Overflow Mods in a 28 gallon Nano Cube

[nano_reefer2010]

I want to hook my cube up to a sump. Are there any siphon overflows that would work? (are those reliable?) If need be I will ship it off and have it drilled. (any recommendations) I am going to run the return through a SCWD to the two nozzles on the cube. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated. Thanx

[!wrass!]

No siphon overflow is completely reliable. Drilling is a piece of cake. You can do it yourself for about $10. Here is mine. (http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1187797)

[nano_reefer2010]

!wrass!: Nice cube. I really don't feel comfortable drilling myself, (I'm kinda scared with the money invested), do you know of a good place to have it drilled. Or would my local glass shop be able to do this. Thanks for the advice.

[nietzsche]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11242511#post11242511 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nano_reefer2010
!wrass!: Nice cube. I really don't feel comfortable drilling myself, (I'm kinda scared with the money invested), do you know of a good place to have it drilled. Or would my local glass shop be able to do this. Thanks for the advice.

probably local glass shop, but i would call around since they all charge differently (at least in my area). also, theyre going to tell you the same thing "is it tempered? we cant really guarantee that it wont break."

if its not tempered it should be easy for them to drill. also, ask them not to use transmission oil or whatever. i know my lfs has them do it but they use transmission fluid. my friend and i used regular water while we drilled it on his 20 long

[nano_reefer2010]

Thanks nietzsche. Will they have the bits, or will I need to buy them. How much would those cost? Also, you don't happen to know if the 28 gallon nano cube does have tempered glass on the bottom do you? Should I drill the sides, or the bottom?
Sorry, I ask alot of ?'s. Thanx for answering though.

[nietzsche]

most of them should have the bits. some wont have a specific size for whatever reason (mabe misplaced or lost). i would drill the back like the previous poster did with his tank, but thats if you have the time to go through all that

what im wondering is if youve tried to use the back compartments for a fuge yet? what do you need it for exactly? my biocube has chaeto in it and i scraped the back paint off to attach a light in order to grow the chaeto (middle chamber on my biocube). 1st chamber has a heater. i havent added anything like carbon to any of the chambers yet though

[!wrass!]

I called them before I drilled mine to make sure. They do not use tempered glass at all.

Plan the tank before you have it drilled. Also have your bulkheads in hand to measure size. Only go as big as you have to.

Drilling the back or bottom does not realy matter as long as you plan out the plumbing. If you drill the bottom, you have to have room for a stand pipe, and you have to be able to drill the stand in that location.

Just in case you change your mind...
Drill bits that are cheap and work very well. (http://richontools.com/catalog/i174.html)
The stand pipe of choice. (http://www.dursostandpipes.com/)
The RC guide to drilling glass. (http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=603816)

[nano_reefer2010]

nietzsche: The reason I want a sump is I want a large fuge, better skimmer (any suggestions), and larger water volume. I think I will buy the bits wrass suggested and have my local glass shop drill them.

!wrass! Thanks for the awesome threads. I will probabally have my plumbing layout similar to yours. So the NC aren't made of tempered glass. What turnover rate would you suggest in my system, and what size bulkheads should I use? (maybe 500-600 gph). Thanks again.

[nano_reefer2010]

!wrass! Do you have the NC 24 gallon. If so we have the same length deminsions on the back. Cool. I'm probabally gonna have a main drain line, an auxilary, and 2 return lines plumbed through a SCWD kinda like yours. I'm gonna remove the false wall and all those stupid glass partions in the back. I will probabally put the false wall back in though. I want my light to cover the same area as now. (I love the HQI and the nanotuners actinic mod.) Can I run vinyl tubing from the SCWD to the return nozzles on the false wall? just out of curiosity: How much did your entire project cost?

[!wrass!]

It is a NC24. I have been working a lot and had other things going on so it is not finished yet. There is water in the tank and it is cycling but the sump is not running yet. I really have no idea what I have in it at this point but here is a list of what I know.

Sump is a 20 tall, got it for $20, SCWD was used $7, pump was $65ish, bulkheads were $8 each (total of 5), bits were about $15 (ordered several), tank was $1 (raffle ticket), glass for sump was $15, plumbing is probably $75 still growing.

The bulkheads are all 3/4" except for the lower return, its 1/2".

Turnover rate is a huge variable. If you do not want power heads in the tank then you have to go big on the return pump. If you want SPS then you have to go bigger. If you run through a SCWD and want SPS without power heads you have to go huge. If you don't mind the power heads then you don't really need much turnover. I went fairly big in the hopes of not running any power heads. I don't really know if it is big enough yet. Keep in mind, the higher the flow rate the bigger the overflow/drain lines.

The SCWD has barb fittings so you have to run some sort of flex hose for the transition. I suppose you could run it all the way back to the tank if it does not kink.

[nano_reefer2010]

!wrass! what durso stand pipes did you order? I also have a dumb question. How do you connect drain pipes, to holes drilled in the side of the tank?

[!wrass!]

I made my durso's. I used double threaded bulkheads from the tank (can be taken apart later if needed). The down elbo is inside the tank, the Tee is outside the tank (external duros). From there I used spaflex to eliminate any pressure on the glass. Then back to ridged pvc to the sump.

Normal durso's, and most other overflows are set up to drain through the bottom of the tank. I didn't really want to drill the bottom of the tank. It would have worked out fine I'm sure, but just didn't want to do it that way. By drilling the back, I could fit 2 drains with my overflow setup.