drilling my own tank

reeffanatic

New Member
anyone give me any pointers on drilling a bulkhead in my own aquarium...??
am building a refugium out of a 10 gallon glass tank and need to know the "hows" and "how nots"...
 

spskeeper

New Member
Make sure that the glass is not tempered glass or it will shatter. There should be a sticker on the bottom pane that will tell you if it is. You will need a glass bit. Do not use an ordinary hole saw!!. There is also a lubricant you can buy. However, I just use antifreeze. Make sure that you keep the area wet or the heat may cause the glass to break. The glass bit can be expensive, so you might be better off just going to a glass shop and having them do it. It is probably not worth it to buy the bit (even a cheap one) for one or two holes. It is such a simple task for most glass shops that they probably won't even charge you for it. I live in a small town, so people are friendly like that!!
 

fishfood

Member
I took my 75 to the lfs and they drilled it for me. I actually had to help because the drill was at the storage shed down the road and only two guys were working. They used a drill press to get even presure on the glass. They had ring of some type of rubber foam that they put around the spot to be drilled and fill it with antifreeze. It was a slow process. I'm not sure about the bit cost but it may be best to try a glass shop like spskeeper said. You may also be able to find a lfs that will do it for you. It cost me $15 per hole because of insurance reasons.
 
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