To Drill Or Not To Drill?

neptunestender

New member
I have a 75gal all glass aquarium and, I have done the polarized light test on my tank. The bottom is the only tempered piece. What is the consensus on having an overflow drilled on the back glass. (the local glass shop will do it for $15-20 but they WILL NOT GUARANTEE THE GLASS WONT BREAK AND TAKE NO LIABILITY!). My question is should I risk my tank or cope with an overflow box?

I also have a 29gal I may use for a fuge or sump or QT, thought maybe let them give that one a go first to see if they are compatent.

If I loose my tank to breakage it will set me back, but I could also go ahead and get the 120gal RR that will still fit my build/ built in.

What are the pros and cons of overflow boxes vs. say a coast to coast?
 
The Coast to Coast is superior to an overflow box on ALL counts, (pros) i am not going to enumerate them, save two (cons):

1) You have to drill the tank
2) You have to build it.

And even then those are not cons, necessarily, as you can always special order a tank configured in this fashion. ( I know Visio will do it for certain)
 
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No question. Drill them both. I would be shocked if you break a 75.. The only tank I have ever cracked was a ten, and that glass is thin.
 
I guess that is realy my main concern os breakage. I know i could do alot more if it is drilled. Anyone else out there had success/failures drilling?
 
I drilled my 80 for my overflow and but for some reason was uncomfortable drilling for my supplies, kicking myself still.
 
I drilled 2 90g tanks. By the 4th hole I was a pro at it. No problems, it was so ez I will drill every tank. Just take your time and let the drill bit do the work. Remember you are not drilling like in wood where the bit is cutting the wood, you are grinding away the glass so let the bit grind.
 
3/4" bulk heads in the back wall on either side with a piece of loc-line fitted into it in the tank side. Then just drill a 1/4" hole in one section of the lic-line under the water level.
 
I will need to empty the sand and rock out of the tank, but I will conceed and have it drilled. It will be a few days, but I'll post pics and info. I am a big diy guy (took a year off work and built my own house). But this time i will leave it to the pros!

Now where to drill and how many holes?
 
3/4" bulk heads in the back wall on either side with a piece of loc-line fitted into it in the tank side. Then just drill a 1/4" hole in one section of the lic-line under the water level.

R U responding to my question on drilling returns? Since I keep my water level near the top of the aquarium, a bulkhead coming through the back wall would need to be several inches below water level and hence water would seek it's level. I can imagine a plumbing scheme inside the aquarium that would provide a break, but can't imagine how that would be better than an over the top return.
 
I will need to empty the sand and rock out of the tank, but I will conceed and have it drilled. It will be a few days, but I'll post pics and info. I am a big diy guy (took a year off work and built my own house). But this time i will leave it to the pros!

Now where to drill and how many holes?

Check out http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1310585

My next tank will have the overflow in the center with 2 returns (over the top) behind glass to each side.
 
R U responding to my question on drilling returns? Since I keep my water level near the top of the aquarium, a bulkhead coming through the back wall would need to be several inches below water level and hence water would seek it's level. I can imagine a plumbing scheme inside the aquarium that would provide a break, but can't imagine how that would be better than an over the top return.

I agree those bulkheads do have to be a bit below the water level, and you are right the water level will drain down to that point if it is in fact lower than the lowest point of your overflow teeth. In my tank, the overflow teeth are about 1/2" below where the hole is in my loc-line's so it works out in my case (which is an over the rim return). My water level is also quite high, unable to be seen from the front of the tank. What I regretted, and only in hindsight when I had a fish go floor surfing, when I wanted to add a screen top over the tank, the over the tank returns really made that hard to do cleanly. I tried purchasing a screen kit from HD and it turned out ok-ish, but I thought it looked hokey having to be cut around the pipes coming over the rim. Had they been through bulkheads it would have been nice and clean.
Now all that being said, I haven't made the actual measurements, and you may be totally right, those bulkheads may in deed have ended up lower than where I would have liked them and ended up flowing more water into my sump than it could have handled.
 
I agree those bulkheads do have to be a bit below the water level, and you are right the water level will drain down to that point if it is in fact lower than the lowest point of your overflow teeth. In my tank, the overflow teeth are about 1/2" below where the hole is in my loc-line's so it works out in my case (which is an over the rim return). My water level is also quite high, unable to be seen from the front of the tank. What I regretted, and only in hindsight when I had a fish go floor surfing, when I wanted to add a screen top over the tank, the over the tank returns really made that hard to do cleanly. I tried purchasing a screen kit from HD and it turned out ok-ish, but I thought it looked hokey having to be cut around the pipes coming over the rim. Had they been through bulkheads it would have been nice and clean.
Now all that being said, I haven't made the actual measurements, and you may be totally right, those bulkheads may in deed have ended up lower than where I would have liked them and ended up flowing more water into my sump than it could have handled.

Nothing like a sanity check to keep us on the right track. I'm planning my next tank now and share your concerns. I can't think of a good way to prevent surfing:D At least, surfing is better than leaping out of the tank, which hasn't happened here yet, though everytime I can't find a fish I look all around the tank for him. So far they've either been hiding or found their way to the sump.
 
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