reach out to you. I'm not far from ssf so this should be easy to pull off. You'll need some plumbers putty to cut the hole and I'm all out at the moment

Justin (San Francisco),
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Good idea but I will let Justin lead this one!! Whatever supplies you need I'll just pick it up. I will let you know when I receive the overflow and be ready for everything. Can you PM me your number so I can contact you?
 
I'm pretty sure my hole saw is 1 3/4" to accommodate a 1 1/2"bulk head. I'll check tonight and reach out to you. I'm not far from ssf so this should be easy to pull off. You'll need some plumbers putty to cut the hole and I'm all out at the moment

Justin (San Francisco),
sent from tapatalk
I was wrong... It's 1 3/8"to accommodate a 1" bulk head

Justin (San Francisco),
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