Tank Drilling
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: DIY
Forum Description: Do it Yourself
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=23650
Printed Date: July 21 2026 at 7:12am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Tank Drilling
Posted By: jpndave
Subject: Tank Drilling
Date Posted: February 11 2008 at 12:07pm
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I have a friend that is wanting to drill his 125 gallon tank. The back has been drilled previously. He would like to drill the bottom. Is this safe to do or are some of them tempered? |
Replies:
Posted By: Shane H
Date Posted: February 11 2008 at 12:13pm
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Many tanks have tempered bottoms.
I do not like holes drilled in the bottom or even near the bottom. If you have a bulkhead leak, it can be catastophic rather than just a big mess.
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Posted By: kdinkel
Date Posted: February 13 2008 at 9:31am
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I drilled my 150 near the bottom in each corner with no problems. I just ordered a $5 diamond hole bit off of ebay (came from China) and took it slow and ran water over it to keep it cool. I had no issues at all. I would be concerned about drilling the bottom as I would assume most 125's would have tempered bottoms. Often times there is a sticker on the bottom that will tell you. There is also another way to test :
"Have you heard of the polarized lenses method? Put one lense above and one lense below. If there is a pattern you can see through the lenses and the glass its tempered. If not then its not tempered. Do a search on the internet, I'm sure you'll find a better explaination.
Chris" This came off another post. Good luck. If he decides to drill it is a piece of cake!
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Posted By: chris.rogers
Date Posted: February 26 2008 at 9:59am
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If no other Chris's take credit for that trick, I will.
Drilling's super easy, it just takes patience and steady hands.
I agree with Shane for two reasons:
1.) If you do spring a leak, the lower the hole is the more water will leak out.
2.) Most people have to get an standpipe or something to lessen the noise anyway, so why not just save yourself the trouble and drill near the top? It'll make the noise from the overflow a lot easier to bear. ------------- Ils sont fous, ces Romains! |
Posted By: unixnum1
Date Posted: February 26 2008 at 10:15am
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However, if you have an overflow, it will just dump out the overflow and the sump. I would also put in a leak detector hooked to the pump. That is a good idea in any case. ------------- 220G with 30G sump, SPS/LPS. RoboTank Controller. ===================================== why am I always the stem? 
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Posted By: Reef Addict
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 5:26pm
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I am trying to put together the pieces for a 10 gallon living room show tank. Sounds kind of silly, but I have this tank and a 12 gallon sump and lots of wood that are not being used. My thoughts are to drill the tank, install an overflow. This is to keep the water as stable as possible. My question is this : How large a bulkhead should I drill for on this size tank? Is there some calculator that says 10 gallon tank needs to move x amount of water and this is the smallest bulkhead to achieve this? Insights?
------------- 100 Gallon Tru VU Acrylic 2 x 175W 14,000K Metal Halides 2 x 54W T5HO 48" Actinics (801) 884-2137 |
Posted By: Aquarium Creations
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 5:48pm
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10 gal tanks aren't a good choice to drill, These tanks have really thin glass and usually crack when you are plumbing them. but again this is just my .02 ------------- Aquarium Maintenance,Consulting,Custom Built Glass Aquariums Rimless/Euro,24Hr Emergency Service 8015485201 Www.UtahAquariumDoctors.com [email protected] |
Posted By: Reef Addict
Date Posted: March 12 2008 at 7:02pm
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That is great info to have. Thank you. ------------- 100 Gallon Tru VU Acrylic 2 x 175W 14,000K Metal Halides 2 x 54W T5HO 48" Actinics (801) 884-2137 |
Posted By: theanimalman
Date Posted: March 19 2008 at 4:26pm
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You could drill a ten gal. tank. You might have a hard time finding plumbing small enough.
Here is a link to an overflow calc. There are several other calc.s on this site.
http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/drain.php - http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/drain.php ------------- Chris 801-647-4731 [email protected] |
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: March 19 2008 at 4:34pm
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You could drill it but the glass is so thin that any pressure on the piping and any vibration has a good chance of cracking it later. I do know people that were successful doing this But I wouldn't chance it myself.
Mike -------------  |
Posted By: Reef Addict
Date Posted: March 20 2008 at 2:58pm
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How about an acrylic backing for reinforcement? Forgive the strange questions but I hate buying pre-fab. I derive great pleasure from DIY. ------------- 100 Gallon Tru VU Acrylic 2 x 175W 14,000K Metal Halides 2 x 54W T5HO 48" Actinics (801) 884-2137 |
Posted By: theanimalman
Date Posted: March 23 2008 at 1:31am
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Drill it and go from there. If it cracks or leaks or breaks learn from the way you did it the first time and go from there the next time.
------------- Chris 801-647-4731 [email protected] |
Posted By: sanddune600
Date Posted: March 26 2008 at 1:45am
thats an expensive test if it doesnt work lol
------------- Andy Jorgensen My number is four three 5 7 six four 8 0 three four |
Posted By: rdbrown
Date Posted: March 26 2008 at 5:45pm
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As long as the bottom is not tempered you will have no problem drilling it. As for the fear of drilling near the bottom, or on the bottom, you would not have an issue as long as the bulkhead is inside a sealed overflow box. The water level is not going to drain down to the bulkhead, it is only going to drain down as far as the top of the overflow box. ------------- Kauai, Hawaii |
Posted By: eldiente
Date Posted: March 27 2008 at 2:55pm
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What is the best glue/epoxy for glueing/attatching acrylic to glass to either reinforce the glass and to make a sealed overflow chamber? ------------- Brian Twin Falls, Idaho 210 Gallon Glass reef |
Posted By: Corey Price
Date Posted: March 27 2008 at 10:23pm
| Well, the only effective true glue is a UV activated adhesive. The common approach is silicone. |