new to salt-95 hex tank.

thediscobandit · Jan 8, 2018

hello everybody,

long time freshwater fishkeeper thinking of branching out. i have a 95 gallon hex tank id like to try and convert to a fowlr tank. i know some of the basics but wanted some advice on filtration setup, stocking, etc.

its currently running on a canister so i have a blank slate as far as drilling the drains and returns. the tank is 25"x29" and 36" high. i have a 15 gal sump and a fluval sp6 i planned to use for return power.

would drilling the drain and return directly in the middle of tank work best? or maybe situate them on the back panel? i plan to drill 3 holes. one drain one return and one for running cords through to the lights and possibly a powerhead.

as far as stocking. i really like dwarf angels and gobies. would a couple dwarf angels fit in my tank? what is a good option for schooling fish in this size setup?

thanks for any and all help.

GoVols · Jan 8, 2018

thediscobandit said:
hello everybody,

long time freshwater fishkeeper thinking of branching out. i have a 95 gallon hex tank id like to try and convert to a fowlr tank. i know some of the basics but wanted some advice on filtration setup, stocking, etc.

its currently running on a canister so i have a blank slate as far as drilling the drains and returns. the tank is 25"x29" and 36" high. i have a 15 gal sump and a fluval sp6 i planned to use for return power.

would drilling the drain and return directly in the middle of tank work best? or maybe situate them on the back panel? i plan to drill 3 holes. one drain one return and one for running cords through to the lights and possibly a powerhead.

as far as stocking. i really like dwarf angels and gobies. would a couple dwarf angels fit in my tank? what is a good option for schooling fish in this size setup?

thanks for any and all help.

Don't know the answers but welcome to Reef 2 Reef and hope you feel at home.

Tough call on a Hex because they are so tall and narrow.
Might be best to go with a hang-on overflow to save room inside your tank.

thediscobandit · Jan 9, 2018

no love for the hex tank?

definitely not doing a hang on overfliw. they are ugly and unreliable and the tank will be in the middle of the room which necessitates the drilling.

its not particularly narrow either. its 29" all the way around. not a huge tank but i thought i could at least get a couple dwarf angels in. if not I'll just stick to my cichlids sheesh.

jsker · Jan 9, 2018

Welcome to R2R and reefing

Lets ask @NowGlazeIT

NowGlazeIT · Jan 9, 2018

Post some pictures of a cut out design you have in mind. the big thing to keep in mind before drilling anything is what size plumbing can we fit and what style drain to apply. If you go in the center of the tank you might be limited to just a durso style drain which sounds like what your going for but take some time and check out some newer drains that’s rendered durso as the “ol noisy” option. Check out herbie and bean animal overflow. Tho a durso are nice for fitting in a tight space they make the most noise from the drain to the sump.

Before you drill
Consider these things
1)When drilling glass never drill a hole closer then then thickness of the glass to another hole or any glass edge
2)When coming up with plumbing start at one inch pvc for your minimum. If you can go bigger great, do so

If you find that the center overflow and return is still the right choice then double check that the bottom pain is not tempered. this will ensure the glass is safe to drill but you may need to spend some time finding and contacting the manufacturer
Next your going to want to draw out the size of your cut outs on your glass and get a good visual of what your going for. if you could get a hold of a premade overflow black box for that design that would be awesome. I’ve seen them before but can’t recall a manufacturer. The tricky part for me here is that you want one hole to run wires (pretty cool idea) but the length of that pipe has to be longer then the rest but yet not to high that it doesn’t poke out of the overflow box which brings attention to the required size or width of the overflow and the height to accommodate your total tank volume. This answer in measurements is beyond my knowledge at the moment since I am new to overflows and not glass. One more thing to note glass and plastic overflow boxes are going to glue down better then acrylic built overflow boxes when using silicone to mount.
If you plan on one day keeping a larger fish like tangs (edit: angel fish would be fine)
I don’t think you have a big enough tank and putting a box in the middle of your tank is like a commitment to your aquascape so double check that your stocking list is compatible for your tank so your happy with all this hard work your going to apply.

Welcome to R2R and keep this thread alive with pictures and updates on your findings. were happy to help and excited to follow along!

NowGlazeIT · Jan 9, 2018

I would suggest 1 1/2 inch pvc for the drain if you go durso

jsker · Jan 9, 2018

NowGlazeIT said:
Post some pictures of a cut out design you have in mind. the big thing to keep in mind before drilling anything is what size plumbing can we fit and what style drain to apply. If you go in the center of the tank you might be limited to just a durso style drain which sounds like what your going for but take some time and check out some newer drains that’s rendered durso as the “ol noisy” option. Check out herbie and bean animal overflow. Tho a durso are nice for fitting in a tight space they make the most noise from the drain to the sump.

