Cutting the tank trim?

[stgla]

I was thinking of cutting out a couple of 3" sections of my tank trim on the top rim. Is this a bad idea?

The reason is to protect my house from floods. I have a nice flood control setup with fully waterproofed drains behind the tank leading to a floor drain in the sloped and concrete lined sump space. The only problem is that if the tank overflows i need it to drain in the back, not the front or sides, for this to work. It would also be nice if routine slop were more likely to go back there than into my viewing room.

I'm sure people with fish rooms have had this same situation. I wanted to keep the tank level, so I thought if I cut a couple of notches in the back instead that the water would flow there first.

BTW, it's a standard sized 75g AGA.

 

[SciGuy2]

AGA says that it is a bad idea. You might be able to get away with it if you reinforced the tank somehow. Just the same your warranty would be void.

 

[Therbligs]

I'm with SciGuy2. Do not cut the trim.

You could put a slight pitch towards the back of the tank. Nothing crazy, but maybe a 1/16" would be all you need to increase the odds. Also if you have a 1" gap between the back of the glass top (?) and the trim will increase your odds that the water will flow to the back of the tank. The glass covering the rest of the top of the tank will force the water to exit through the opening. You could also add a samll lip on the front and sides to guide the water to the back of the tank.

 

[EdMiller]

If you are willing to drill the back of the tank, You could put in a bulkhead with an elbow pointed upward to just below the tanks trim. Then just pipe it right to the drain. Basically like an overflow for your sump, but just for spillage intead.