drilling acrylic tank

[depresed34]

hi,got 96lx46wx30h acrylic ,sides are 3/4,front and back panels are 1'',bottom 1/2'' by *******,brand new no holes yet,going to drill 3 holes on each short side for 1''bh,2 holes for 2'' bh in back,12 1/2 holes at the topof back wall for external overflow,6 1'' holes for c/l backwall 3 inch of the top,4 1 1/2 bh holes in the botom is it two much,also was thinking about reinforsingholes by gluing 1/4 plates of acrylic at the point of drilling

 

[jasonmg]

Hey, not sure about the size or the number of holes - I will leave that up to someone else to answer. Just keep the hole saw cool. Chilled water in a spray bottle works quite well. You will need to take it slow and a lot of stop/start. Make sure not to let it melt. Don't drill too close to the edge as it will tend to crack through (you can fix this if it happens but won't look very nice - use chloroform as a capiliary action solvent) The drill bit in the hole saw should be blunt too otherwise it can chip really easy. Rather than reinforcing, put masking tape on both sides where you are drilling.
Just my experience, used to make acrylic signs and just made my own tank and sump.