2.5g Display

[obarrera]

Im planning on converting my little 2.5g freshwater tank into a little reef, I was thinking of using like a 10g sump/refugium, but I have a few questions.

First, can I use a MJ 900 for the return pump, or will the pump die faster since it's not meant to be a return pump?

Also, what are my fish options?
Would love to have a little clownfish(ocellaris, or percula) in there(plan on upgrading soon, so the fish is not goona be in there for longer then 5/6 months), but not sure if it's too small(the tank), I've had a few clowns, and they always stay in one spot most of the time, so I thought it might be fine, But I don't know?

And last, is it really hard to drill a tank this small(it's glass), I need to drill a 1" hole on it, but would hate to break it, what do you all think my chances are of breaking it? Last tank I tried to drill broke, cause the glass was tempered, and don't want this to happen again.lol


The thing is, I already have the tank, lightning, pumps, everything to convert it into a pico reef, and I don't have a tank right now, so it's very tempting.


Thanks

[seapug]

cool project but I'd reconsider the fish choice. Clowns are tough, but any fish bigger than 1" will be miserable in there. Could make a cool home for a trio of barnacle blennies or a small goby/pistol shrimp combo.

Don't know what to say about the drilling. I'd take it to a glass shop and ask them.

[gsusfreak]

you should be able to drill it....besides arent those only $10?...taking it to a shop would cost $25 for the whole, and that just isnt worth it.....and i dont recommend any fish in a tank that small

[NanoReefWanabe]

i would recomend drilling it with a dremel though...higher RPMs and far less vibration then that of a drill and big aweky bit...i dont eventhink those are 3mil glass prob. only 2.5....so it will be tough...but doable

[nanoDude]

I agree. If you drill it you will need to keep the glass very well cooled. I would recommend running a garden hose over it rather than just damming some water around the hole. If you have a quality drill, or better yet a drill press, use it. I have found that many of the people who complain about drilling being so difficult are using an old or cheap drill which has some wobble to the chuck so no matter how will you hold it the bit ends up skipping around or vibrating against the glass. Just so you know my background, I own diamondbitsusa.com and field quite a few questions about drilling tanks.

[Michael L.]

I drilled a 2.5. It was actually my first try at drilling glass.

First I cut a hole in a piece of 3/4" plywood the same size as the hole needed to be. Then I propped the tank upside down with a stack of bricks piled ontop of eachother with a piece of plywood on top of it. Next, I firmly held the "stencil" piece of plywood on the bottom of the tank and traced the inside of the "stencil" with a diamond point bit until I had a shallow cut about 1/4 of the way through the glass all the way around the circle.

After that, I took the stencil piece off and did it all by hand using the same bit. I used the fastest speed setting on my dremel the whole time. I also cooled it with ice cold water but putting it in those little sharpless syringes and squirting it on whenever necessary. It helped to sort of direct the water right into the cuts.

[obarrera]

Thanks everyone for the advice.

My brother in law has a good drill, I'll use that one, and I have the bit.

Yup, the tanks are only $10.00, but it's not that, it's the fact that I already have it, and it's painted and everything.

What about the MJ 900 for a return? What do guys think about that?

[obarrera]

Does anyone know if I can use the MJ 900 for the return with no problems?

It will probably have to push water only around 2 1/2 feet up..

[NanoReefWanabe]

you would be better with an MJ1200...as many people have used them without ill effects...you are probably only going to get 100gph by time it hits the tank anyway..i am not sure the MJ900 would push water that high..

also for the drilling keep a constant source of water on the cut...it would take about a 1/10th of a second to heat the glass up enough to make it crack

[obarrera]

Yeah but I already have the MJ 900 that's why.
It does push water that high, I've used it for water changes and it pushes water like 4 1/2 feet high, im just worried about the life of the pump, it will probably shorten it.

Yeah im gonna use a hose and have water running on the cut, hopefully it'll turn out ok, can't wait to set up this little tank.

BTW, im currently running 50/50 lights (act/10K) on this little tank(freshwater), but I was thiking about buying 2 actinics when I convert it into reef, should some low light corals do fine with just actinics? like GPS, XENIA, ZOOS, etc, I really like the blue look...

Thanks

[obarrera]

I just drilled the tank, everything went good!

Now, can someone please tell me what they think about the lightning ^^^^?

I'll post some pics as soon as I get this thing going, probably in a few days.

Thanks

[gsusfreak]

for the shorten height, i believe those corals you mentioned will be just fine....no need to spend $$$$ for metal halides for a tank that tiny

[obarrera]

Yeah, was just wondering if they would be fine with just actinics, about halides, no way lol, it's not just the money, but the heat!

A 70W HQI set up would be awsome though.