Drilling a Filled Tank

[Funston07]

I would also just get a Lifereef HOB OF like previously stated. They dont have a single failure in 30 years. You would still have the piece of mind like a normal OF without the risk of messing up a running tank. Plus they cost the same as a regular OF so it would cost you the same and less work/worry.

 

[rooneyj889]

I would also just get a Lifereef HOB OF like previously stated. They dont have a single failure in 30 years. You would still have the piece of mind like a normal OF without the risk of messing up a running tank. Plus they cost the same as a regular OF so it would cost you the same and less work/worry.

I have already planned for a bean animal style overflow and everything has already been purchased. It is going to be a basement sump so I am just gonna bite the bullet and drill

 

[ScubaFish802]

I have already planned for a bean animal style overflow and everything has already been purchased. It is going to be a basement sump so I am just gonna bite the bullet and drill

I think you should be fine putting it in a bucket and rinsing per that threads instructions. Also was going to mention this thread about reliable overflows just in case, https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/are-overflow-boxes-reliable.765840/page-5#post-8095832

but see you already have it planned out to be drilled. Either way best of luck! Let us know how it goes.

 

[Funston07]

I have already planned for a bean animal style overflow and everything has already been purchased. It is going to be a basement sump so I am just gonna bite the bullet and drill

Well hopefully everything goes smooth for ya. Let us know how it goes.

 

[rooneyj889]

I think you should be fine putting it in a bucket and rinsing per that threads instructions. Also was going to mention this thread about reliable overflows just in case, https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/are-overflow-boxes-reliable.765840/page-5#post-8095832

but see you already have it planned out to be drilled. Either way best of luck! Let us know how it goes.

I am just worried about then the tank having to cycle again if i rinse all of the sand out. I suppose I should be fine but I know that sand provides a lot of the bacteria used to break down the ammonia so I don't want to have an ammonia spike.

 

[ScubaFish802]

I am just worried about then the tank having to cycle again if i rinse all of the sand out. I suppose I should be fine but I know that sand provides a lot of the bacteria used to break down the ammonia so I don't want to have an ammonia spike.

You could always buy a bottle of Turbostart or Dr Tims (or your preferred brand of nitrifing bacteria) and add it back into the tank once it is re-filled and re-started. I assume you also have a decent amount of rock you will be removing and also keeping wet? This also is filtration in the tank like the sand. Only other thing I could think of is if you have big blocks of Marine Pure or anything in your current filtration keep those in a bucket wet as well. Between everything you should have quite a bit of beneficial bacteria built up

 

[rooneyj889]

You could always buy a bottle of Turbostart or Dr Tims (or your preferred brand of nitrifing bacteria) and add it back into the tank once it is re-filled and re-started. I assume you also have a decent amount of rock you will be removing and also keeping wet? This also is filtration in the tank like the sand. Only other thing I could think of is if you have big blocks of Marine Pure or anything in your current filtration keep those in a bucket wet as well. Between everything you should have quite a bit of beneficial bacteria built up

Yeah, 60 lbs of rock, along with ceramic rings and small ceramic balls in the canister filter

 

[rooneyj889]

Anyone else have any opinions. Not worried about the drilling part of it as much as the sand part of it. Want to disturb the biological bacteria as much as possible but also don't want to cause problems by disturbing the sand bed