drilling my 75 g reef tank

[Adam Chappell]

i want to drill my perfecto 75 gallon tank i have a overflow box on it but that was failed on me a few time gust found out it did it again and i am in USA so i hope it is all good

so my plan is to drill two 1.5 holes right beside another in the top right corner and adding an internal over flow box will the holes cause any weakness in the glass that will cause a problem or is where is a beater way to do this

my return rate is 700 gph

also i have all the tools do drill so should i do it or should i get a pro.

please help me!!!!!

[beertech]

It's not hard at all. Stressfull yes, difficult no.  Just make sure you buy your bulkhead fittings first, then match up the correct diamond hole saw size. You can get the bulkheads at Marinescape or any pool supply store like Purewater or Club Piscine.  Use a cordless drill and have someone spray the holesaw with water as you drill.  I practiced on an old 5 gal first, which cracked of course because they are made with super thin glass.  I'm not sure if I would drill both holes so close together though, you may crack it while doing the second hole, or when tightening the bulkheads. 
Good luck.

Gord

[bitterman]

If you are tearing down the tank for drilling why not do a CTC overflow? Great surface skimming capabilities!

I got sniggir to drill all my tanks for me. Could I have done it... yes... but less stressful when someone does it that has so much more experience.

Bruce

[Adam Chappell]

ok i will get the bulkheads and the drill bit were could i get a drill bit around hear.

[xiaan]

You could order a drill bit from http://bulkreefsupply.com/ they are ok quality and good for 2-5 holes.

[gauthier613]

Just to put my two cents in here as it might help.

The bulkreef supply ones are way better then Princess Auto versions.  You also should pick up some plumbers putty to create a well around where the hole is being cut so you can have a little pool of water as you cut.  It's cheap at about 2$

Without a drill guide it's best to start at an angle or the bit will jump around on you. Drill slow and straight.

I think Ray has some drill bits for sale too but don't quote me.

[Consigliere]

Glassholes.com has bulkheads and bits to match the sizes they offer if you can wait for a week or so.

I'm assuming that you know this is not a tempered piece of glass.  If you can't say 100% do some checking.  Google how to tell tempered glass from regular and you will find some info.

I have drilled 2 tanks, a 70G and 20G, with 2 holes each essentially side by side with no issues.  I found the best technique was to drill a template out of wood for the hole size you want and clamp this to the where you want to drill the hole in glass.  On the backside of where you want to drill, clamp a piece of wood that covers the whole area you are drilling.  You should be able to clamp both pieces of wood to the glass with 1 clamp.  This will make sure that the glass is supported when you are drilling it and makes sure that when you are drilling the last little bit to separate the hole from the main pane you don't crack anything.  Starting using the angle method works fine (I've done it) but isn't nearly as accurate or safe to do. 

You will need water for cooling and lubrication here too.  I've seen all the methods suggested above, putty with a pool of water and spraying, but what has worked the best for me is a garden hose at a reasonable flow rate.  This way you can focus just on drilling.  I have done drilling with one hand, spray bottle in the other and it is a pain. 

Be careful with the glass shards too.  Don't wipe them away with skin, use a cloth or whatever and rinse the whole pane of glass down thoroughly when you're done.

For spacing, leave at least 2-3" between the outside edges of the holes to make sure there is enough glass there to support any loading.

[Hookup]

The way we used to get holes in glass was to heat up the bottle, put a dime in it swing it around and force the dime to smash thru the wall of the bottle...  Worked most times..

[sniggir]

Hook I doubt any one know why you would want to put a hole in a bottle that way   ....
you can also get the bitts at preston hardware, if you have the opertunity to get some drilling lub I would suggest it as water doesn't act as the lub and you can burn out you bit much faster... but if you only plan on drilling 2 holes may not matter just take it slow...and steady the dam is a definate for mess control and to make sure that the bit is being cooled at all times....

if you have any more questions about drilling you can call me

613-592-6829

Pat

[twisty]

LOL @ DIME IN THE BOTTLE!

[Adam Chappell]

i changed my mind with the overflow i am going all out and building the 100% silent overflow i figured that if this in my room to have it silent and safe because it is on the 3 floor.

but my question is how do i glue the overflow box that runs the length of the tank to the glass and should i put the teeth on the over flow or should i gust have a straight edge.  in the info about the silent over flow it says the proteins form on the surface tension so the more you get of the surface the better but will the teeth reduce the noise?

i know that the CTC overflow would be a good idea but i have taken off the paint of the basement using overflow boxes the only drilling is the only way my parents will let me keep it and will make me feel way better.

this is what i am making http://www.beananimal.com/projects/silent-and-fail-safe-aquarium-overflow-system.aspx

[lost_at_sea]

but my question is how do i glue the overflow box that runs the length of the tank to the glass and should i put the teeth on the over flow or should i gust have a straight edge.  in the info about the silent over flow it says the proteins form on the surface tension so the more you get of the surface the better but will the teeth reduce the noise?

this is what i am making http://www.beananimal.com/projects/silent-and-fail-safe-aquarium-overflow-system.aspx

I don't think that Teeth / No Teeth will have any impact on how silent the drains operates.  The silence is caused by the full siphon and lack of any air going down the main drain pipe.  If you have questions about the 'physics' behind the pipes let me know I can help. 

[Hookup]

Somethings to consider when desiging your overflow.

The water will be "over flowing", or falling down basically... which makes noise.  That cannot be avoided, realistlicly there has to be a delta in levels to get the skimming working... but you'll want to be able to adjust the height of your water in your "box" via lowering and raising the pipes, so that you get the smallest amount of delta, thus creating the least noise of falling water... if you can get it to a point where it's flowing, as oppoosed to falling even better...

The more area you can skim (linear inches) the more surface water you'll be skimming... the more "just surface water" you're skimming the more gunk you're collecting and sending to the sump (skimmer/etc)... and therefor the more efficent you'll be. 

1.5" pipes are the recommended size.  At one point Beanimal was calling for 1" pipes, but that was due to HIS specific needs.  Most of us want 1.5" pipes for the 3 down-lines.

PHOTOS are manditory....

[salvini55]

drill a hole in an apple... its easier 

[Moby the Goby]

just buy some zigzags or rizlas

[mikerobart]

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