Before you drill
Consider these things
1)When drilling glass never drill a hole closer then then thickness of the glass to another hole or any glass edge
2)When coming up with plumbing start at one inch pvc for your minimum. If you can go bigger great, do so

If you find that the center overflow and return is still the right choice then double check that the bottom pain is not tempered. this will ensure the glass is safe to drill but you may need to spend some time finding and contacting the manufacturer
Next your going to want to draw out the size of your cut outs on your glass and get a good visual of what your going for. if you could get a hold of a premade overflow black box for that design that would be awesome. I’ve seen them before but can’t recall a manufacturer. The tricky part for me here is that you want one hole to run wires (pretty cool idea) but the length of that pipe has to be longer then the rest but yet not to high that it doesn’t poke out of the overflow box which brings attention to the required size or width of the overflow and the height to accommodate your total tank volume. This answer in measurements is beyond my knowledge at the moment since I am new to overflows and not glass. One more thing to note glass and plastic overflow boxes are going to glue down better then acrylic built overflow boxes when using silicone to mount.
If you plan on one day keeping a larger fish like tangs (edit: angel fish would be fine)
I don’t think you have a big enough tank and putting a box in the middle of your tank is like a commitment to your aquascape so double check that your stocking list is compatible for your tank so your happy with all this hard work your going to apply.

Welcome to R2R and keep this thread alive with pictures and updates on your findings. were happy to help and excited to follow along!

thank you.

NowGlazeIT · Jan 9, 2018

jsker said:
thank you.

No problem I Appreciate the shout out man! this glazier loves to help reef

najer · Jan 9, 2018

Sounds like a cool project.

thediscobandit · Jan 9, 2018

thanks for your input guys. not sure i want to go for a full blown reef setup but like the idea of a fowlr. i was planning on a 1 1/2" durso drain as it is with a 1" return. the tank is acrylic and as i said no hang on overflow boxes for me. how close can i put the holes to each other in 1/2" acrylic?

also, i really wanted to make this setup sans overflow box--no weir. in freshwater tanks this is done a lot but are you saying i absolutely need one in a saltwater tank?

not a fan of tangs but i love triggers. are there any triggers out there that grow only 4-5"?

here are a couple quick sketches of ideas i had for the orientation of the holes. option 1 is the center overflow idea. option 2 gives more open swimming area.

NowGlazeIT · Jan 9, 2018

thediscobandit said:
thanks for your input guys. not sure i want to go for a full blown reef setup but like the idea of a fowlr. i was planning on a 1 1/2" durso drain as it is with a 1" return. the tank is acrylic and as i said no hang on overflow boxes for me. how close can i put the holes to each other in 1/2" acrylic?

also, i really wanted to make this setup sans overflow box--no weir. in freshwater tanks this is done a lot but are you saying i absolutely need one in a saltwater tank?

not a fan of tangs but i love triggers. are there any triggers out there that grow only 4-5"?

here are a couple quick sketches of ideas i had for the orientation of the holes. option 1 is the center overflow idea. option 2 gives more open swimming area.

I haven’t done much drilling on acrylic and it’s not commonly used in the commercial glazing I do. Being that it’s like plastic I’d say the never drill closer then the thickness of the glass to a glass edge is applied more loosely. I’d say it would come more down to how much clearance your bulkheads need. I really vote to see a clean option#1 come from this.
To my knowledge Trigger fish don’t stay that small but I’m not at all sure. I did try to find one online for my 60g cube but didn’t find one with a max growth size of 4-5 inches

thediscobandit · Jan 10, 2018

NowGlazeIT said:
I haven’t done much drilling on acrylic and it’s not commonly used in the commercial glazing I do. Being that it’s like plastic I’d say the never drill closer then the thickness of the glass to a glass edge is applied more loosely. I’d say it would come more down to how much clearance your bulkheads need. I really vote to see a clean option#1 come from this.
To my knowledge Trigger fish don’t stay that small but I’m not at all sure. I did try to find one online for my 60g cube but didn’t find one with a max growth size of 4-5 inches

yes i was also leaning towards option 1. if i remember right the 1.5" bulkheads are right around 3.5" total diameter so i guess I'll plan with that in mind.

i have experience acrylic and glass and the only difference i would say is that acrylic is much easier and more forgiving.

is acrylic not a good material for reef setups? i always thought it was the preferred option.

NowGlazeIT · Jan 10, 2018

thediscobandit said:
yes i was also leaning towards option 1. if i remember right the 1.5" bulkheads are right around 3.5" total diameter so i guess I'll plan with that in mind.

i have experience acrylic and glass and the only difference i would say is that acrylic is much easier and more forgiving.

is acrylic not a good material for reef setups? i always thought it was the preferred option.

Acrylic is better then glass in terms of strength so it’s a great option for a reef it’s only limitations that come to mind is glueing with silicone and being more careful to avoid scratching as it does scratch easier

Reef-junky · Jan 10, 2018

I would put at least a Herbie drain on your system you will be much happier in the end. Should be an interesting tank as you don't see that many hex tanks in salt water.

thediscobandit · Jan 10, 2018

Reef-junky said:
I would put at least a Herbie drain on your system you will be much happier in the end. Should be an interesting tank as you don't see that many hex tanks in salt water.

i have experience with durso but not herbie. what are the improvements and will it take a lot more space?