drilling tanks

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eric b 125

Guest
okie dokie, i have a 125 thats been up and running for a while now. its a FOWLR but will become a reef once all the equipment is in place. my first order of business is adding a sump and as big of a skimmer as i can. does anyone have experience drilling their own tanks? i was considering an overflow box, but i'd rather go the extra mile and empty the tank to drill it and paint the back.
 
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usirchchris

Guest
Originally Posted by Eric B 125
http:///forum/post/2934353
okie dokie, i have a 125 thats been up and running for a while now. its a FOWLR but will become a reef once all the equipment is in place. my first order of business is adding a sump and as big of a skimmer as i can. does anyone have experience drilling their own tanks? i was considering an overflow box, but i'd rather go the extra mile and empty the tank to drill it and paint the back.
Just make sure the glass is not tempered. The last few threads drilling tempered did not end well
.
 
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eric b 125

Guest
there's a sticker on the bottom glass that says something to the effect of: "DO NOT DRILL, BOTTOM GLASS IS TEMPERED". it doesnt say anything about the side glass being tempered or not. before i start this project i'm going to call the LFS i got the tank from and see if they know anything. i have to wait for the weather to turn so i can paint it at the same time, but i may take it to a glass shop to have them drill it. i figure they could just bang out a few holes and i could take it home that day if i make an appointment. i still have research to do, i just want to know what options are open.
 
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usirchchris

Guest
Originally Posted by Eric B 125
http:///forum/post/2934374
there's a sticker on the bottom glass that says something to the effect of: "DO NOT DRILL, BOTTOM GLASS IS TEMPERED". it doesnt say anything about the side glass being tempered or not. before i start this project i'm going to call the LFS i got the tank from and see if they know anything. i have to wait for the weather to turn so i can paint it at the same time, but i may take it to a glass shop to have them drill it. i figure they could just bang out a few holes and i could take it home that day if i make an appointment. i still have research to do, i just want to know what options are open.
typically from what I understand the sides are not tempered...not as much need to temper the sides, and that would result in a significant cost increase.
 

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
You CAN NOT drill tempered glass. As far to my knowledge, the sides of that tank should not be tempered. But, you will know pretty much if it is, right before you pop through with the hole - it will shatter.
Taking it to a glass shop will definately be your best option!!!
BTW, how much flow are you going to have from your return pump? That will determine how large of a pipe/bulkhead/hole you will need.
I don't know what a 1" pipe will drain, or 1 1/2 or 2" pipe will drain. (I say bigger the better! lol)
 

robertmathern

Active Member
there is a test you can do to see if it is tempered. Buy a cheap pair of polorized glasses. Tank the lenes out and place them together one both sides of the glass. Look through the lenses you should see a rainbow effect in the lenses if it is tempered. Check it on a piece of glass you know is not tempered like your house window you will notice a big difference it the tank is tempered.
 

nigerbang

Active Member
Polarized lenses can create an effect called cross-hatching that makes car windows (made of tempered glass) appear to have a pattern of lines, splotches, or large dots in the glass. This is due to the stresses created in tempered glass by the tempering process. These stresses are revealed when the light filters through the polarized lens.
 
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eric b 125

Guest
robert and nigerbang: that sounds like a good idea. i'm guessing i'll have to drain some water out of the tank to do this test? that's a relief that there's another way of finding out if the glass is tempered aside from a quick prayer and crossed fingers. so, in your experience drilling non-tempered glass isnt as risky as it seems?
snake: i'm not sure about flow yet. i wanted to know if i could drill it before thinking about hole size. i guess i can start figuring out placement and size. i'm glad you brought this up because i have some questions as far as this goes. do i need as many and same sized out puts as inputs? my understanding is that the return pump dictates the amount of flow? i was thinking about a return in each corner, and the drain holes equadistant from the center brace, b/w 4'' and 6'' apart. do i split the return from the sump to accomodate the two return holes or should i use 1 drain hole and 1 return for sump, and 1 drain hole and 1 return for a closed loop? what is a closed loop? my understanding is that its pretty much just a way to take water from one side of the tank to another, using a pump, but no filtration really. if this is correct then dont powerheads pretty much do this?
thank you all in advance for all your help.
 

gooch

Member
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33
http:///forum/post/2934403
You CAN NOT drill tempered glass. As far to my knowledge, the sides of that tank should not be tempered. But, you will know pretty much if it is, right before you pop through with the hole - it will shatter.
Taking it to a glass shop will definately be your best option!!!
BTW, how much flow are you going to have from your return pump? That will determine how large of a pipe/bulkhead/hole you will need.
I don't know what a 1" pipe will drain, or 1 1/2 or 2" pipe will drain. (I say bigger the better! lol)
I am curious about this. I was flirting with the idea of drilling my tank as I am getting everything set up. It was provided with two overflow boxes that are siphon activated. They have 1.5 in piping for each... I am planning on buying a 600 gph return pump for the sump. Is there a problem with more overflow than the return pump can handle?
 

