pictures ideas? cutting holes in acrylic

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surfpalmsncycads

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Feb 13, 2010
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whittier ca
so i just bought a 225gal acrylic. i need to cut slots on the top for ac110s. also the top has 4 openings but the are really small. i cant fit any rocks, caves, driftwood through the holes. tank is 8 foot long and 30 tall.
im thinking i want to open the outer 2 holes in the top so i can fit larger items in the tank. i want to keep as much material in the center to help tank structure stronger. does this sound ok? im going to do the same with the ac110 slots in the back. it will be cut towards the sides and middle left alone. theres already 2 holes in the center wich ill be using an fx5.

dremel? jig? router?

anyone have pictures of the tops of there 200 gal+ tank? just concerned cause tank is so tall. there has to be a reason manufacture made the holes on the top so small and no slots in the back to hold filters. i understand that most use plummed sumps on this tank but it also does not have predrilled holes for bulkheads.

id appretiate some ideas or pics or whatever.
thanks in advance
 
It makes me sad that you're using HOB filters on a tank that size. Equally so that you're cutting slots to make room for them. However, cut acrylic in the same way you would cut wood. Using a router would be fine - it's how I cut acrylic.
 
a 225 is begging for a sump. I don't understand the fascination with canister filters as the solution to filtration. To me, they're much more painful and a lot less versatile than a sump or wet/dry.
 
I agree with Clay, use a sump for a tank of this size.

I'm using a 40g breeder for the sump on my 210g. Yes it is a little on the small side, I think something around 75g would be a little more versatile. But, the 40g has plenty of room for an adequate quantity of he media I have chosen and I'm using external pumps.

I do not have any experience with diy pvc overflows so I cannot comment. I have seen quite a few on this forum that seem like they would work well.
 
The only thing that TRULY matters in a sump is the capacity in the event of a power failure. It's the paramount decision when sizing. Now, I typically choose a tank between 1/4 and 1/3 the volume of the tank. In your case, a 55g is a great tank, readily available on CL, and easy to fit/customize.
 
why do you need glass cut? There are many kinds of sumps, and you can easily make baffles from acrylic and silicone them in. Because they aren't structural, silicone works well for the job. Also, you can go without them entirely. I have a sump I'm doing like this. Just filter socks and ceramic media.
 
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