Nothing beats free

[Larry Bugg]

Had someone from our local aquarium association email me yesterday and ask me if I wanted a FREE 120 gallon tank with stand and canopy. Well of course I said heck yes!!. He had a friend that wanted it gone. He didn't want it and the rest is history. Went over and picked it up tonight.

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx56/Bugman30040/IMG00337-20120212-1555.jpg


The stand looks great on the outside. Needs new hinges which is understandable and has no lights but that is a easy fix. The tank is in really good shape except it needs a good cleaning since it was last used for salt.

So it is a 4 x 24 x 24 with twin overflows. No plumbing was included though. I have never had a tank with built in overflows. The only drilled tanks I have are drilled at the top and then plumbed to a sump. The built in overflows really take up a lot of space. So what would be the problem with cutting out the overflows and plumbing it with pvc up to near the top of the tank and just overflowing directly in the pvc. I could put a sump in the stand then and pump back up. I could then maybe get one of the slimline backgrounds to go in front of the plumbing. Any issues with this?

[Bart V]

I have the same tank. Absolutely LOVE the dimensions and I am sure you will love it too! If you remove the overflows as you mention and plumb simple PVC pipes to the surface of your tank you will have what amounts to a constant flushing toilet sound from your tank all day long. The overflows in the 120 are built to contain your Durso standpipes and your return lines. You need the Durso's if you expect to live in the same room as this tank. You could remove the overflows and just install the standpipes i suppose, but the overflows are a nice feature if you ask me. They hide your plumbing and still leave plenty of room for happy Discus. Congratulations on the DEAL of the CENTURY and GOOD LUCK!!!

[Chad Adams]

I still think it's a hunk of junk & I'm willing to haul away like I said at "No Charge"!

Chad

[Second Hand Pat]

Another wilds tank? Nice find ;)

[Larry Bugg]

I still think it's a hunk of junk & I'm willing to haul away like I said at "No Charge"!

Chad

Guess I should have put it into your truck instead of mine, lol. Now that it is at my house I guess I might as well keep it.

[Larry Bugg]

Another wilds tank? Nice find ;)

Not sure yet Pat. You of course know that is my first thought. The first question is where it will go. I currently have no tanks in the living areas of the house. Everything is in the fish room in the unfinished basement. This tank and stand is really sweet. The stand is furniture grade and I am having to seriously consider whether or not I want to put it upstairs. If I did then it probably wouldn't be a Wilds tank since the R/O is in the basement. I want to keep all my current wilds in R/O at least until I get some to pair off. If I set the tank up in the basement then I will have to put it in place of another tank. I currently have 3 125's for the wilds. 1 green, 1 blue and 1 red. Maybe this one would be heckles. Lots of possibilities. My wife hasn't gotten a look at the tank yet so I will have to see what she thinks about upstairs or basement.

[Larry Bugg]

I have the same tank. Absolutely LOVE the dimensions and I am sure you will love it too! If you remove the overflows as you mention and plumb simple PVC pipes to the surface of your tank you will have what amounts to a constant flushing toilet sound from your tank all day long. The overflows in the 120 are built to contain your Durso standpipes and your return lines. You need the Durso's if you expect to live in the same room as this tank. You could remove the overflows and just install the standpipes i suppose, but the overflows are a nice feature if you ask me. They hide your plumbing and still leave plenty of room for happy Discus. Congratulations on the DEAL of the CENTURY and GOOD LUCK!!!

Thanks!! That is exactly the kind of info I was looking for. I googled Durso and found their webpage. In their Q&A section they do say that it can be used without the overflow boxes with just a little modification. I would really like to put one of the 3D backgrounds on the tank but putting one in front of the overflow boxes would be giving up more of the 24" debth than I really want to. I'll have to think more about this before deciding. I really appreciate the info.

[Bart V]

Think about this...

I have mine installed upstairs, Dursos drain downstairs to my sump (where my RO is) and pump the water back up to the tank. I have to stick my head next to the tank to hear it running! Here is a pick of my filter setup...

