Drilling a tank

[dano83]

I just bought a 60" long marineland 120 and am thinking about drilling the back of it for an overflow. I have drilled a couple 40 breeders for sumps but never tried anything this large. If i do it by the book and am careful is there still a chance i could ruin it? Not sure if that has a straight answer but would like to get opinions.

 

[Pife]

You are working with glass. You can always mess up and break it. That being said if you go slow you'll be fine. Measure twice drill once.

 

[clevername]

Youll be fine. Thicker glass is easier than thinner glass. Since you did it before multi times, no big deal.

I think your more freaked out because the tank costs more (more risk) but really its all the same material and procedure.

 

[dano83]

Thats definitely what it is. It was used but would be pretty dissapointing if anything went wrong. I guess i'll give it a shot. Thanks!

 

[Schplitter]

Make sure it's not tempered glass. All you need is a LCD screen like a Tablet or laptop set on a all white screen and some polarized sun glasses. Google it.

 

[kegogut]

Youll be fine. Thicker glass is easier than thinner glass. Since you did it before multi times, no big deal.

I think your more freaked out because the tank costs more (more risk) but really its all the same material and procedure.

This. ^^

Thicker glass is definitely easier to drill. Pife and I drilled my 220. I was extremely nervous but we did it without breaking it.

 

[mpgrant77]

I drilled a 120 and was very nervous but like others said the fact that it was thicker actually made it easier. Just take your time as it will take a little bit to drill through that thickness.

 

[dano83]

Well it didnt turn out too good. I thought all was well after drilling but then saw a 5" crack. I guess its scrap now.

I'm looking for a 6 ft tank and stand if anybody has one for sale.

 

[kegogut]

Sorry to hear it. If youre going to get a 120 I'd recommend a 4ft 120,or a 6ft 180. I have a 6ft 220 and its 30 inches deep as opposed to the 24 inch deep 180. With my 220 being 30" deep it's a real PITA to reach the bottom.

 

[Pife]

Well it didnt turn out too good. I thought all was well after drilling but then saw a 5" crack. I guess its scrap now.

I'm looking for a 6 ft tank and stand if anybody has one for sale.

I'm sorry to hear about your tank.

 

[clevername]

Well it didnt turn out too good. I thought all was well after drilling but then saw a 5" crack. I guess its scrap now.

I'm looking for a 6 ft tank and stand if anybody has one for sale.

Do you know what caused it? Usually a couple of factors, not enough water, worn out bit, too much pressure (IE too fast)

 

[Gugs Jr]

Dano83, don't scrap the tank yet. Use it to keep trying to drill until you get it right. Also try to figure out what you did wrong so you can drill the next tank if you try.

1. Make sure you use a nice diamond bit hole saw
2. Make sure you use water flowing water is better but you can also use a spray bottle.
3. The amount of pressure you use is also key. Don't want to press too hard.


There are many videos on youtube that will help. There are also overflow kits that come with everything you need to drill a hole.

This is what I'm using: http://www.eshopps.com/products/overflowboxes/eclipse-l/
This is another option: http://synergyreef.com/product/16-shadow-overflow/