Tank and stand purchased...now the work actually begins

[fyrfytr]

So the wife finally caved and let me make the first purchase of many for this tank...lol...and that was the tank and stand itself. Got it off CraigsList locally, 55gal and a non-traditional stand for $50. Perfered the non-traditional stand due to the ability to use some of it functionally past just the stand for the tank.

Sadly there is not enough room in the stand to be able to do a larger sump, so it looks like I may be looking at the option do run the two 10gal tanks that I got for $1.20 each as a sump and a fuge and just stack them on top of eachother. Planning this all out in my mind with everything, few questions pop up:
-Is it worth drilling a 10gal tank or would I be better off with the HOB PVP to move from tank to tank?
-Would it serve me better to silicone them together at their tops to make one large tank and then drill that?
-How much water should I leave in the top tank (assuming a top tank that flows into an 7-9 gal fuge before being pumped back up to the main tank) and how would I baffle it so that it stays there?​

 

[Flipside]

So the wife finally caved and let me make the first purchase of many for this tank...lol...and that was the tank and stand itself. Got it off CraigsList locally, 55gal and a non-traditional stand for $50. Perfered the non-traditional stand due to the ability to use some of it functionally past just the stand for the tank.

Sadly there is not enough room in the stand to be able to do a larger sump, so it looks like I may be looking at the option do run the two 10gal tanks that I got for $1.20 each as a sump and a fuge and just stack them on top of eachother. Planning this all out in my mind with everything, few questions pop up:
-Is it worth drilling a 10gal tank or would I be better off with the HOB PVP to move from tank to tank?
-Would it serve me better to silicone them together at their tops to make one large tank and then drill that?
-How much water should I leave in the top tank (assuming a top tank that flows into an 7-9 gal fuge before being pumped back up to the main tank) and how would I baffle it so that it stays there?​

10g tanks are tricky to drill, but has been done a number of times. They are very thin, so you have to apply minimal pressure when using your drill and hole bit. Also, a cordless, variable speed drill is a good idea, because you'll want to start of slow with the rpms on the drill. I use a jig when doing all holes in a tank, just to keep it clean. IMO, a jig/template is very important with these little tanks.

Something I would look into is a 29g. Would that fit in your stand? It's easier using just one tank for a sump/fuge, then splitting across a couple/few tanks. Though it "definitely" can be done, it's a bit more complex. Gravity is your friend when you use separate containers/tanks in your sump/refugium lineup.

As far as the other questions are concerned, it's really hard to picture what you mean without a drawing of some nature.

Oh, and congrats on the purchase!

 

[revsgirl]

:clap2: Congrats!! Lookin' forward to what you'll do with it!! Make sure you start a build thread!

 

[rajkovich207]

I would not set the tanks on top of one another, when full each tank will weigh between 60-100lbs each. I would make a shelf for the top one and put them slightly off center from one another and drill the top on about 3/4 the way up for a gravity feed down to the lower tank.

 

[fyrfytr]

I am not artistic, but I will try and draw something up and scan it in over the next few days.

Thats a big fat no on ANY tank other then a 10 gal. Truly, the depth on the doored cabinets are like made for a 10 gal, fit like a glove. There is some width room there, but not a ton. What there is there would be taken up by the PVC if I went off the side and not the end and left a little sticking out of the back. The only way to make anything else would be some MAJOR modifications to the stand, and since it is a non-traditional stand I am worried that if I do much that it will not be structually sound to hold the amount of weight that a marine tank has.

As for stacking the tanks, I would not have them both full. Thought was to stack the two tops/open ends together and silcone seal them so they were water tight and did not leak. Drill top for water entry and bottom for return to tank, then fill the bottom one up 60%-70% and make one large sump/fuge combo without baffles to seperate. That would leave 30% of the bottom and then 100% of the top for safety/overflow in the case of a power outage.

To do the 2-tiered tank setup will require one to literally be on top of the other, no offsetting possible.

Other considered option (yes, been a boring night at work) is to do a custom acrylic sump...one that is TALLER then it is WIDE. Feed down from the tank to an upper level with a skimmer then baffles over/down to the lower level which is a fuge area....baffles over to a return pump area where it is fed back up to the main tank. Will try and draw that too (see above about my drawing skills)

Now I am pretty darn confidant that I can make a fish only tank work without a sump, just do a HOB fuge (like an aquaclear 110 mod or something of the sort)if I really was inclined...but the long term goal is to have a fish only tank that I can grow into a reef tank once I get comfortable with salt and keeping all of my fishy friends alive and happy.

