Hi all!

evil nick

Non-member
Hi everyone. I started my first reef in a converted 29 planted (That I upgraded to a 55) on a friends advice. Bad idea. I did it all wrong, no sump, poor info, etc etc and dealt with out of control (I believe) bryopsis.

I decided that large tanks arent my thing and Im breaking down the 55, going back to a 29 planted and making the reef a 20 long. Im using the already beat up 29 (current reef) as an oversized sump for the 20. Im drilling the 20 and going for (what Im told) is a herbie setup. Heres an artist mockup I made with the supplies I Bought.

attachment.php

From other forums Im leaning now to flip that strainer overflow upside down and move it higher (there will also be a screen on the 45 as the emergency overflow).

Anyway, just introducing myself and wish me luck!
tapatalk_1520565179223.jpeg
 
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Welcome aboard
Definitely let us know your progress with the herbie setup.
 
I’ve never used a herbie or a bean animal overflow. I think when I set up a bigger tank I’ll go with the bean just because of the extra failsafe. I guess both are very quiet from what I’ve read online. There’s a few people here that have one or the other , just don’t remember who lol
 
Welcome! I have a bean animal in my tank. Love it! The rest of my tanks are dursos (single drain pipe) not a fan, they can gargle or allow air in and don’t get as good of a siphon I feel like. The herbie is a better bet!

For some reason I can’t see the image. May be an issue with the hosting site. Tapatalk is a great way to upload from your phone.


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Welcome! I have a bean animal in my tank. Love it! The rest of my tanks are dursos (single drain pipe) not a fan, they can gargle or allow air in and don’t get as good of a siphon I feel like. The herbie is a better bet!

For some reason I can’t see the image. May be an issue with the hosting site. Tapatalk is a great way to upload from your phone.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah not sure what happened but I'll fix it
 
well... it cracked. I drilled the holes pretty far apart and in the middle so there would be enough meat but the second hole cracked. The first hole went great and I thought "man this was easy" and then when I removed my jig (made out of thick foam insulation, I have pics) I saw the second hole and the crack and was pissed.
I decided at that point, whats to lose so I would remove the pane and just have another one cut and pre drilled for me and just re silicon it in. It took me TWO DAYS to get that glass out. 3/4 of it came out easy peasy with a razor knife but the side with the hole that cracked was in there with some kind of tack glue as well as the silicon. I scraped at it with my knife, I used a heat gun then finally got so mad I just used my torch and that loosened it enough to get my razor in there and split it.
Im going to get a price on the piece and give it a shot.
I actually like the look of the rimless top so Im debating on trying it, or making a clear plexi trim out of some 1/4" i have.
I also called to find out the next $ per gallon sale and its not for another 2 months so I need to get this done sooner than that. If drilling wont work then Im going siphon overflow and figuring out a way to attach a float shutoff to the return pump (like a house sump pump) so if the siphon ever breaks the display wont overflow.

Im going to be honest, and shame on me. I bought the drill bits off amazon and used them but deep inside I felt they sent me used bits. They were all rusty in the center. I should have returned them but I didnt. I just went super wet and slow. Like I said tho the first hole went great.

wish me luck
 
Bummer, is there a decent diamond coating on edge of bit? I've used the same one for 5 holes and no issue. Lots of water

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Bummer, is there a decent diamond coating on edge of bit? I've used the same one for 5 holes and no issue. Lots of water

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

def diamond bits. coating seemed fine. Like I said the first hole went great. The second seemed great until I removed the jig and saw the crack. Its only a 20 long so there isnt a lot of extra meat on it.

Im going to call a couple glass places today. I have the LxW measurements but honestly dont know what type of glass or thickness it would be, so Im going to have to look this up first.
 
Well they cut the piece but wont drill the holes. They only want 10$ for it. petco is doing $ per gallon again so I think Ill buy another tank and grab the cut piece of glass.

Im changing my size. Im going 3/4 instead as I think 1-1/4 was just to large for this size tank. What I may do is drill the first pane while its off the tank then silicone it back in. I might even locktite superglue it a bit as Im fairly sure the pane was superglued in as well as siliconed.

If the new bits I use work well, from HD instead of cheap bits from amazon (which went back), then Ill try and drill out the new tank as well. Ill keep which ever comes out better. If they both come out fine, Ill keep the new tank and then re seal the first and sell it as a pre drilled tank and try to recoup some funds (after water testing of course).

Wish me luck.
 
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