Habitat - Indoor :: Bottom drilled tank with FX5 canister filter setup advice

[pems]

Hi,

I have just bought a new 4ft tank and a Fluval FX5 canister filter for our yellow belly slider. I am a total amateur when it comes to filter setup and so I am in need of some advice. I would like to have a hole drilled in each of the back corners of the tank, one for the intake and one for the return, so that there are no visible pipes coming up and over the top of the tank. Is this possible? I was simply planning on attaching the supplied intake and return directly to the bulkhead at the bottom of the tank. I have drawn a simple diagram which will hopefully illustrate what I mean.

Thanks

Pems

[slider_keeper]

I love this idea of concealment but have one question, won't this weaken the strength of the base glass? I would think it might be better to drill the holes in the lower half of the back glass. I imagine the size of the glass thickness and glass sheets overall size would be a huge factor to consider, as well. Great idea tho, can't wait to see what you come up with.

[meltedspork]

You should read this: http://www.inlandcraft.com/howto/pdf/drilling_in_aquariums.pdf

[slider_keeper]

Yeah that's what I was thinking. I never seen the bottom of a glass tank drilled. I do like the idea of drilling the back piece like a reef tank with the over flows.

[pems]

Thanks for the responses, as far is drilling the bottom myself I think I might have an issue if the glass is tempered. It does seem though that people have used this setup before, i.e. with the intake and return coming through the bottom of the tank. However it seems like in every case that they take the return to the water line as opposed to leaving it at the bottom of the tank, does anyone know the reason for this?

[slider_keeper]

The reason could be due to gravity and pressure. But I don't trust drilling the bottom of the tank cause that needs to be the strongest part and takes a lot of the weight and pressure of a aquarium. If you drill it it will become weak and could crack, this would lead to a fast drain of the tank making a huge mess and damaging the heater and possibly filter if not caught in time, i.e. while your not home. It's a big risk to take. And yes tempered glass will shatter on contact with the drill.

[steve]

Most glass tanks have tempered glass for the bottom pane. While you can get that setup running, it would not be very efficient and not worth the trouble.

[VeipaCray]

Reef ready tanks from the store are drilled on the bottom and as Steve mentioned they have very thick tempered glass on the bottom of the tank.

Slider keeper is correct... you cannot drill tempered glass yourself. Even with diamond tipped drill bits the glass will most likely shatter. Buying a reef ready tank that is pre-drilled on the bottom or drilling the backside of a tank (non-tempered glass) is really the only way. However, a sump is less than ideal for turtle filtration. I have a sump on my reef ready 75G planted tank but not for my 75G turtle tank. Turtle waste will sink in freshwater and a tank with a sump uses surface skimming to move water through the overflow and into the sump for filtration. You will never be able to remove turtle poop sitting on the bottom of a tank with a sump setup.

Sumps work very well for marine tanks where the SG of saltwater causes waste and proteins to float. Sumps also work well on planted tanks where we want the fish waste to remain in the tank and serve as plant fertilizer. Sumps are a PITA for turtles...I'd go out and replace my tank today with a reef ready pre-drilled tank + sump if they weren't such a pain.

[pems]

Thanks for the advice, what would you say is the best filtration method for a non planted turtle tank then. Like I mentioned earlier I have the Fluval FX5 canister filter.

[VeipaCray]

The FX5 is an excellent choice for a non planted turtle tank. Using it as intended with the intake reaching to the bottom of the water column is the best way to go for a turtle. Perhaps you can disguise the pipes a bit with plants or rock work