To drill or not to drill?

[ektor]

Recently came upon a pretty good deal on a 180g. Currently it is drilled in the back right with 1 hole which is plugged. Previous user ran as a saltwater but with an overflow.

My question is; Should I drill additional drains and a return? Or just use the single drain and over the lip for the return?

There is no installed overflow cover so, I know I will be adding that.

Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions.

 

[Hal]

Having run a tank with a siphon overflow for almost ten years, I strongly recommend that you drill whatever you need to avoid the siphon overflow.

My big complaint with a siphon overflow is that you need to clean them every few months, as algae builds up in the tube and flowrate decreases. It's a pain that could be avoided by a drilled tank with solid PVC tubing. I've been reluctant to put any type of opaque tape over my siphon tube because I want to see if/when something gets caught in the siphon (although nothing other than algae ever has).

I'm ordering a new tank next week, and it will be drilled.