How To Use A 35 Gallon Drilled Tank for Freshwater?

Hi all! I found this tank on a steal for $20 USD on Craigslist. I decided I'd like to use it for my young oranda & ryukin goldies. It was in great condition with only a small chip on top. A day after getting it, I realized what reef ready means; it's drilled on the bottom of the corner filter compartment. Do I make a whole sump system or silicone a pane of glass to the bottom? I'm poor - can't make a $M sump. It's a 35 gallon cube, 20×20×20". Thanks all

 

I'd install the bulkheads and then just cap them off, so it will be still technically "reef ready" if you sell it or change your mind later. it's pretty standard Screw in PVC bulkheads, and then also pretty standard PVC caps for them. if your stand won't accommodate the bulkhead fittings, without drilling the stand, probably the only option would be to silicone glass over it. BUT do it on the inside, not the outside in my opinion.

 

I'd install the bulkheads and then just cap them off, so it will be still technically "reef ready" if you sell it or change your mind later. it's pretty standard Screw in PVC bulkheads, and then also pretty standard PVC caps for them. if your stand won't accommodate the bulkhead fittings, without drilling the stand, probably the only option would be to silicone glass over it. BUT do it on the inside, not the outside in my opinion.

Yes that's my plan, to silicone glass on the bottom (inside) of the tank. But what thickness? Lowe's cuts glass for free if it comes from them, but typically the glass is I think 1/16-1/8" thick. I want no chance of this leaking. I don't really get the other option...about bulkheads and such.

As for the corner tank compartment, if I were to silicone glass on top, I can shove a ton of media in it with a powerful pump to obviously push the water out of the outtakes, or cut the corner filter compartment out of the tank (it's silicone'd in) to use my canister, sponge, or internal filters

 

if you look up the term bulkhead fittings, there are the fittings that go on a penetration (like a hole through the bottom of a tank) with one side threaded to where you could connect a coupler and hose to. it's water tight and allows for both sides to be connected as like a watertight pass through to drain down into the sump.

I mean technically that overflow on that tank could be used as the intake for a canister filter, and then the canister filter doing the return. instead of the intake hanging on the long pipe in the tank it would be just funneling into the overflow and down to the canister, and then the canister returning it to the tank from the return.

This explains it all pretty well.

pretty much explains the whole thing, yes, it could go to a sump and a pump for the return, but I also don't see why a canister filter couldn't be plumbed to it through the bulkheads and use the overflow so that intake and output are both in that corner mostly behind the overflow. it would look clean. especially with a black back hiding that overflow panel and the output tubes.

 

A proper bulkhead fitting seems to be more secure and less likely to leak than piece of glass siliconed over the holes.

 

Agree. I think a piece of glass will leak. I like the canister idea.

 

My fluval tank has that sort of system, tank and stand have pre-drilled holes, inlet and outlet pipes fit though with watertight fittings then connect to the filter through hoses. Has been perfectly watertight for the near 18 months I have had it. The only issue may be if your stand isn't designed for that set up you might not be able to drill holes in it that would correspond to those in the tank. It also came with watertight caps that I could use if I didn't want to use a cannister filter under the tank but as one was supplied with the tank it made sense to use it