CoralAquaCulture January 28, 2014 Share January 28, 2014 All, I recently bought a 93 gallon Marineland RR "Cube" 30x30x24 with 1/2" glass and drilled with two 1" holes within the overflow box. I'm planning on doing the Herbie method and using both holes as drains (one being the emergency drain). So, now that I've used up both holes, I have to go up the back and over the top for the return but since this is a cube, I was planned on having all sides visible....and so, by having the return plumbing come up one side, this side now becomes eye sore (even with my Sch 80 piping) IMO. My question becomes, can I drill a third hole in my overflow box? (see photos). I'm not worried about the space, as you can see from the photos, there is a lot of space still left on the one side. I'm more worried about the structural integrity of the glass by cutting a third hole there. Anyone out there cut a third hole in there RR tank? Disregard the fact that the top bulkhead is resting on the tank lip as the tank is upside down to provide photos (bulkheads are upside down to show spacing). *I posted this over on RC but I'd be interested in hearing from you all on how you feel about this.* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wangspeed January 28, 2014 Share January 28, 2014 Good chance it is tempered. I turned my RR Marinelamd into a herbie setup by using the smaller 3/4" as the siphon and the 1" as the emergency. The return is drilled on the opposite side of the tank. Even if it was not tempered, I probably would not do that in such close proximity in a corner. -- Warren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmerek2 January 28, 2014 Share January 28, 2014 I say don't do it for piece of mind. There is nothin worse than worrying about your tank shattering into a million pieces while kids are chasing the dog around it, or whatever your situation may be when the tank gets shook a little. Maybe drill the back panel with smaller hole and just run straight pipes (make sure back panel isn't tempered). Just LeaVe room for the plumbing to screw in without hitting the top brace rim. Don't drill tempered tried that last week. It's designed to shatter like car window(aka safety glass) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 28, 2014 Share January 28, 2014 I've drilled extra holes in overflows like that, just confirm it isn't tempered. I doubt it is but it is still a good idea to confirm. Besides the polarized glasses you could look at the current holes you have and see if the edges are still white from the drilling or if they have been melted back down from the tempering process. The overflow weir holds back the water pressure of the main tank area and the silicone helps support the glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoralAquaCulture January 28, 2014 Author Share January 28, 2014 Thanks all. I sent Marineland an email, I'll call in a few days if I don't hear back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der ABT January 28, 2014 Share January 28, 2014 there is the computer screen test to see if its tempered (google and it will bring up instructions) if the bottom is but the sides are not tempered, you may be able to drill a hole in the side or back pane still inside the overflow and return water that way, looks liek there is plenty of space on the bottom side in that picture, would just need a bulkhead and a 90, im guessing the smaller the better so it fits (aka 3/4) but who knows 1in may still fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy January 28, 2014 Share January 28, 2014 Thanks all. I sent Marineland an email, I'll call in a few days if I don't hear back. did a quick search and the answer is in the marineland q&a from a few months ago - "The 93 is 10 mm for the sides and ends, and 12 mm for the bottom. No panels are tempered. Any alteration of the tank voids warranty." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 28, 2014 Share January 28, 2014 if the bottom is but the sides are not tempered, you may be able to drill a hole in the side or back pane still inside the overflow and return water that way, looks liek there is plenty of space on the bottom side in that picture, would just need a bulkhead and a 90, im guessing the smaller the better so it fits (aka 3/4) but who knows 1in may still fit. That's a great option, drilling into the back instead of the bottom. did a quick search and the answer is in the marineland q&a from a few months ago - "The 93 is 10 mm for the sides and ends, and 12 mm for the bottom. No panels are tempered. Any alteration of the tank voids warranty." Nice job finding that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoralAquaCulture January 28, 2014 Author Share January 28, 2014 Thanks Monkiboy. I thought I had checked the Q&A on the Marineland site for cubes but I must of passed over that answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k January 31, 2014 Share January 31, 2014 Can I ask why the need to modify a perfectly good and usually silent overflow into something else? I find most people complaining that there's noise from these types of overflows but in reality, I have found that they are extremely quiet if you have a drain box or other bubble trap on the sump. Water entering the sump and splashing is where 90% of the noise in overflows comes from. If the argument that a Herbie is less likely to clog, then I'll have to say that in all the years (23 yrs) that I've been doing maintenance, I have only had 2 instances where an overflow got clogged which resulted in a flood. But in answer to your question, you can drill as many holes as will fit in the box but be careful when tightening the bulkheads if there are many holes close together. Cracking a tank bottom is not unheard of from improper tightening of bulkheads. You're using S80 too, which usually requires tightening with a wrench. The 2 bulkheads in your picture are S40- can you use S80 and make them fit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lnevo January 31, 2014 Share January 31, 2014 +1 I run my durso drain line under the water line in the sump. All you hear is the water trickling over the overflow weir. A nice gentle trickling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt January 31, 2014 Share January 31, 2014 (edited) If you're planning to view this from all sides, then what is your plan for covering up the overflow compartment? Have you considered boxing it in with wood and tying that to your stand somehow? If you did something like this you could presumably leave space in the design to have it cover a return pipe that