I was wondering if all SW tanks needed a refuguim. I was planning on adding a canister filter to my saltwater. Would a canister filter be best or a refuguim be best?

No not all SW tanks need a fuge. A fuge is usually setup on a reef tank to help control nitrates.

If u have a FOWLR a canister filter should be just fine.

I have a question along these lines... does anyone know what to use to cut a hole in glass? I want to make a refugeeum out of a spare 10g glass tank, and I figured out that I could have a flood immune refugeeum if I used a pump to pump the water up to the fuge that would be above the main tank, then an overflow cut in the side so the water spills back down to the bottom tank when it reaches the overflow hole depth. But I have no idea how I would cut a hole in the glass to make this work.

There are certain glass drills that u have to buy.

No the tank is not going to just be a FOWLR it might be a reef tank, but i just need to know if a refuguim would be best or a canister filter. Or if I buy a canister filter and turn it into a fuge.

You can definitely run a saltwater tank successfully without the use of a refugium. However a refugium provides many benefits that if you can work one into your setup it would be worth it. For a refugium a glass tank is by far the preferred container to use although I've seen many tanks using rubbermaid tubs as their refugium. A canister filter wouldn't be ideal to turn into a refugium imo simply because the macro algae, live rock and other organisms need light which can be almost impossible to do with the use of this type of filter. A HOB filter such as a AquaClear 300 or 500 is very popular to use as a refugium although the largest tank that I would use one on would be a 20 gallon.

I have used a HOB filter housing chemical media in every saltwater tank that I've owned. Chemical media such as carbon is great for removing orders, discoloration and coral toxins. A phosphate media can also be used to help lower phosphates. Any filter that you use on a saltwater tank should be cleaned out to remove any debris that might be trapped. For a HOB filter at least once a week and for a canister every few days would be best. When choosing media make sure that you are using the correct amount and that it is right for what you want it to accomplish.

As for drilling glass tanks I have not drilled a tank before so I can't offer any personal experience. Make sure though that the glass tank you are going to drill is not tempered glass because they shatter very easially. You can call the manufacturer of the tank and ask if the glass is tempered. You need special drill bits and using a dremel seems to be very common among people who drill tanks. A few tips that I've read are take it slow, make sure you keep water over the hole at all times, and don't put too much pressure on the tank.

Thanks PB, I might not get a canister filter anymore. I might be getting a hang-on fuge now. Is there a difference? Since I dont know how to make a refuguim and wat kind of pump to use as return.

???

I've been really busy lately with school and work so it might take me a while to answer questions but in time I will get to them. :)

There are a few differences between a HOB and in sump refugiums including size, method of transferring water as well as price. Hang On the Back refugiums are considerably smaller than a in sump one as the largest HOB fuge that I've seen was only 4.5 gallons. HOB refugiums use a powerhead to transfer water from the main tank to the fuge instead of a overflow. The price of a HOB fuge is alot less expensive than an in sump.

As I said before you can definitely get away without using a refugium or protein skimmer. Make sure you have a sufficient amount of live rock, good flow, keep up on your water changes and don't stock your tank heavily.

ok, thanks. I might be ordering a hang-of fuge with an built in skimmer. It measure of 24"Lx4"Wx14H. I might be getting this instead. And my tank only have 2 clownfish, 2 3 stripe damselfish, and 2 scooter blenny.

I wish I had read your post earlier Perfectblue... fortuneately I have an extra tank... looks like I'll be needing it. I got a dremel, and a glass cutting bit... but didn't put water over it... after a while the glass heated up to it's melting point, then the whole side shattered in almost an explosion. Guess it's tempered.

That is too bad but good thing you have a extra tank. From roaming other forums I can tell you that it is common for someone drilling their first tank for it to shatter.

One other tip that I forgot to mention is to surround the hole with plumbers putty and fill it with water. That will help keep a constant layer of water around the drilling area.

Keep us updated on how the drilling goes. :)

I would want to know how to drill a glass too.

I'm going to try another tank tonight... I just hope my drill bit is still good, since it heated up so much like that... I may have to buy another bit. I have way too many 10g tanks anyway... so it wasn't any big loss that the first one shattered. I was using a stencil to cut the hole from to make it perfectly round... I'd bet that with the clamps, it would hold some water on the hole.

Tell me if it works out :D