9supratt4

Active Member
Add a ball valve to your overflow to restrict the flow and adjust it so you don't have a problem. I have ball valves on everything!!
 

brian_wis

Member
Originally Posted by Eric B 125
http:///forum/post/2934557
robert and nigerbang: that sounds like a good idea. i'm guessing i'll have to drain some water out of the tank to do this test? that's a relief that there's another way of finding out if the glass is tempered aside from a quick prayer and crossed fingers. so, in your experience drilling non-tempered glass isnt as risky as it seems?
snake: i'm not sure about flow yet. i wanted to know if i could drill it before thinking about hole size. i guess i can start figuring out placement and size. i'm glad you brought this up because i have some questions as far as this goes. do i need as many and same sized out puts as inputs? my understanding is that the return pump dictates the amount of flow? i was thinking about a return in each corner, and the drain holes equadistant from the center brace, b/w 4'' and 6'' apart. do i split the return from the sump to accomodate the two return holes or should i use 1 drain hole and 1 return for sump, and 1 drain hole and 1 return for a closed loop? what is a closed loop? my understanding is that its pretty much just a way to take water from one side of the tank to another, using a pump, but no filtration really. if this is correct then dont powerheads pretty much do this?
thank you all in advance for all your help.
Hi Eric
I have a thread on here that has info and some web sites that will for sure help you if i refer you here I could get booted out of this forum..As far as drilling goes I drilled my 150g reef and I have also drilled a 55g reef that I tore down..I will be up-dating my post in a minute if you want to check it out, Or you could email me and I'll email you back the web sites that have helped me...My email...br14nwisboy@yahoo.com
I would love to help you out or anybody else who needs it..
Good luck
Brian
 

nigerbang

Active Member
Originally Posted by 9supratt4
http:///forum/post/2934605
Add a ball valve to your overflow to restrict the flow and adjust it so you don't have a problem. I have ball valves on everything!!
A better option would be to use PVC gate valves.. Alot easier to dial in than a BV
 
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eric b 125

Guest
i like to think of myself as a whiz at math, but this flow rate thing really confuses me. is there anywhere i can find out how many gph certain diameter tube will drain? i was thinking 1.5" or 2" lines. do i use the same size pvc for drain and return? also, when a pump is rated for gph, how do i figure out how many gph after the pump has to push the water so many feet high? i'm thinking it will be around 4' and probably a little higher. i'm assuming the wider the diameter the less gph. ( a 1" pvc at 4' will have a higher gph rate than a 2" pvc at the same height). i'm guessing that b/c of the increase in volume the pump will have to push. i have to upgrade my skimmer in the process. i have a hob seaclone that does a great job, all my levels have been 0, but i dont like the way it would work in-sump. i'm assuming all the flow rate revolves around the return pump? assuming this all pans out, drilling the tank, that is, my shopping list should start with the return pump, then skimmer. i think im going for a 30 breeder for my sump/ fuge. i want to make sure this is well thought out before i go spending money, breaking down tank, and drilling holes. if anybody has any flow rate numbers on pvc piping i'd greatly appreciate it. i guess there's no real difference in a 2" return line with ball valve or gate valve and a 1" pipe, except that with the 1" would limit the flow even more. i think i'll go 2". anybody have any idea's about number of drains/ returns, or info on closed loop?
 
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eric b 125

Guest
also, and i dont know if anyone can really answer this: if i have 2 drains near the center of tank, and a return in each corner, how would the split in the return line affect the flow? i guess the split would have to be the same distance from each bulkhead so the flows are equal, and the valve would be between the return pump and split. would this make more sense than a closed loop?
 

brian_wis

Member
Originally Posted by Eric B 125
http:///forum/post/2934353
okie dokie, i have a 125 thats been up and running for a while now. its a FOWLR but will become a reef once all the equipment is in place. my first order of business is adding a sump and as big of a skimmer as i can. does anyone have experience drilling their own tanks? i was considering an overflow box, but i'd rather go the extra mile and empty the tank to drill it and paint the back.
Oooook so now you got two different threads going and me lost..in your other your talking about a 220g, and here a 125g..so if your doing the 125g I would go with a overflow box that does 1500gph...and two mag drive 12s which do 1200gph each..BUT after head loss and two ball valves and two check valves and two switch current water directors "scwd"
Each pump will be about 700gph...Which will keep up with a 1500gph overflow bow....The overflow box will need two 1 inch holes!...And your returns are 3/4....
I use this setup on my 150g reef with a 125g sump/fuge which is plenty of filtration to keep any lps soft coral tank happy....And if you want more flow just buy one or two koralina 5 pumps and you'll keep pretty much any coral happy
 
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eric b 125

Guest
yeah, i know i have 2 threads going. the 220 thread sparked my interest in drilling my 125 and now i'm exploring the possiblities and technicalities of that. so you're saying that if i want two returns to use a pump for each of them? so i will have 2- 1" drains to my sump==>skimmer==>refugium==>two return pumps==>3/4" pvc==>tank?
 
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