is external to the tank. ************ * * * tank * * from * * above * * ***** *************** ***** vertical boxing, not to scale ;-) With this approach you can do herbie and keep the return line out of sight...but also keep your tank's warranty Edited January 31, 2014 by matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM January 31, 2014 Share January 31, 2014 Could just put black film/contact paper on the outside of the overflow compartment too, but I like the wood idea with the return coming up and over too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoralAquaCulture January 31, 2014 Author Share January 31, 2014 Can I ask why the need to modify a perfectly good and usually silent overflow into something else? I find most people complaining that there's noise from these types of overflows but in reality, I have found that they are extremely quiet if you have a drain box or other bubble trap on the sump. Water entering the sump and splashing is where 90% of the noise in overflows comes from. If the argument that a Herbie is less likely to clog, then I'll have to say that in all the years (23 yrs) that I've been doing maintenance, I have only had 2 instances where an overflow got clogged which resulted in a flood. But in answer to your question, you can drill as many holes as will fit in the box but be careful when tightening the bulkheads if there are many holes close together. Cracking a tank bottom is not unheard of from improper tightening of bulkheads. You're using S80 too, which usually requires tightening with a wrench. The 2 bulkheads in your picture are S40- can you use S80 and make them fit? As you stated, I'm choosing the Herbie method due to the fact that it has an emergency backup drain and it's silent. I travel a lot for work and live on the 11th floor of a high rise so having the piece of mind that while I'm away, there is a back up for my drain calms the nerves. Necessary? It seems its not with your example but I don't see why having a back up would hurt. Good to hear you can drill a third hole...I'm having the S80 piping go into the S40 bulkheads as the S80 bulkheads are too large to fit side by side...I dont see this as a problem, do you? I can get maybe one S80 and one S40 in there but not both... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoralAquaCulture January 31, 2014 Author Share January 31, 2014 If you're planning to view this from all sides, then what is your plan for covering up the overflow compartment? Have you considered boxing it in with wood and tying that to your stand somehow? If you did something like this you could presumably leave space in the design to have it cover a return pipe that is external to the tank. ************ * * * tank * * from * * above * * ***** *************** ***** vertical boxing, not to scale ;-) With this approach you can do herbie and keep the return line out of sight...but also keep your tank's warranty I'm planning to view the tank from "as many sides as possible" since it's a cube. The tank will be around 3-5 feet from the wall and pointed like a diamond (with the overflow facing the wall (thus why I'd like to hide all plumbing, if possible). I like this idea and may go this route...I'd rather not drill if I don't have to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoralAquaCulture January 31, 2014 Author Share January 31, 2014 Could just put black film/contact paper on the outside of the overflow compartment too, but I like the wood idea with the return coming up and over too. That's in my arsenal of plans...something like this would be perfect to hide the overflow compartment. Also, I just noticed the "multiquote" button Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM January 31, 2014 Share January 31, 2014 You've seen the pictures of d2mini's cube before, right? It's like the most famous see-from-all-sides cube evar. You might have seen it in ads for Ecotech products. It's now defunct in favor of his big new tank, but the thread is still a great one for ideas of how to do things well: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1757436 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime January 31, 2014 Share January 31, 2014 http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1757436 So much for getting anything done today. I've seen pictures of this, but not from the beginning to end. I was going to recommend the OP drill in the middle, but first post of D2's thread suggests that takes up too much realestate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldReefer February 9, 2014 Share February 9, 2014 I am interested to see how you handle this. I may be setting up one if these this summer. Do you have a build thread going? What are you using for a sump? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoralAquaCulture February 10, 2014 Author Share February 10, 2014 (edited) Diamond drill bit from eBay is coming in this weekend and/or next week...will post progress thereafter. Edited February 10, 2014 by CoralAquaCulture Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoralAquaCulture February 10, 2014 Author Share February 10, 2014 Also, for those of you wondering...per Marineland: Hello, Thank you for your inquiry. We apologize for the delay in responding. There are no tempered panels on the 93 gallon cube. Thanks, Marineland6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt February 10, 2014 Share February 10, 2014 Diamond drill bit from eBay is coming in this weekend and/or next week...will post progress thereafter. Happy drilling...it's really not that hard...you just get nervous cuz tanks normally aren't cheap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante411x February 10, 2014 Share February 10, 2014 So much for getting anything done today. I've seen pictures of this, but not from the beginning to end. I was going to recommend the OP drill in the middle, but first post of D2's thread suggests that takes up too much realestate. Aand same here. Never heard of it, but page 2 of 39.. Here we go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante411x February 11, 2014 Share February 11, 2014 Still reading... That 130 cube is amazing Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime February 11, 2014 Share February 11, 2014 You're right around the corner from me. I just drilled my first tank, so if you want somebody to stand over your shoulder with a cold one throwing out useless advice, let me know! What size drill bit did you end up getting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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