10 gallon tanks at walmart , can they be drilled ?

[marinerules]

im wanting to buy a few to hook them up to my sump for different compartments

ive never drilled glass before , but i guess i could learn lol
that or take one of the tanks to a glass shop and have them do it

 

[shyland83]

most 10 gallon tanks cannot be successfully drilled. not because they are tempered but because the glass is so thin. I have drilled a 10 gallon tank without breaking it, but when trying to plumb it i put the slightest bit of pressure on the bulkhead and the glass cracked.

a 15 or a 20 has slightly thicker glass and i've had better luck. your other options for something that size are acrylic or some kind of plastic container.

 

[marinerules]

yea , ive thought abou plastic containers, but , they are stationary , if that makes sense lol , i mean , it moves, when you are moving water around , glass doesnt lol , so I would think glass would be less likely to leak around the bulkheads

 

[SS7]

I've drilled a couple 10 gal with no issues. I've run bulkheads and they have not cracked, but the glass is thin.. don't put any torque on the fittings after you tighten.

Most 10 gal aren't tempered. Walmart sometimes carries both, so its a toss up.. but the ones from petsmart are safe.

Best of luck,
SS

 

[Harry_Fish]

I saw a 15 at a LFS today for $30 the glass was about twice as thick, just FYI

 

[marinerules]

ok guys thanks, I'm not even going to try a 10 gallon Maybe ill try a 20

 

[conjuay]

Re: 10 gallon tanks at walmart , can they be drilled ?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13958451#post13958451 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by marinerules
im wanting to buy a few to hook them up to my sump for different compartments

ive never drilled glass before , but i guess i could learn lol
that or take one of the tanks to a glass shop and have them do it

I brought one of the Walmart tanks to a guy who drills tanks all the time, and guess what? HE broke it. But he also gave me a good deal on a 15 deep tank,-same footprint as a ten (All I could fit in the stand) but taller and thicker walled, and that was drilled sucessfully.
Those Walmart tanks are great for quarantine tanks, grow out tanks etc... shame they are so weak walled.

 

[funman1]

Don't know where this 10G tank came from but it was tempered on ALL BUT THE BOTTOM!!?!?!?!

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1292265&highlight=tempered

 

[texmexbigspring]

I drilled one from wallmart and it shatered all over back porch tempered on sides and not on bottom don't bother with these guys if u need something that is drilled I drilled the side of a 20 long no problem good luck ps most tempered glass has orange sticker in it non has white in most cases but not all

 

[Patrick12]

If they are the Marineland tanks, then they may be all tempered glass and cannot be drilled. I ran into that issue with one of their 55 gallons here in Japan thru the military exchange system. The Walmart I moved away from also sold the same Marineland tanks. Best thing to do would be to open the box at the store and inspect. There should be a sticker on the tank to indicate if it is tempered. If there is no such sticker, you are likely to have no problems. Hope that helps.

 

[OldSaltMan1]

I have also drilled two of the Walmart 10g tanks. The drilling part is not too bad, but as already stated installing the bulkheads will be when you see how thin the glass is. Both mine broke installing the plumbing. Because they were both in the sump I used silicone and put an arcrylic baffle in the end of both and then drilled the arcrylic. Neither of them leak and both have been used for several years. I haven't moved them either!

 

[jubjub]

i would go ahead and try drilling one...only out like 10bux if it cracks..otherwise should be happy

 

[Pbrown3701]

I've drilled about 50 tanks and the only ones i've ever cracked are 10gal. As stated above, the glass is so thin, it is very difficult to drill them without cracking the glass.

 

[Pbrown3701]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13962525#post13962525 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jubjubrsx
i would go ahead and try drilling one...only out like 10bux if it cracks..otherwise should be happy

10 bux plus a new living room hardwood floor when it breaks a few weeks later... Not worth the risk in my opinion

 

[REEF-n-Chicago]

There is a trick of using polarized glasses to see if glass is tempered....
The tempered looks different...
they even have 10 dollar polarized glasses at wally world now. Just borrow a pair while your there

http://www.reefcentral.com/wp/?p=312

 

[coralnut99]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13962769#post13962769 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Pbrown3701
10 bux plus a new living room hardwood floor when it breaks a few weeks later... Not worth the risk in my opinion

+1, and let's not forget about the furious wife.

 

[hyperfocal]

Yeah, there are good-places-to-save-money and bad-places-to-save-money. This is a bad one.

 

[chemi19]

I just bought a 10 gallon from walmart and the side was tempered
Thats what I get for not going to Petsmart lol

 

[dgoth]

Maybe it's because I live in California and have to deal with earthquakes, but I'm way paranoid about the strength of all my gear.

In a hobby as expensive as this, I'll find other places to save money!