72354

[DLock3d]

Larry, I hate you.

[nwehrman]

Ok - that's nice!


Nicole

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TURQ64]

Nice score, matey....

[ZX10R]

Larry, I hate you.

+1 how do you guys do it. I started a thread the other day with the kind of deals I find around here and it was a 10 gallon tank, stand, some guppies, and done in a sponge bob theme and they wanted $100 for it. The best so called deal I have found around here so far was a 125 for $100 but it leaked.

[Larry Bugg]

Well this certainly wouldn't have happened if I was looking for a tank, lol. I was very fortunate. The guy I know from our club is not doing a lot in the hobby right now so he passed. The friend of his that owned the tank wanted it gone quickly. He thought it would make a great discus tank and called me. I do think you can find great deals on used tanks and always have. You just have to be very patient. It was interesting that the tank still had a for sale sticker on it for $500. They had just moved and had it for sale in a garage sale before moving.

[Chad Adams]

Sounds like this is a lot of trouble. My offer still stands.

Chad

[Larry Bugg]

Think about this...

I have mine installed upstairs, Dursos drain downstairs to my sump (where my RO is) and pump the water back up to the tank. I have to stick my head next to the tank to hear it running! Here is a pick of my filter setup...

72354

Wow, that is some nice setup. Thanks for sharing the pic. The cool part of that would be that with the exception of siphoning out the gunk all the actual work would be done in the basement. Don't think I'm going that elaborate though.

[CajunAg]

Durso's are great at quieting the overflows at the tank level, but I found they will still make a "running water" noise (albeit quieter than a standard overflow waterfall) in the sump. You may want to look into what's called the "herbie" method, which basically means you have two drains in the tank. One of the drains is always at a full siphon, with the flow controlled as it exhausts in the sump with a gate valve. The other drain is just above the water level and acts as an emergency drain should the full siphon stop draining. I have this setup on mine (also an AGA/Aqueon tank) and use the existing holes as two drains, and ran the return line behind the tank. Basically, the result is a super-quiet tank (all I hear is the return pump buzz) and nice smooth waterflow into the sump...

Check it out: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=344892

More info: http://marine-engineers.org/2011/07/05/the-herbie-overflow/

[Bart V]

That's right Larry, I have drains in the basement and simply open valves to change out water. It's pretty easy. Also keeps most of the heaters and stuff out of the tank. The trickle filter portion of my setup would fit under the stand if you chose to go that way, including the auto top-off. You could run a much smaller return pump as well.

Last night I thought about one other thing you should consider. The inner baffles of the overflow boxes set the water level in the tank. If you remove the overflows your standpipes would set the level somewhere within the downturned elbow, higher or lower based on the size of your pump i guess. This would almost definitely place the top of your standpipe above the tank top. It looks to me like it would still fit in your canopy, just make sure you measure...

I'll be interested to see what you decide re: the background, as I've spent hours daydreaming about goofy ideas I could use to incorporate these overflows into some sort of DIY tree trunks or rocks.

[Larry Bugg]

I'll be interested to see what you decide re: the background, as I've spent hours daydreaming about goofy ideas I could use to incorporate these overflows into some sort of DIY tree trunks or rocks.

Now that gets me thinking. The 3D backgrounds that I am looking at are not one solid length but actually come in sections that are then siliconed together to run the length of the tank. So I could cut a section to run from a side wall to the first overflow. Then cut strips siliconed in a U shape to go around the overflow and do the same on the other side.

[Bart V]

That's what I'm talking about... Sounds like that would work great. Even better if you could figure a way to bend the background around the corners...

[Larry Bugg]

That's what I'm talking about... Sounds like that would work great. Even better if you could figure a way to bend the background around the corners...

I don't think the ones I've been looking at would bend. They would snap unless maybe I could cut some wedges out of the back of the background but it would take a lot since it would be 90 degree turns. I guess the other thing I would need to consider is I would have to keep the background 1 to 2 inches in front of the overflows so I didn't block the water flow from them.

