75 gallon build

anew2thereef · Sep 16, 2019

Hey Reefers!,

I have a few questions for big DIY guys.. I recently bought a 75 gallon Aqueon tank (petco sale), and I would love to drill it. I have drilled three tanks previously with pretty good success. Now the questions are a Stand, Overflow and Sump... Stand should I cut the the wood 2x4 or 2x6...? and about how high should go? I was also thinking about adding a eshopps type s over flow in the center of the tank.. (as I would like to add 2 maxspect gyre's 330 on each side.. Also thinking about adding two return lines to the tank with two (RFG's).. I want some serious movement...! lol. Lastly I would like to know, I have a 10 gallon tank just laying around and I would love to make it a sump for the tank.. Do you guys recommend it? or should I go a bigger sump.. I know the pump in the sump will be a tight fit but it could work...

Thanks Guys,
@

Soylent Wrasse · Sep 16, 2019

Check the thickness of the glass. If it looks fairly thin it is probably tempered. I made the mistake last year about trying to drill one. (Specific to the 75, not sure about 55 and below)

TDEcoral · Sep 18, 2019

Apparently the Petco 75g are made with whatever glass is on hand, there is no guarantee that a certain panel will be tempered or not. Well, besides the bottom. I think they're always tempered. Only way to know for sure is to use the polarized sunglasses trick or try drilling and see if it shatters or not lol. I bought one, completely dismantled it, and reassembled with a new non-tempered back panel that I got from a local glass shop and black silicone then drilled my overflow and return holes.

Sump I would go bigger than a 10. I'm using a 20L because they're cheap from petco.

For my stand I used 1x4 pine for the frame besides the two top 48" pieces. I went with a 2x4 for those because I didn't want to use center supports. Everything is screwed together with pocket holes so I wouldn't have to double the uprights. Also used wood glue. Stand is skinned in 1/4" plywood (actually 5.2mm I think). Still need to make the doors.
Many people way over build their stands. You definitely don't need to go over 2x4 for the frame.

derekh · Sep 20, 2019

Building a stand isn't hard, but I'd probably recommend checking Facebook Marketplace for some used 75 or 90 gallon stands. These can be found for dirt cheap (with and without tanks). Just make sure it's strong, doesn't bend/rock, and doesn't have any rot and you're good to go. I found a tank, stand, and canopy for like $150. I had my own tank so I sold the tank that came with it for $50. Bam, you've got a solid stand and canopy for $100 and don't need to spend 10+ hours figuring out the design, buying materials, cutting everything, assembling, staining/painting, and then finding out it's not square (lol this happens).

I agree with going for a 20 gallon long over a 10 for the sump, though this will still get cramped if you're planning a refugium. If you've got the cash or are willing to save up for it I'd recommend Bashsea Smart Series sumps as a good bang-for-your-buck given their features and flexibility.

Definitely check the glass for being tempered. There are tons of videos on Youtube showing how to do this. Some phones don't work for doing this though---OLED screens don't work I think. For an overflow, look into Modular Marine. I went cheap and got an Eshopps and have regretted it. If you're not pushing crazy return rates, there's also nothing wrong with overflow boxes. Lots and lots of people have used them for years without any issues. Just do your research and buy a good one.

Red_Beard · Sep 20, 2019

I am just getting my 75 build up and going too, stand finished and so is the canopy, just one more door to hang. I drilled my 75 as well, but did check it first and it wasn't tempered. The previous 2 stands for tanks this size(one was a 90 though) used 2x4's for the spanning beam, no issues so far on them so 2x4 will definitely work, but i did opt to go 2x6 on the new one. There are a bunch of pics in my build thread if you are interested. I think my tank sits at 34 inches? Can't remember exactly. Also since i built the stand i wanted it to be big enough for a 40B sump as i had a 20L under my 90 and the extra space/volume is always nice.
Hope that helps!