Step-by-Step: Drilling Holes in Your Glass Tank for Bulkheads

[GoldStripe]

Duh, it's in your sig right? What are the dims on that tank? Is it acrylic? If I was doing a 6 or 8 foot tank, I think I would use two 4 way setups somehow and alternate them, possibly with timers to simulate the tide? I dunno, just a thought.

 

[Tank102a]

The tank is glass. 96x24x30
The problem I have with two 4 ways or one 8 way is that to many
holes in the aquarium migh weaken it. the glass is 1/2in. If you take 8ft into consideration to many holes are not a good idea.
(That's what my local reef shop owner told me.)

 

[GoldStripe]

1/2 glass on a 8' tank? Wow, seems like it would be 3/4 or 5/8 at a minimum. I would seriously consult someone who knows more about the technical stuff before I'd drill. Half of those returns on two 4 ways would come over the top so you'd still just be drilling 4 holes theoretically.

 

[mnmnm1951]

I have an Oceanic 180G Bowfront and want to put a OceansMotions 8-way on it. I cannot drill the bottom as it is tempered so my only real option is the back. It is very thick glass. Can I drill eight 1-3/4 inch holes for return bulkeads and two 2-inch holes for the Pump feed bulkeads?

I have read the glass-drilling threads and cannot find anyone with experience with this many holes in glass. Can I basically wreck my tank with lots of stress cracks or just plain eventual breakage after filling with 180gallons of water?

I found this pic - don't know where but if this is yours I would love to talk. Will this layout work in a glass tank?

 

[GoldStripe]

you may want to talk with Paul @ Ocean Motions. He's the one makes them and he consults tons of people. He has probably talked to someone with your same question. If it was me, I'd say yes but I'm not an expert. I have six holes in my 4' tank with no problems in wet testing.

 

[swedish steel]

mnmnm1951-I'd say go for it. Just keep the edge of the holes at least 1 1/2 diameter of hole being drilled from edge of glass and at least 1/2 of diameter of hole distance from nearby hole. This is per a previously posted response on this thread. Each end glass of my 300 was drilled with four 1 7/8 holes, two 2 5/8 holes and one 3 3/16 hole for a total of 14 holes. I wanted both sides for viewing. Each end will support an Ocean Motions 4-way and two 1 1/2 drains from a weir type overflow.

 

[vanceny]

goldstrip - thanks for taking the time to answer everyones questions.
Now I have another, with 2 1.5" bulkheads in a overflow run by a mag 7, do you think it is necessary to use the elbows in the overflow for the modified external durso? This of couse to minimize the noise.
If not necessary that would help in the dimensions and make the overflow much sleeker.

 

[dtaranath]

They're not necessary, but it would certainly be quieter with the elbows in.

 

[GoldStripe]

Dual 1.5" drains with a Mag 7. Hmmm There are so many factors that come into play with the noise issue. The way my drains are, I don't think that a Mag 7 would make any noise but I've never tried it. My Iwaki 70 doesn't make that much drain noise. But I also am using the elbows inside and standpipes outside. If you're worried about space inside the tank, use a shallow internal and larger external box. I've seen it run that way with no elbows or bulkheads in the tank. Can't say if it was quiet or not though.

Did I dodge that question well enough? hahaha, j/k.

 

[vanceny]

that's an interesting idea....

Use a shallow internal overflow combined with an external that can house the standpipes.

 

[vanceny]

So I drilled my first hole last night. It was a 60mm hole for a 1.5" bulkhead. It took over an hour on a 90 gal. Not sure what took so long but I was trying to be patient since I cracked my first tank. I dont think it should have taken so long. My arms are killing me!

What's the recommended rpm for drilling? I'm using a cordless that has a maximum rpm of 950. Its variable speed so I just pull on the trigger about half way. I also used some pumping action about every 10 seconds or so. Maybe I'm not using enough pressure. I've read of others doing 4 holes in an hour. My cordless finanlly ran out of battery and I switched to a corded which seemed to work better.

