Making a sump

Sure. It is pretty easy. I made our 135G sump you saw when you stopped by. Granted, that is drilled but the only difference is to make the return section large enough for a return pump and don't drill any holes in it If you google it you will find a ton of you tube videos & website links.

 

I just built a 29g sump, it was fairly easy with a little know how. Just make sure you use reef safe silicone and use glass baffles on a glass tank.

 

I make hang on back drains pretty regularly for non drilled tanks. Just let me know the size. The piping can take up some room but after the first xouple months it gets covrred up in algae and you hardly see it. There are a ciuole styles that can be made too ad well as overflow boxes you can buy that work pretty well. I have one on my 40 and one on my qt system. All in all not bad boxes.

 

I've come across them while browsing. Basically its a constant siphon to a chamber hanging on the back of the tank. I'd be worth taking up Zach's offer since he has experience.

 

Nope! The size constraints of setting up the 40 as a pedestal meant that I only had 3 inches to work where the bulkgead alone would have been that long so I had to not drill the tank. I have a few desigbes for overflosws without drilling some as thinas 1 inch.

 

Like Zach said: hang on back drain will work. I have a 29 with a hang on back drain (siphon). It still has an emergency drain which is drilled in. It could be done without an emergency drain but I wouldn't do it without. Here's a photo:

 

You can have a non drilled tank b without an emergency draun. Its just a different style of system that uses variable pressures rather than a full siphon.

If you're intested in some designs shoot me a pm and I cab get them out to you