drilling a established tank

[tom g]

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tank is a 46 bowfront tank ....

anyone out here ever drill a established tank that's running, plan is to empty tank to the half level or less and drill tank for a overflow ...
1.0 in and 3/4 holes
have watched vids on tanks being drilled but all have been empty and on there side ..
I will most likely make a template and clamp to area , to prevent bit from walking .will have rubermaid tub under tank so I can pour water while drilling or use a small power head to feed water to drill ..
anybody do this or have experience in this .
cheers and thanks
tom

 

[sugardaddy1979]

It's been done, but not a great idea. The pressure on the glass from water inside and drilling outside could result in failure. Drilling alone could result in failure. You may come out fine, but definitely a gamble. Why not just do hob Overflow?

 

[CStrickland]

If I was gonna do it I'd clamp some plywood on the inside, so the pressure from the drill is pushing into the glass instead of against it. I wouldn't do it without a wingman and a few tubs with water in them (like a qt or something) on standby just in case.

What is your plan for the overflow itself? Like if you're gonna try to stick an internal box on there after you get the hole in that's another can of worms.

 

[tom g]

overflow

overflow

hey there I was thinking that to clamp a wood board on inside while drilling and yes on the wingman ....
overflow will be from gl*******s.com no silicone just bulkhead ..

http://glass-holes.com/Super-Nano-Con-Dientes-In-N-Out-Complete-System-SNCDInNout.htm

thanks

 

[AdamNC]

You Tube has videos of people doing it, scary and I wouldn't attempt it but each to their own.

 

[tom g]

drilling

drilling

Well what i am asking and looking for is someone with ideas
and exp i have watched tonnes of video of the drilling of tanks
but all on there sides.of course this is something that is scarey
but its a way to make tank silent and better in the long run.
But when u saybu wouldnt do it on what theory are u saying
that for...just curious..

Im a mechanic and the manuals tell me to do things a certain way
but there are always exceptions to the rules...

Thanks
Tom

 

[dkeller_nc]

Generally, this is a "what could possibly go wrong" idea. It might go OK, but one possible outcome is that you crack the tank, a worse one would be shattering the back glass. Both outcomes leave you with a non-functioning tank that's full of animals.

That's just not an acceptable risk, particularly because you've a relatively small tank, and it's pretty easy to transfer the rock and animals to another container (like another 40g breeder tank, a large cooler, or a small "stock tank") so that you can run life support for a week or more if things don't go well with the tank you're drilling on.

Bottom line - don't do it.

 

[ThRoewer]

I have drilled quite a few holes into glass plates and existing tanks and once in a wile the glass cracks. So the one thing I would never do is to drill a hole into a partially filled tank, because when that goes bad it will likely go really bad and the glass may not just crack but shatter.

If the tank is empty and the glass cracks you can likely fix it by gluing a strip of glass over the crack - that's what I usually did. And since I drilled the holes usually into the base plate you wouldn't see much of it after the tank was filled.

It also depends on how many holes you have drilled into glass before. If this is your first time I would get some glass plates to practice on first to get a feeling for it.

 

[tom g]

tank drilling

tank drilling

I understand the concern of breaking a tank and what could and will happen
water will be drained into a container on wheels if the tank breaks I can transfer all fish and rock into there and go from there ,friend has the exact tank sitting in his garage ,so I have access to that ,and will be with me on that day ,or worse case scenario wife gets an upgrade to a 65 gallon tank ,
ive had some really good ideas and will be practicing on a few scrap tanks to get the feel and see if it is possible , also will make a template .

 

[sleepydoc]

If your friend has the exact same tank, I'd consider bringing it in, draining your tank into it an and transferring the critters while you drill; the emptier the tank while you're drilling the better.

 

[joekidwell]

I did it to my 40 breeder half full, I got lucky and didn't have any complications. I upgraded from the glass holes 500 to 700 gph overflow so I already had existing holes.

 

[Clowny88]

If your friend has the exact same tank, I'd consider bringing it in, draining your tank into it an and transferring the critters while you drill; the emptier the tank while you're drilling the better.

Bingo.

I contemplated drilling my tank half full. But then I thought of that panicky feeling when I go to change GFO and forget to turn the pump off... Hands full... Water everywhere. The glass cracking or shattering on a half full tank would be that panic times 1000.

Sand, water, rock, bacteria, fish, stink, water, water, water... Everywhere. There's no way to catch it all in a backup tub.

I ended up selling my tank 45g and stand and upgraded to a 75g (reef ready) with a custom diy stand. Paid for itself and I didn't have the disaster! Plus I got an upgrade!

 

[CStrickland]

Have you looked at the siphon overflows? I think an eshopps pf 300 would be sized right to your tank and it's not much bigger than the glass holes one you linked to. I have something similar on my tempered glass tank and it works. They aren't as dependable as a drilled tank, but in your sitch the flood risk might outweigh the shatter risk. You could literally just plumb it in and be done, so much less drama.
Just a thought