Any suggestions welcome to speed up my process. I used a template to start the hole then set up a putty dam to hold the water and then drilled away. Seemed like a lifetime.

Vance

 

[GoldStripe]

I too used the cordless but quickly switched over to a corded. I found this which gives you guidelines on speed and pressure. Not sure how accurate it is though since it's the only table I've ever seen. My holes also took about an hour each. The people that drilled theirs faster are using more pressure or more speed. I think as long as the bit is cool you can increase either. I opted for more speed over pressure and checked the bit often for temp. It can't hurt to be overly cautious with the speed and/or pressure.

 

[Spuds725]

I finally worked up the nerve to drill a tank today... I bought a 29 for use a a fuge (modular-- tank fees fuge and then drains to main sump).

I drilled a practice (45 mm) hole in a 10 gallon and then drilled the hole in my 29-- both took under 5 minutes... I did it outside and ran a garden hose (real low) over the surface of the glass... only issue was it jumping around when I started (so have a few scratches)... other then that, just as easy as it was described... used a corded drill, medium speed at first, faster with a light touch as I went though the glass (especially light when I was about through)....

Thanks (to everyone) for posting the instructions, tips, and experiences...

Spuds...

 

[vanceny]

Drilled the second hole last night took about an hour again but did seem to go quicker. I actually started it in the wrong place so I have a ring scrtached into the glass about 1mm deep in the wrong spot. Shouldn't be an issue with integrity of the glass and its on the back which will be painted black.

4 more holes to go = 4 less hours of sleep
no pipes hanging over the top and satisfaction of a job well done = pricelss!

 

[dtaranath]

all my holes were between 45-60mm on a 90gal as well. Took me about 15 minutes per hole.

Like someone said above, you can go a little faster as long as you have water keeping it cool. Just slow down as you get closer to the other side.

 

[vanceny]

The hole saw never gots warm to the touch but i've been using the pump method that I read somewhere in which I lift the bit out to allow water to get into the hole and then proceed to drill.

Is this even necessary? Can I just use the weight fo the drill and not pump it back and forth every 10 seconds or so?

dtaranath, how many rpm's do you think your drilling at? somwhere in the thousands or hundreds? I know my cordless has a max rpm of 900 but my corded can go up to 11,000.

Thanks.

 

[swedish steel]

I used my 12 volt cordless DeWalt at 50% or more, but probably not over 75% of total rpm of drill capability. A 70mm hole, with a new hole saw took only 20 min and 48mm 6-7 minutes on 5/8 inch glass. Thinner glass was faster. I only stopped drilling to change a battery, check depth, or check how square I was in the hole as I wanted to break out the other side as evenly as possible or rest my arms.

 

[aroundtuit]

In regards to drill speed, check out the link I posted a few pages back. Slow drill speeds are recommended along with lots of cooling (preferably a completely submerged bit). Faster speeds will wear out your bit quicker.

I drilled two 45 mm (1-3/4")holes in 1/2 glass and one test hole in 3/8 glass with my drill press running at 620 rpm. It will not go any slower or I would have drilled at around 300 rpm. I also used the dam method, a ring of plumber's's putty around the area, filled with water so the bit stayed submerged.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7070943#post7070943 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aroundtuit
I would recommend an even slower drill speed. One of the few places I've been able to find much detail about drilling an aquarium is on Diamond Drill Bit & Tool's web site. Follow the link above, click on "How to Use Diamond Drills" and read through the whole page. They recommend 500 rpm for a 1" hole and 250 rpm for a 2" hole. I believe this web site has lots of good suggestions including drill speed, drill pressure, cooling, hole location, etc.

 

[humboldt reefer]

Cracked my sump today drilling it :mad2: Apparently its not a good idea to drill with one hand and use a spray bottle in the other. Because when the drill jerks one hand isnt enough to hold everything still. Yay!

 

[GoldStripe]

Sorry to hear about your crack. You knew better than that! How big was the sump? Can you use that as an excuse to get / make a better one?