I am moving my 180gallon tank in January and am really tempted to have it drilled. A local SW only shop will do it for $30 a hole. I want 2 of them on the back wall. My question is what is the risk level? How worried should I be? If it cracks I will be selling my fish and out a tank that I cant replace. I am tired of my CPR overflow that sounds like a beer bong 24/7!
Having a tank drilled?
- Thread starter Bee0912
- Start date
I am moving my 180gallon tank in January and am really tempted to have it drilled. A local SW only shop will do it for $30 a hole. I want 2 of them on the back wall. My question is what is the risk level? How worried should I be? If it cracks I will be selling my fish and out a tank that I cant replace. I am tired of my CPR overflow that sounds like a beer bong 24/7!
part of the reason to have someone else do it, is that they guarantee their work. if the guys drilling your tank are going to charge you $30 a pop, and not guarantee the work, you might as well spend that money on a drill set, and do it yourself.
bitteraspects;3502349; said:
yeah no garantee but they told me in five years they have not cracked a tank. but that means nothing to me. HAHA
this shop is the real deal. they have great staff great healthy looking live stock (all salt) and an awesome 450gallon reef display tank. They know what they are talking about and i trust them but this has nothing to do with all of that.
there tanks are run off of 6 floor to ceiling Wet/dry towers and skimmers the size of a fourth grade kid!
you should spend a lil time at glass-holes.com
if for nothing else than for the info and to be able to see video of how its done...
however.. keep in mind... with every order... they throw in a lil bit of candy...
if for nothing else than for the info and to be able to see video of how its done...
however.. keep in mind... with every order... they throw in a lil bit of candy...
chesterthehero;3502447; said:
Yeah I have there bit and it works well but I am in no way going to try to drill my 180. There website has a lack of info. The video with no sound does not give me any idea of drill speed or the presser he is applying
http://reefercentral.com/drilling.html
"So you've realized how cool our overflow boxes are and want to drill your tank. Once you have your hole placement decided, you are ready to drill your glass (if you have a acrylic tank you can skip this section). You will want to lay the tank on its front to have the back lying horizontal. Be sure to protect the front of your tank from scratching. You will also want to be sure to put something like a piece of cardboard inside the tank under where you are drilling, the plug you drill out will likely fall through and could possibly crack the front. I want to note that we do not recommend drilling full tanks, although it has been done successfully. Your next step will be to make yourself a little reservoir around the holes using plumbers putty or Play Dough-type materials. Add some water and keep it there while drilling to keep the bit cool and lubricated. For your drill use of one with a clutch is best (a lot of cordless drills today have clutches, nobody ever uses the clutch). Set your clutch to its lowest setting, this will cause the bit to stop if it binds. A point must be made that drilling glass is actually grinding through glass, as such excessive pressure (more than a few pounds) should not be applied, let the bit do the work. Recommended speeds for drilling with the sizes we are dealing with here are 700-1000 rpm, just realize the faster you go the more your bit heats up and the fewer holes you will get out of it. Now you are ready to drill. Starting the hole is the hardest part and it is not difficult. Hold the drill and bit at a 45 degree angle on the edge of the hole you have marked, drilling with one hand and guiding with the other. Then you can start drilling. As you drill it will make a grinding noise, as you are literally grinding through it. As you start to get a groove forming on the edge start leveling your drill (perpendicular to the glass) out as you drill. Now your drill should be vertical and drilling the complete circumference of the hole. Keep your pressure light and water in the reservoir. You will get to a point of seeing water start to seep through, which means you are close. You will want to lighten up on any pressure here to minimize chip out on the other side. In all likelihood you will have some chip out, this is ok (even the manufactured tanks with drilled holes have chipout unless they finish the edge afterwards, which they very often don't). If you have another hole then repeat the whole process. Happy reefing."
"So you've realized how cool our overflow boxes are and want to drill your tank. Once you have your hole placement decided, you are ready to drill your glass (if you have a acrylic tank you can skip this section). You will want to lay the tank on its front to have the back lying horizontal. Be sure to protect the front of your tank from scratching. You will also want to be sure to put something like a piece of cardboard inside the tank under where you are drilling, the plug you drill out will likely fall through and could possibly crack the front. I want to note that we do not recommend drilling full tanks, although it has been done successfully. Your next step will be to make yourself a little reservoir around the holes using plumbers putty or Play Dough-type materials. Add some water and keep it there while drilling to keep the bit cool and lubricated. For your drill use of one with a clutch is best (a lot of cordless drills today have clutches, nobody ever uses the clutch). Set your clutch to its lowest setting, this will cause the bit to stop if it binds. A point must be made that drilling glass is actually grinding through glass, as such excessive pressure (more than a few pounds) should not be applied, let the bit do the work. Recommended speeds for drilling with the sizes we are dealing with here are 700-1000 rpm, just realize the faster you go the more your bit heats up and the fewer holes you will get out of it. Now you are ready to drill. Starting the hole is the hardest part and it is not difficult. Hold the drill and bit at a 45 degree angle on the edge of the hole you have marked, drilling with one hand and guiding with the other. Then you can start drilling. As you drill it will make a grinding noise, as you are literally grinding through it. As you start to get a groove forming on the edge start leveling your drill (perpendicular to the glass) out as you drill. Now your drill should be vertical and drilling the complete circumference of the hole. Keep your pressure light and water in the reservoir. You will get to a point of seeing water start to seep through, which means you are close. You will want to lighten up on any pressure here to minimize chip out on the other side. In all likelihood you will have some chip out, this is ok (even the manufactured tanks with drilled holes have chipout unless they finish the edge afterwards, which they very often don't). If you have another hole then repeat the whole process. Happy reefing."
Its not that big of a deal. I drilled two holes in my 125 without any glass drilling experience.
Go slow and support the piece that is going to fall out before you break though.
If you have the means, I say go for it.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=272658
Go slow and support the piece that is going to fall out before you break though.
If you have the means, I say go for it.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=272658
ok im getting it drilled. If i do it or i have i done is still up in the air but im sold on having it drilled. So my next question is this
A. Overflow box like the on gl*******s.com?
http://www.glass-holes.com/product.sc?productId=7&categoryId=3
B. Just do a bulkhead with an elbow and a screen on it? like this
http://www.mikesreef.com/images/setup/003_Drilled_Tank_with_BulkheadB.jpg
And why?
A. Overflow box like the on gl*******s.com?
http://www.glass-holes.com/product.sc?productId=7&categoryId=3
B. Just do a bulkhead with an elbow and a screen on it? like this
http://www.mikesreef.com/images/setup/003_Drilled_Tank_with_BulkheadB.jpg
And why?