drilling tanks?
- Thread starter d-man
- Start date
E
eric b 125
Guest
i havent drilled my tank yet. everytime i get ready to place the order for the bits, or go out to get sump materials, something always comes up. i've done a ton of research on it though, because i dont want to ruin my 125g. there have been a few threads on here that entail amateur aquarists with little or no glass drilling experience, successfully drilling their setups. king_neptune comes to mind. i wouldnt drill it partially filled personally. i'd be worried about glass dust getting into the water. it can be done while the tank is upright, but keeping the bit wet to keep it cool can be difficult.
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eric b 125
Guest
by the way, you can find king_neptune's thread in the reef forum, and also drdingo21's thread in fish discussion. both of these threads involve drilling tanks. if you have any questions i'm sure if you pm these dudes they'll be more help-they were both very helpful and reassuring to me.
J
jojo727
Guest
i drilled my 135g using a diamond glass hole bit, a water hose and a one speed drill. it took less than an hour to drill 4 holes safely. i first made a template of how far a apart i wanted the new holes from each other(overflow return & drain) out of wood, marked that on the glass and started drilling. i would drill one or two extra holes and cap them off just incase you want to add anything in the future.
Originally Posted by JoJo727
http:///forum/post/2879343
this is what i started with: 135g with a blue acrylic background siliconed inside that continues into the overflowbox which had 3/4" bulkheads. it also had (3) 3/4" bulkheads in the bottom glass outside of the overflow.
i redrilled the 4 or the 5 holes in the bottom glass to fit 1 1/2" bulkheads
acrylic removed and painting the back glass black
Originally Posted by JoJo727
http:///forum/post/2879343
this is what i started with: 135g with a blue acrylic background siliconed inside that continues into the overflowbox which had 3/4" bulkheads. it also had (3) 3/4" bulkheads in the bottom glass outside of the overflow.
i redrilled the 4 or the 5 holes in the bottom glass to fit 1 1/2" bulkheads
acrylic removed and painting the back glass black
truehle
Member
Originally Posted by d-man http:///forum/post/3016851
who's drilled a tank? has anyone drilled a tank without taking all the water out?
I've successfully drilled into the side of two 20gal tanks, but I had the tank up on its side. It was my first time trying, and it was rather easy....as long as you have patience. There's no way I would try with the tank partially filled. I'd be too worried about glass dust, extra pressure on glass, etc.
You can see what I did in this thread (page 2, post #66):
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/347406/first-time-sump-refugium/80#post_3018368
The only issue I had was during the water leak/pressure test. I didn't have the connected tanks on 100% level ground and it put too much pressure on the bulkhead causing a crack.
who's drilled a tank? has anyone drilled a tank without taking all the water out?
I've successfully drilled into the side of two 20gal tanks, but I had the tank up on its side. It was my first time trying, and it was rather easy....as long as you have patience. There's no way I would try with the tank partially filled. I'd be too worried about glass dust, extra pressure on glass, etc.
You can see what I did in this thread (page 2, post #66):
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/347406/first-time-sump-refugium/80#post_3018368
The only issue I had was during the water leak/pressure test. I didn't have the connected tanks on 100% level ground and it put too much pressure on the bulkhead causing a crack.
salty blues
Active Member
I drilled my tank with no prior experience. I had no problems at all. I did lay the tank on it's side, being careful to let the drill do the work without putting too much pressure on the glass. Use a ring of plumber's putty around the area being drilled to make a little dam to hold water for cooling the bit. Oh, and never drill tempered glass!
d-man
Member
Originally Posted by salty blues
http:///forum/post/3019677
I drilled my tank with no prior experience. I had no problems at all. I did lay the tank on it's side, being careful to let the drill do the work without putting too much pressure on the glass. Use a ring of plumber's putty around the area being drilled to make a little dam to hold water for cooling the bit. Oh, and never drill tempered glass!
I did'ent think that any tanks were tempered but when I think about it how would you know?
http:///forum/post/3019677
I drilled my tank with no prior experience. I had no problems at all. I did lay the tank on it's side, being careful to let the drill do the work without putting too much pressure on the glass. Use a ring of plumber's putty around the area being drilled to make a little dam to hold water for cooling the bit. Oh, and never drill tempered glass!
I did'ent think that any tanks were tempered but when I think about it how would you know?
J
jojo727
Guest
i did some reading before drilling my tank and the only thing i could find was to look at the tank with polarized glass and if you see black spots, it's tempered. if you not sure, look at your car's side windows and if the tank has the same markings dont drill it.
this wasnt a 100% guarantee, but alot of people use it to determine if the tank is drill safe or not. as Salty said, let the drill do the work and stop frequently to examine you work and make sure you drilling straight. the putty dam is ok but the problem with that is it traps the glass bits in the cutting area, i suggest fixing the water hose so its keeping the "cutting area" wet and cool plus its flushing the glass sheddings away.
this wasnt a 100% guarantee, but alot of people use it to determine if the tank is drill safe or not. as Salty said, let the drill do the work and stop frequently to examine you work and make sure you drilling straight. the putty dam is ok but the problem with that is it traps the glass bits in the cutting area, i suggest fixing the water hose so its keeping the "cutting area" wet and cool plus its flushing the glass sheddings away.
turningtim
Active Member
Her is a couple of pics of how I did mine. Did 7 holes in my 120 and 7 in my 80 all with the same bits from the bay. Any questions ask away.....
salty blues
Active Member
According to info I found, most all tank bottoms are tempered. Also, pretty much any tank that is bought as part of a complete "kit", such as Wally World and others sell, likely has tempered sides. If the tank is purchased separately it is likely not tempered. Go figure.
The tank I drilled is a 29g "All-Glass" brand that I had my LFS order for me.
The tank I drilled is a 29g "All-Glass" brand that I had my LFS order for me.