[Stellaluna]

OK - got my 150 tall from a chap on Craig's List (5x2x2). There are two holes on the far left and far right rear corners surrounded by an overflow column. On the left there is also another slightly larger hole on the bottom outside of the overflow column but still towards the back of the tank. I have no idea what that hole is for - water changes? There is a 3" hole drilled into the side of the stand beneath where this hole is, so maybe they had a valve and hose bib there?

I have no clue what to do now. I have the Oceanic overflow accessory kit which contains all kinds of goodies that I have no clue what to do with. I am normally very mechanically inclined but for some reason this is baffling me.

I am getting a Fluval XP5, and may even use my Rena Filstar XP4 as well, but how specifically do I plumb them in? It seems like I don't need the overflow, but do I just have an intake with a basket pointing up from the bottom and an outflow pipe doing the same? How do I connect the tubing from the canister filters to the PVC fitted to the bulkheads?

I am tempted to remove both overflows and seal the holes and use the canisters they way they were intended, but surely this cannot be terribly complicated.

I really need someone to walk me through it, or link me to a YouTube video walking me through it.

Not to be dense, but how am I to go about sealing up the extra hole in the bottom that I don't think I will be using?

I fear it is going to be quite a while before I get water in this bad boy!

 

[MediaHound]

It sounds like an extra hole. You can put glass square over it from the inside of the tank and silicone it to seal it off if you wont be needing it.
You will have a really tricky time running the Fluval with the built in overflow kit. Lets just say it is not a good idea. The fluval sucks water from the tank and blows it back up in one pressurized system. Gravity is really not involved (aside from when you prime your hoses). So running it with a gravity drain is asking for a lot of problems and some fancy trickery to even set it up so it will work! You need a sump with a return pump if you want to use the built in overflow system. The Fluval can be used but it wont be hooked up to those built in overflows. The fluval has its own intake and its own spray bar. Hope the info helps.
You can certainly use the return though in the overflow, the smaller hole that goes up to the Loc Line fittings (if it came with them!).

 

[Stellaluna]

OK - that makes sense. I'm almost relieved because I could not see how this would work properly - at least the way I have known canister filters to work. They need to do the suctioning themselves and not have gravity feeding the water.

I could do a sump (there is certainly enough room, a Smart Car can fit in the cabinet of this tank...) and use the canister to filter the sump, but I don't see the point in that. Too much work. If I'm going to have a sump I'd not use a canister, likely.

So there must be bulkhead fittings that seal these drilled holes that I could just silicone in, or do I use thick glass on all of the holes?

 

[Stellaluna]

Where can I get tempered glass in small squares like that to cover over the holes? Could I use thick acrylic?

 

[MediaHound]

A sealed patch in this manner is better than a bulkhead because with a bulkhead either facing inwards or outwards you still have a big risk of cracking your tank if something bumps into it.
I broke my refugium just yesterday by something bumping the bulkhead drain that was drilled at the top of the 10 gallon tank I made it from. Play it safe and dont leave anything sticking as far out as a bulkhead will.

For your situation, I would go with glass if I had the option. Acrylic and glass treat silicone differently, they have a different coefficient of friction.. have you ever seen silicone on an acrylic tank? Not that it wouldn't work but I think glass on glass with silicone is the tried and true method, and acrylic with acrylic cement is most fitting for an acrylic repair/mend job.

 

[MediaHound]

Check your phonebook you can call local glass shops that cater to the construction and building materials industries.

 

[Stellaluna]

So I need tempered glass from a glass shop, right?

 

[MediaHound]

If it weren't tempered I would not worry about it.
The strength of a small piece of thick glass to patch a bulkhead hole would be pretty good.
I wouldn't worry about its shatter pattern either since its so small.