New Reefer, couple questions

[gobytron]

I bought a tank I found for sale on another forum and to me, it's very nice but I am wondering if it's technically a good idea for a reef.

The tank is a curved (like the corners are rounded, not a bow front or a half circle) 95 gallon and it sits flush on the custom stand that it comes with, I have noticed most tanks seem to sit on the plastic trim rather than right on the bottom pane of glass, this is a concern of mine as I don't know if the liverock will break it.

It does have thick glass, 1/2 an inch or more.

The tank isn't drilled but it comes with a crappy overflow that seems to stop sucking water when the power is off and does not restart when it comes back on, I am worried about this and wonder if there is a better "store bought" overflow that I can get that does not do this.

The guy who sold it to me said he had to have this overflow custom built because the tank has strips of glass that are about 2 inches wide all around the inside of the tank, like a bracing of some sort.
can i remove this bracing?
or do they make overflows that can work with this glass in the way?

I have a couple good friends who are into reefing and I got bit by the bug and when I saw this tank and stand for a very affordable 250$ (including a bunch of live rock, he said it's 120 lbs, but I don't have a scale to weigh it) I jumped at it, but maybe I was a little premature now that I am encountering these issues and I haven't even put water in it yet.....

any advice or opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Goby.

[mike31154]

Sounds like a euro braced tank from your description and it's not advisable to remove that bracing. Try to find out some additional info regarding the tank, brand perhaps and particularly if it has any tempered glass. Since you haven't put water into it yet, you might consider having the tank drilled, hence the reason to see if it's tempered. If you can get it drilled (or drill yourself) your overflow problems would be solved fairly easily.

It's a nice size and I've seen some of the 'Osaka' tanks with the rounded front edges yours has and find this feature kind of attractive actually. Also two fewer silicone joints to fail. Not sure what drawbacks this has, if any, maybe difficult to clean the inside round corners..

[gobytron]

there is some chinese or japanese character on the bottom and top trim of the tank...
no clue what it means...lol
I actually just found a website called lifereef where they say they can custom make me an overflow that is foolproof...
http://www.lifereef.com/frame.html

anyone heard of these guys?
the only english writing on the tank says "tempered glass, do not drill....

what about the tank sitting flush on the stand?
is that a problem?

thanks for the input so far.

[Snaz]

If you can get a good photo of the chinese characters I'm sure someone here could translate.

[gobytron]

I'm not too concerned with the brand of the tank...
More so with the issues I mentioned, though it might be fun to find out what it means, the character is accompanied by a beaver tale fo all things...lol

I'll try and post a pic here soon.

[Marlin65]

If it has a 1/2" tempered bottom it will be fine to put it on the stand without the trim. You could put some foam under it to level it if you are concerned about your stand being flat.

[gobytron]

I was told it was really important to level the stand, so I was very careful to shim it after I put in in place...

it is a 1/2 inch and tempered.
Thanks for that, I don't think I'll put foam under it unless you really think it's a must...
I don't think I would like to look at it.

[Marlin65]

I have two tanks 1/2" tempered just sitting on the stand so I would say you are fine without foam. Tempered is 6X stronger than float and will bend a bit as well. Just don't try to drill it as it will explode.:wink:

[gobytron]

AI would like to avoid a 95 gallon explosion at all costs....lol

Thanks for the voice of experience.

[Matt]

You're describing a "aquagiant (http://www.aquagiant.com/product_info.php/cPath/31_45_153/products_id/749)" reef-ready tank to a "t".

I have one of those, and so do a few others here. They are good, but can be a bit of an issue to get some plumbing done. The glass ledges inside the overflow come out pretty easily, and I've taken them all out of mine, and put in a durso standpipe. That makes the overflow work a lot better, in my opinion.

Matt

[gobytron]

except mines not reef ready...:cry:
and my dimensions are 50"L X 24"H X 18"W, though now I feel like I need to measure...
the stand and tank are almost identical though...


I'll look into that brand though, thank you for the info.

[Newtoreef]

there is some chinese or japanese character on the bottom and top trim of the tank...
no clue what it means...lol
I actually just found a website called lifereef where they say they can custom make me an overflow that is foolproof...
http://www.lifereef.com/frame.html

anyone heard of these guys?


Lifereef is probably the best over flow on the market. I have one of his skimmers. Works great just got finicky on me after I washed it. But I would recommend his products. answers his calls personally and emails you back within 24 hrs if you have tec support questions. It also restarts automatically after power outage. I have never heard of anybody having a flood with a Lifereef overflow.

[mike31154]

I'm not too concerned with the brand of the tank...
More so with the issues I mentioned, though it might be fun to find out what it means, the character is accompanied by a beaver tale fo all things...lol

I'll try and post a pic here soon.

Knowing the brand comes in handy when you need to determine if it's tempered or not. You say there's a label that it is tempered. Maybe just the bottom is tempered and you might be able to drill the back for an overflow. If you can confirm the brand of the tank, you can contact the manufacturer to see if the back is also tempered.

[new but handy]

If you have polerized sunglasses, look at the tank, if there is shaded areas.
Like a checker board it is tempered. Polerized sunglasses are $15

[gobytron]

I know from lurking around this and other aquarium forums that most people prefer a drilled tank, but I am quite content with a trustworthy overflow box.

From my reading, if set up with the proper flow and overflow design, there can be a reasonable expectation of success with one.

One of my friends who got me into this hobby has been running an overflow for 2 years and never had the siphon break on his system.

Drilling an older tank seems like a bit of a risk to me and just an added hassle compared to just putting an order in for a working out of the box overflow.

so for now, I'm just going to plan for lifereef overflow, I've done a lot of asking over on rc and on the net and it seems like they are very reputable, especially for their overflows.

I admit a predrilled tank would be convenient to have from the word go though.
I'm just sold on this lifereef stuff now.