 

[Flipside]

No, you don't have to stack them, just have one set a little higher than the other. Just have your drain, drain into the tank that will get "more full" then setup PVC/bulkheads to the other tank. When the "drain tank" fills to the PVC, it will "spill" into the other that you use as a return tank. Use baffles to minimize the amount of microbubbles back to the DT, in the tank that houses the return pump.

You're not reinventing anything new here. I did something similar with my old 92g corner bowfront because it had a very small amount of space underneath it. I did a remote unit to house the fuge/sump, though.

Here's an example of what I did:

You can see where I had used PVC to get in and out of that little fuge I made, then out to the sump.

I didn't design this... I had a fellow reefer helping along the way... It worked great, FWIW!

 

[AZDesertRat]

One drawback of the standard 55G is its limited front to back depth. This not only limits your landscaping or live rock placement, it also limits room in the stand as you have found out. I went from a 55 to a 90G which had the same 48+- length but increased the depth to 18" from 13 or whatever inches.
Later I sold that system after 13 years use and had a 100G built which is 60" long, I didn't have room or I would have gone to a 24" front to back or 150 gallons. What I did do though was build my stand 24" deep and 38" high inside so I had plenty of room for the sump, refugium, calcium reactor and other equipment. The stand and canopy construction were very easy and I used unfinished cabinet doors ordered from Home Depot then stained everything to match the other cupboards and cabinets in my home.

2x4 construction with all joints glued and screwed with countersunk galvanized deck screws. Primed everything then coated with white epoxy paint.

 

[AZDesertRat]

The last two photos were the original metal halide and VHO fluorescent lighting then todays LED lighting.

I probably have a lot more photos during construction if you are interested. I would recommend building your own stand and canopy as the normal 55 stand is very limiting.

 

[Flipside]

Even better solution, AZ! Super nice job on the old 55!

 

[fyrfytr]

I wish that I was able to see the images, but sadly the firewall at work does not allow it....so I will check them out when I get home. With all the reading that I did I knew the limitations when I went after a 55gal. tank. From what I could see watching CraigsList locally 55gal was the break point, from there the price for the tanks went up drastically and with a 3yr old and a 5 month old I didn't have a ton to throw around on a tank and stand. Its a good start for me, if my 3 yr old really gets into it and my 5 month old spends a good amount of time watching the tank and growing up with a love of fish then I will start setting back money for a bigger (90ish) tank and stand. There is not room to offset the tanks, they will have to be stacked if I use them both. I did some rough measurements, 26" high, 16" deep, 15" wide. The stand came free with the tank, or was included in the price however you want to say it...I wouldnt mind a DIY stand and hood/cabinet. The wife is not big on DIY stands with me, in the matter of 10 minutes one night a made a table/stand for her hedgehog using only scrap wood and a few scrap L-brackets. The stand quickly fell into disrepair (75lb dogs laying under it didnt help and trying to get at the rodent) and I have been banned from most DIY building projects since. Her concern is that if I couldnt build (without plans and in like 10 min) a stand that wouldnt hold a 3lb rodent and cage, a 55gal with water and rock and sand has no chance. The upside to the non-traditional stand is just that, it is no traditional. It has some storage for equipment, supplies, and then I can build up the open area some so that the lil one and his friends can stand on it and get a look at the tank better.

I was advised on a local reef forum that somewhere my descriptions gets lost in translation so here are a few images

 

[pgr11]

Just my opinion but I would ditch that stand. I wouldn't trust that particle board. There are plenty of good stand desings to look at that you could build one fairly inexpensive. Congrats on the new tank and build. Always fun setting up a new tank

 

[AZDesertRat]

I agree on the particleboard stands, it could easily turn into a disaster with just a little water.
Stands don't have to be elaborate. You could build the basic framework now then skin or cover it as time, experience and money allows.

 

[fyrfytr]

The tank that I purchased was on it, so I know it will hold the tank and water weight. I know that it is difficult to work with, but I have a lot better chance of winning her over if I just brace and reinforce this cutrrent stand then I do with building a whole new one.

One main issue is that I work nights for the Ohio State Highway Patrol....she works days retail hours.....we have the prior mentioned fish loving 3yr old and 5 month old.....there is not a lot of time to spare to put together a stand so I am kinda partially stuck with this one. Having moved the stand, it is solid....just old and rough looking. Some extra 2x4 or 4x4 in the right places and it will be good to go. I like the concept of non traditional....put a sump/fuge (see other threads) in one side and have the whole other side for supplies. That leaves the middle open and I plan on bracing it so that the 3yr old and his friends can stand on it and be able to look in it.. I have debated about the idea of leaving a small like 2" diameter section of the base of the tank uncovered, drilling a small hole in the base of the stand and using PVC and small mirrors make a "window" into the tank