[Bill63SG]

Now that gets me thinking. The 3D backgrounds that I am looking at are not one solid length but actually come in sections that are then siliconed together to run the length of the tank. So I could cut a section to run from a side wall to the first overflow. Then cut strips siliconed in a U shape to go around the overflow and do the same on the other side.Talk to Second Hand Pat.I belive she did exactly this with her 230.

[ZX10R]

I have a overflow box but you can see what I did here might give you some ideas

http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac101/sig4s/Price012.jpg
http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac101/sig4s/Price010.jpg
http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac101/sig4s/Price013.jpg

If you look at the right side of my tank that is where the overflox box is you can't even tell it is there

http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac101/sig4s/Price008.jpg

[ZX10R]

Here is a closer look at the tank

http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac101/sig4s/Price009.jpg

I cut some slits at the bottom also that way it would draw in water from the lower half of the tank and not just skim the surface water

http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac101/sig4s/Price014.jpg

[Bart V]

you would glue it right to the overflow towers but notch out for the vents in the overflows i would think... I have seen some thin type of rockwork looking backgrounds that I was wondering about doing the same thing with. Wonder if it would bend if you heat it up a little with a blow dryer or a heat gun... you ever see plexi bend when you heat it up??? Really smooth.

[Larry Bugg]

Very helpful. Thanks.

[Larry Bugg]

Heck yeah. Cut the slits, that should work. Just like in ZX10R's.

[Jennie]

Love it Larry! Im jealous

[roundfishross]

hey Larry,

Plus 1 here on the new type overflows. Josiecardona1 used them in his tank bulid and they are visually and functionally supierior!

Leo

[roundfishross]

here you go

http://www.beananimal.com/projects/silent-and-fail-safe-aquarium-overflow-system.aspx

[Larry Bugg]

here you go

http://www.beananimal.com/projects/silent-and-fail-safe-aquarium-overflow-system.aspx

Hey, thanks Leo. This would mean cutting out the existing overflows and sealing the existing 4 drilled holes in the bottom of the tank. I'm not sure I want to go that route. At this point it is looking like I am going to put the tank in the fishroom with all the other tanks. This probably makes the most sense since I already spend my time there working on the existing tanks. If that is the case then I am not really looking for a completely silent tank. My fishroom always has the sounds of running water and air. I'm immune to it. No decisions yet so I will certainly keep it in mind.

[Larry Bugg]

I have this setup on mine (also an AGA/Aqueon tank) and use the existing holes as two drains, and ran the return line behind the tank. Basically, the result is a super-quiet tank (all I hear is the return pump buzz) and nice smooth waterflow into the sump...

Check it out: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=344892

More info: http://marine-engineers.org/2011/07/05/the-herbie-overflow/

Ok, had a little time to look at this herbie. I like it and it is certainly something I could do myself. So do you have two overflows boxes in your tank? Would I do this in both of mine? Is there a need to run both overflows? If I use both overflows would they both be plumbed into one sump. Seems like overkill to me but I've never done this before so what do I know, lol. If I only used one then would the other be good for the return line instead of plumbing it externally into the back of the tank? If one overflow box is adequate, especially considering the amount of water we change, then maybe I could put the return in the other box using the smaller hole and then plumb the bigger hole with a short tube to a ball valve allowing me to do a huge w/c through it instead of just changing the water in the sump. Thinking out loud here.

[Discus-n00b]

Limited knowledge here, but yes they would be plumbed into a single sump. You must remember, marine tanks (the sole reason behind the built in overflows in reef ready tanks), especially reef tanks use a lot more flow so two overflows and two returns would not be considered to much. Your idea of using the other overflow as a WC port and a return intrigues me. It should be possible, you might have to trim the overflow or put a nozzle on the end of the return so you actually get some type of current in the tank, but I don't see how it won't work. You have it so you might as well use it.

Oh congrats on the tank, really looking forward to this build.

[shoveltrash]

free!!!!???

hmph. JEALOUS :D

[aku3]

very nice pick up!!!