Can I drill a 29g all-glass brand tank?

[Eric L]

I am little worried about trying, I just had a 50 gallon all-glass tank break for no reason a few days ago.

I really want to drill a 3/4in and a 1in bulk head for the intake and drain.

This is for a refugium on a reef tank so it doesnt need to be pretty and yes it would be easier to make a crappy overflow but it also has a greater room for error and the space I have is limited underneath the stand.

Help is appreciated.

Thanks,

Eric

 

[rayman45]

not on the bottom

 

[Eric L]

well I know that because of the tempered glass issue the would be on the back wall, one in the top left and one in the top right. So you think I would be okay, I wouldnt hold you liable for anything but just want some opnions before I buy a tank for $20 vs searching for an acrylic one.

 

[Anythingfish]

well I know that because of the tempered glass issue the would be on the back wall, one in the top left and one in the top right. So you think I would be okay, I wouldnt hold you liable for anything but just want some opnions before I buy a tank for $20 vs searching for an acrylic one.

Many tank bottoms are tempered glass. You could try contacting the manufacturer and asking what material was used. Often they change from year to year and they may not know what is in there. Although tempered glass is sometimes labeled in the corner with an indication as to its being tempered, it is often impossible to tell. The almost cardinal rule is tempered glass can't be drilled with out fracturing it although some claim otherwise. If the aquarium tank is free try drilling it; but wear goggles for protection, tempered glass can explode.

 

[Eric L]

Well, a 55 gallon from the same company a few days ago cracked (not tempered glass shattered) along its side so its safe to say that that side was regular.

 

[Anythingfish]

Well, a 55 gallon from the same company a few days ago cracked (not tempered glass shattered) along its side so it’s safe to say that that side was regular.

Drilling holes in aquarium tank glass requires patience, a good drill; a diamond tip drill is best, proper grit or slurry and a good alignment between the drill and the glass. You can cut holes in glass with a hand held drill but a drill press with everything rigidly in place is the way to go. If you cracked the glass it may have had a flaw though unlikely; probably it got too hot at the contact point or you applied too much pressure or the drill bit was not working in a perfectly level position.

The aquarium glass you broke can be easily repaired with Silicone. If it is an end or side just run a bead around the inside and along the crack lines. Insert a piece of properly thick glass cut to size on the inside of the aquarium and press it in place until the Silicone has squeezed a bit and has good contact in all areas with the old broken glass still in the frame. The material must be perfectly dry. Allow a week for the Silicone to cure properly; sometimes people follow the directions and 24-48 hours indicated on the tube is often not enough time. The thicker the Silicone bead and or the lack of direct exposure to air as with Silicone sealed between two pieces of glass will extend the curing time significantly.

If the bottom glass is broken try to get an appropriately thick matching piece. I would not use anything less than 6 millimeters (about ¼”) however if all you have is 4MM (1/8”) window glass you might get away with it in a tank not exceeding 400MM (about 16”) high. You must have a firm support under the (aquarium bottom/broken bottom glass) such as a Styrofoam pad resting on plywood or a wide wood plank. The Styrofoam will compress and take the load uniformly. Use plenty of Silicone around the edges, along the crack lines and 1/2” wide dabs of Silicone every 2” in a grid pattern. Press the new glass into place inside the tank over the old bottom; be sure the Silicone has good contact with the new glass at all points. You can see the Silicone squeeze out along the new glass as you go. This should distribute the weight of the water in the tank uniformly and keep the pressure on any part of the glass to a minimum.

Be advised, there are no guarantees with these aforementioned techniques; however all of the above has worked for me over the years. I suggest you test fill your repaired aquarium tank outside with all the proper support in place to be sure it is not leaking. In the days before Silicone we used black aquarium cement sold in cans, something like tar which worked fairly well in similar circumstances.

Good Luck.

You would think aquarium manufacturers would produce a line of aquariums with Lucite or Plexiglas bottoms in aquarium fish tanks so we could drill any size opening any where we wanted it for overflow water pipes to the sump/bio filter and for pumped water return lines. Oh well…that is what dreams are made of.

 

[Eric L]

the tank was still underwarrenty so I swapped it out for a new one

thanks for the help though but I dont think I am going to do the drilling myself