looking for someone to drill holes and build me a small overflow....

[agoutihead]

alright guys, im going to need 3 holes drilled in a 40 breeder here real soon.

who does that? and how much do they charge?

what do you guys think would give me a good rate of flow?

a 1" drain with two 1/2" returns?

the drain is going to be in the top middle and the returns on the far sides of it?

also i would like someone to build me a small 6x6x3 overflow out of black acrylic with teeth on all three sides.

who can do this, and how much would you charge?

 

[agoutihead]

come on no one?

does anyone know if any LFS do the drilling for a fee? ideally id like to just buy the tank from them, and have them drill the holes and add the bulkheads in.

will salty critter or aquarium adventure do that does anyone know?

 

[Jim_Leyland]

im pretty sure salty does it for 10 or 20 a hole.. the best way would just start calling around

 

[agoutihead]

man thats expensive! 10 a hole including a bulk head is worth it.

but 20 a hole with no bulkhead is a bit of a racket.

ill have to give them a call later tonight.

 

[Jim_Leyland]

that's not a price with a bulkhead.. thats' just for the hole you still have to buy the bulkhead.. remember you get what you pay for.. i drilled my tank myself so if it broke i couldn't blame anyone else.. remember just b/c a store does it doesn't mean it won't break its glass after all and anything can happen!

 

[ReefFreaks]

$10.00 per hole is a bargin. Most places will not guarantee against breakage either. Which means you could pay someone $10.00 and have the tank break.

One a side not, I have a couple of NEW hole saw diamond coated bits for sales. $12.00 each. Free shipping. I currently have

50mm 2"
45mm 1 3/4"
38mm 1 1/2"
32mm 1 1/4"
25mm 1"

 

[MJAnderson]

I don't even think they drill anymore, but they do loan out the drill bit you need to do it yourself.

 

[agoutihead]

well i can drill it myself, but after doing so on an acrylic tank, im not sure if i want to anymore.

i used a paddle bit and it just didnt turn out that smooth. once i put the bulkhead in, it leaked a little bit until i sealed it back off with weld on.

is this standard procedure? do you have to seal the hole on the outside with something once you drill and put the bulkhead in?

 

[Jim_Leyland]

no you don't have to seal it with anything, at least i didn't.. make sure its tight but not to tight or i heard it can crack the glass.. get a hole saw they arn't that expensive and work gret

 

[agoutihead]

Well see i originally had problems with the 1" paddle bit making a perfect hole big enough to put the threads of the bulkhead through.

this is not a problem with using the circular diamond hole saws?

because if its not, ill just drill my own tank then.

is it best to put a piece of tank on the inside and outside where you are planning on drilling?

is it also a good idea to have someone pour water over the cut while your drilling it?

 

[Jim_Leyland]

what i did when i drilled is put a towel on the tank so when the hole was finished the piece would fall on the towel and not on the tank, i poured water as i was drilling, just go slow and your bit won't get that hot.. it took me about 30min. a hole, i don't know if that was to slow or but it worked.. if you want a 1" hole you will need to get a 45mm bit (1 3/4") .. the bulkhead slides right through with no problems.. HTH

 

[MJAnderson]

Have had this bookmarked for my future drilling needs:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=603816

 

[agoutihead]

so if i want a 1" pipe flow, i will actually need to drill the holes 1 3/4"?

im thinking of doing a 1 inch drain with 2- 1/2" returns.

i figure this would give me an even water flow for draining and returning.

you think this would be enough, or should i do 2 - 1" returns?

ill check that link out thanks.

 

[Jim_Leyland]

heres some pics of what i used to make my holes...

Drill

Guide

Taped Down so no water leaks

Final product

 

[agoutihead]

do you guys think i should do 2 - 1" returns with my 1" drain or...

2 - 1/2" returns for my 1" drain?

i plan on NOT having any additional powerheads for flow. so i am relying strictly on my returns for enough flow.

what do you guys think?

i dont want my display to overflow though if my 1" drain cant handle 2 - 1" returns worth of water.

 

[Jim_Leyland]

what size return pump do you have? you can also put on gate valves on each overflow so you can shut them half way down if your pump can't handle it untill you can upgrade your pump, thats what i did.. i need a mag 9.5 or 12.. a 1" hole will drain aprox. 600gph so if you do 2 make sure your return pump will handle it!

 

[agoutihead]

well i havent bought the pump yet, so im still in the R&D stage.

so as long as i get a pump rated for 600 gph, i shouldnt have any problems worrying about it overflowing the drain if i use 2 -1" returns?

is a 600 gph pump strong enough to utilize 2 - 1" bulkheads? or its not enough?

if its not enough, i could just then do either 1/2" or maybe even 3/4" (if they make a bulkhead in that size)

 

[mattyice]

well what type of corals are you looking to have in the tank?

SPS then you will not get the flow you want unless you have a standard overflow to a sump and a closed loop for more circulation (thats if you dont want equipment showing) i didnt think i wanted equipment showing in my tank either but if you paint the back of the aquarium black then the equipment will blend in pretty well

LPS or softies then if you get a large enough drain (say 1" or 1 1/4") and go with 2 3/4" returns with 4 nozzles then on a pump at about 800-1000 GPH then you wont need any other flow

as for drilling the holes, having the right equipment helps as stated before diamond hole saw bits are the only way to go, easiest way is to have a guide and fill it with water to keep the bit cool with a strong drill, a fresh 12V battery drill will work but i used my 28V lithium-ion Milwaukee and it pretty much sailed right through the glass lol

 

[agoutihead]

its going to be mostly softies.

well since im going to be buying two drill bits i could possibly change the size of the drain to 1 1/4" - do they make bulkheads in that size? what about finding piping that will fit onto it? is that a common size?

if i do the 1 1/4 i could then probably do the two 3/4" returns.

that might be an overall good combo.

just depends how common 1 1/4 piping is for the drain.

i would have liked to gotten away cheap and only bought 1 drill bit that was 1" and done all three holes.

but that isnt really a good idea to have two 1" returns with a 1" drain? or would that be ok?

i dont have the pump yet so i can get whatever i needed to make it work.

 

[mattyice]

i dunno about the 1 1/4" bulkheads, i know its a common size for PVC but 1 1/2" bulkheads are the only size i could find close besides 1", i have two 1" drains on my 125 but only because im running 1 return pump at the time, i believe the rule of thumb is that a 1" drain line can drain 600 GPH (correct me if im wrong) the problem with a 1" return is your not going to get the velocity of water flow as you would with a 3/4" return, for a 40B i would say go with a dependable pump like a magdrive 9.5, if you dont want to drill it but still would like an overflow i can help as i have a suction and return combo that i have sitting around (i paid $55 you could have it for $30 when its ready) i could mod so all you would have to do is get an overflow built around the suction so the tank doesnt drain on you here is a pic of it... (click the link) http://marineandreef.com/products/RIS31030BSM.jpg

even building an overflow wouldnt be hard, i have a sheet of black acrylic that you could have for $10 that would be perfect for an overflow, to bend it i would just set it on something you want the shape of the overflow to be and then use a heat gun on it to have it bend around that shape