Suggestions for an all-tempered-glass tank...

[minus_3]

Bear with me all... I am a newb and am getting started with my very first tank. Here's my dilemma: I have a tank that I bought a year ago, a perfecto 46 bow-front tank :? . Anyhow, I just made a larger home for the reptile that was in the tank originally and am ready to convert the tank into a nano-reef.

With that said, after doing much reading, I am definitely set on using a sump for my tank. The problem is, I don't want to have to use an external overflow. In other words, I want a drilled tank, preferably the bottom, but I would settle for the back. From what I understand, the entire tank is tempered glass . So what options do I have?

1. Can the bottom be changed to non-tempered glass with pre-drilled holes?

2. If not, can the back be changed to non-tempered glass with pre-drilled holes?

3. If 1 or 2 is possible, what size should these holes be, at what height (assuming I have to drill the back and the height is 21"), and will I only need two?

Forgive me if these questions are really stupid. I don't have an unlimited budget and I am trying to use the tank and stand that I already have. They are both relatively new and have a really nice design. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for any responses!

 

[liquid]

Hi minus_3 and

First thing I'd do is to contact the manufacturer directly and verify which panels are tempered. I find it hard to believe that on a bowfront tank that every single side is tempered. I could be wrong but normally only bottoms of tanks are tempered glass. If after talking to the manufacturer you find out that every single pane is tempered, you have the choice of manually removing one of the sides or bottom and re-installing a new, non-tempered, pane. Doing so would be at your own risk. I can completely understand where you're coming from with regards to trying to save money, but if you don't adhere the panel exactly right, you could run the potential for the tank to either leak or catastrophically fail. My opinion would be that if the tank is 100% tempered glass that you end up buying a new bowfront. You should be able to buy only the tank if that's what it comes down to.

Maybe someone else has a differing opinion than mine. Anyone else?

Shane

 

[Anonymous]

i have an Allglass 46 bow and i don't think the back pane is tempered. i wouldn't do a swap on it if it were either. somewhere on this board is a photo of a tank someone had resiliconed and it turned into a catastrophe. i can't seem to find the thread.

i need to take some photos of my tank, i keep saying that and never get it done.
i am placing the sump overhead on mine because i don't have anyroom under it.
what i have done is basically sawed a salt bucket in half and am using it as an internal overflow. i centerd it along the back and it will house a submersible pump that will pump water up to my equipment and gravity back to my tank.
i drilled holes in the bucket and packed cement around it mixed with some shells and coral bones and it has now been curing for a few weeks.

it works well. i bought a gen x submersible pump and have the overflow functioning.
i realize this probably is not what you want to do but it is an alternative.

i will post a pic here as soon as i borrow a camera and snap some shots.

 

[Anonymous]

this is what i did