Newbie to sumps

Shane94 · Jul 28, 2023

I'm a newbie when it comes to saltwater but I have a 60 gallon breeder tank (18.5L, 16H, 48.5W), is it possible to build a sump without drilling holes in the tank or the sump itself?

shakacuz · Jul 28, 2023

yes, it is possible. you would have to invest in a hang-on-back overflow box for it and a hang-on-back return line.

Shane94 · Jul 28, 2023

shakacuz said:
yes, it is possible. you would have to invest in a hang-on-back overflow box for it and a hang-on-back return line.

Okay. I will look into that. Thank you.

Kristopher Conlin · Jul 28, 2023

Shane94 said:
Okay. I will look into that. Thank you.

Just a word of warning. Hang on the back overflows can clog and dump a lot of water on the floor. You will want to maintain them well.

Drilling is less scary then it sounds as well. And often you can have a local fish store drill an aquarium for you.

dstockwell · Jul 28, 2023

As long as you are vigilant and know your max water level you should not have issue's with an overflow.

Shane94 · Jul 28, 2023

Kristopher Conlin said:
Just a word of warning. Hang on the back overflows can clog and dump a lot of water on the floor. You will want to maintain them well.

Drilling is less scary then it sounds as well. And often you can have a local fish store drill an aquarium for you.

I will keep that in mind

Grassy_Nole · Jul 29, 2023

Why not drill? The HOB overflows are a disaster waiting to happen IMO

mike550 · Jul 29, 2023

Kristopher Conlin said:
Drilling is less scary then it sounds as well. And often you can have a local fish store drill an aquarium for you.

Drilling sounds pretty scary to me. Seems most posts are about making sure you have the right type of glass (untempered?) and then when you chip the hole everyone says you’ve screwed it up and they wouldn’t use the tank.

Shane94 · Jul 29, 2023

Grassy_Nole said:
Why not drill? The HOB overflows are a disaster waiting to happen IMO

Honestly never drilled a tank before and feel slightly intimidated about doing it. I don't have any LFS near me to drill it for me.

Shane94 · Jul 29, 2023

mike550 said:
Drilling sounds pretty scary to me. Seems most posts are about making sure you have the right type of glass (untempered?) and then when you chip the hole everyone says you’ve screwed it up and they wouldn’t use the tank.

Same for me

Grassy_Nole · Jul 29, 2023

Drilling is not difficult in the slightest. Something that should not cause a worry. I would be much more worried about using a HOB overflow and flooding my house IMO