Thinking of drilling the side of my 500 gallon acrylic tank for ease of water changes. The plan would be to install a bulkhead and plumb a valve so that up to 50% of the water would drain by just opening the valve. I keep discus so anything that eases the water change will keep my honest on my maintenance. I already plumbed the supply for refill to the return line. I’ve drill glass tanks with up to 3” bulkheads for up to 210 gal tanks without issue, but never drilled acrylic. Second issue is the tank is full and stocked with a lot of fish. I could drain to just enough water flr the fish to relieve stress on panels but I’m still concerned. The side panel is 1” thick. Need advice from someone who has done something similar. Thanks.
Drill side of 500 gal acrylic tank for water change drain
- Thread starter FigginFishTank
- Start date
Drilled many acrylics in my day… plenty full tanks as well… best course of action here is to drill half way from both sides. The bits will heat up with 1” material and are prone to get stuck. So all depends on ur access to drilling out from inside the tank. Acrylic drills just like wood IMO. U need a bit with as many small teeth as u can find with a pilot bit. The pilot bit keeps it in place and will also enable u to drill from both sides very easily. Id also recommend a battery powered drill. Ive used corded before but i do not like them. They “catch” too much and bind up even when turned down. Its just too much power for the job. The battery powered will stop themselves and not catch/bind up. Slow and steady wins the race. The harder u push, the more the material will heat up, swell and trap ur hole saw. Take breaks if its getting hot and pull the bit out to clear material. If the bit is not working freely pull it out while u still have the chance lol…let the material cool and go again. There is no advantage of blowing through in 1
are u sure u need a hole there half way down? Can i interest u in autodrips? Lol… if ur tank is on a sump ud just need to drill the sump for ur waste water drain. If there is no sump ud just need to drill the tank itself at ur desired water level for a waste water drain. I know there are benefits of large water changes to stimulate breeding but there is nothing more beneficial than clean water 24/7 and no stress from water changes.
these are the type of bits i prefer… another tip for drilling a full tank is to use a net to catch as much acrylic dust as u can… it def. Makes a mess of ur water.
are u sure u need a hole there half way down? Can i interest u in autodrips? Lol… if ur tank is on a sump ud just need to drill the sump for ur waste water drain. If there is no sump ud just need to drill the tank itself at ur desired water level for a waste water drain. I know there are benefits of large water changes to stimulate breeding but there is nothing more beneficial than clean water 24/7 and no stress from water changes.
these are the type of bits i prefer… another tip for drilling a full tank is to use a net to catch as much acrylic dust as u can… it def. Makes a mess of ur water.
I’m also considering the continous/drip method you describe. My issue is my sump is in my basement so going that method would require my sump pump to also run constantly. I figure a drain from the tank side with a slip bulkhead would allow me to use a coupling on my siphon hose and just plug it in, inside the tank. That would also prevent the occasional water spill when cleaning my sand with the syphon. Open to all ideas though.
are you on septic system for ur house and thats y u use the sump pump for ur water changes? If so i actually do the same… ive ran up to 38gph drips for my fish room into my sump crock/pump. It ran every 15-20 minutes for 8yrs before it burnt out lol… if u only have one tank i wouldn’t worry much about it shortening the life of ur sump pump… i currently still run 16gph 24/7 and it pumps closer to every 40-60 minutes now. For the ease of never doing a manual water change its well worth the $150-250 every 8yrs for a new sump pump if needed ??
. Im still a bit of an extreme scenario tho. For 500gal ud only be dripping around 4-6gph. just throwin ideas out there for ya ?? whatever works best for u by all means do
Thanks for the perspective, that might be better long term, and not void the warranty on an $8k tankare you on septic system for ur house and thats y u use the sump pump for ur water changes? If so i actually do the same… ive ran up to 38gph drips for my fish room into my sump crock/pump. It ran every 15-20 minutes for 8yrs before it burnt out lol… if u only have one tank i wouldn’t worry much about it shortening the life of ur sump pump… i currently still run 16gph 24/7 and it pumps closer to every 40-60 minutes now. For the ease of never doing a manual water change its well worth the $150-250 every 8yrs for a new sump pump if needed ??
just throwin ideas out there for ya ?? whatever works best for u by all means do