Can I drill my 75 gallon tank?????????

[tunahead]

I am looking at the maxi/reef 200 wet/dry filter for my 75 gallon tank,just wondering if I can drill the tank?I am putting the tank in a wall that You can see on both sides.I want to see as little as the filters as possible.Any help would be great,Do I need an overflow if I can't drill it?I want a fish only tank,Thanks ROB

 

[popnfrresh]

Most likely no you cant drill. 75g unless made special are tempered. If you try to drill a tempered glass tank you will shatter the bottem.

 

[daveb]

If you are going to have it in a wall with both front and back viewable, then you can drill the side panel that is going to be in the wall.
Dave

 

[daveb]

If your tank is tempered at all, it is only tempered on the bottom, not the sides, but you can check with the manufacturer to be sure.
Dave

 

[offshore80]

Drill the sides... But if you have never done it... Take it to someone who is experienced. You need to place the holes in certain locations for strength.

 

[acrylic51]

More than likely your tank is tempered in the bottom, but should be able to drill the sides or back of the tank very easily......

As far as drilling the tank I have to disagree with the statement made about taking it to someone who has experience......I don't have tons of experience drilling glass other than 6 150 gallon tanks using a drill press and key hole bit, and my last tank I drilled was a 125 for my refugium for my new setup which I drilled 2 2" bulkhead holes with a dremel.......
Trust me you could teach a kid to drill glass with a dremel.....All it takes is a little patience and time......Get yourself a dremel would be handy around the house and the bits you need are really cheap....You can get the bits from Harbor Freight if you have one local or go to their website and order them.......You start with a small hole and work the hole bigger......Just keep the area wet and drill easy and don't force it......I'm not willing to pay someone $10-$20 per hole to drill and they don't guarantee the tank against breakage.....If they break it your out a tank and if you break it your in the same boat....
Buy yourself a dremel and get some bits from Harbor Freight and practice a bit and you'll be alright.....I'd be more than happy to show you pics I've drilled in my tanks with a dremel anytime

 

[tunahead]

Thanks,Some pics would be great!I have a dremel with some bits,I guess I have to buy a bit just for glass?Now I need to buy a good wet/dry setup,any help???

.I am setting up a fish only 75 gallon tank.Thanks again, ROB

 

[acrylic51]

A wet/dry can be as simple or complicated as you make it.....I find it super easy to work with acrylic over glass for this project.....Acrylic can be cut with a table saw very easily with an ATB(alternating tooth blade) or even nicer cut with a router....Check out melevsreef dot com and he gives good plans and ideas for correctly putting together a system. I guarantee you won't be disappointed if you check it out.....
Like I said with drilling the tank it's super easy, but does require patience....You can get the bits at Lowes the pointy bits to start your holes and to enlarge them.....I had said that you can get the bits really cheap at Harbor Freight and if you have a Harbor Freight local go get them there and if not you can order them online from them....They are super cheap and might not last as long as the exact dremel bits, but who cares they are cheap and for $3.00 I drilled 2 2" holes in my refugium and drilled holes for my overflow and eurobracing in my main tank.
I will take pics of the bits to get from Harbor Freight to show you what you'll need and will post pics of holes drilled as well tomorrow morning....If need be I could pick you up the bits and send them to you, but again you can order them from Harbor Freight once you see what your looking for...Will post pics in the morning

 

[bronco300]

hey, i am also looking to drill a small 5.5gallon tank, i know the sides are not tempered, i called the manufactor.....so iwould love to know how you did it...i tried it on a 10gallon, got through and started, but how in the world do you make a perfect circle?? what bits do you use? i'm looking for a 2 3/8in hole....not to hijack, just looking for help too, hope ya dont mind.

Luke P

 

[popnfrresh]

Call people that work with glass in your area. They may or may not be able to help you. They are gonna charge but they should have the right equipment to do the job.

 

[bronco300]

well i already tried that, and one said something that big would run like 30 somehow..the other said 8, but they guaranteed that it would probably break because how thin it was...its only a 5.5 gallon, so it is thinner...but i dont know how much thinner it is than a 10gallon...and ive drilled a 10...but i just dont know how to do a nice even circle...like mr acrylic has done.
what i dont understand is taking those small bits and making big holes like 2in.....do you just work the hole bigger and bigger by hand with the dremel? and once you get it close to the size....? how do ya make it smooth so its not a crazy hole, or maybe it doesnt have to be perfect for a bulkhead? i shall try starting it soon....i've made cuts before, but i was doing a square to try and connect tanks...then i put to much pressure on it and crackkkkkk, oops. but my lines were anything BUT straight.

 

[bigtyguyy]

I have a farely old tank thats a 100Gal that i bought used from a guy that has had it for a while before me. How do i know if its tempered?

 

[acrylic51]

Not exactly sure how to tell if it's tempered glass or not....the best thing might be to call a glass shop and ask them how you could tell if it is or not......
Here's pics of the bits you can get from Harbor Freight to use in your dremel to drill your tanks.....These are cheaper than buying the actual dremel brand and last just as long.....The bits in the case you would use the fine point needle one to get your intial hole through the glass and you would enlarge it enought to step up to another bigger size bit and the ones in the "yellow package" is what I go with once I get the hole big enough to fit them in....Remember to use plenty of water to cool the area your drilling and set the dremel on low and let the bits do the work don't force em......

 

[bronco300]

if you happen to know the manufacturer, try giving them a call...if you dont know that...or email the guy you bought it from and hopefully he would know who made it or where he bought it so you could call the store it came from and maybe they could tell ya......OR just try it out, but i surely wouldnt want to waste a 100G without knowing for sure.
Luke :happyfish

 

[bigtyguyy]

ok thank you guys