Would you drill a 75g?

Hydrus

Hydrus

New member
So I'll be picking up my 75gal this week. Its a used tank from a friend and has not been drilled for a sump (just a standard 75 plastic rim tank). I currently have a 55g that is not drilled I just top it off manually etc. and have all my stuff hanging off the back.

With this new 75 coming I'm wondering if I should have the local glass company drill the back of it so I can go back to using a sump (like I did with my 90 a few years ago) or would you guys just recommend just doing a gravity style over the back siphon that I've seen used made out of pvc piping? It didn't even occur to me to do it that way but I've seen threads here of people going that route instead of drilling their tank.

My first instinct was to do what I've done with my 90 and drill the back corner, get a bulkhead fitting and toss that on there and I see BRS sells boxes I can silicone to the inside of the tank now to make it more of an overflow box style. But hey...maybe it will be easier to go a different route with this tank.

What do you guys think? As I said I'd have to take the tank to my local glass company to do the drilling as I lack the tools or the skill to do that sort of thing through glass but I'm good at figuring out plumbing stuff and can do that on my own (well with your guys' help) :) I just want to get my ducks in a row and have a plan before the tank shows up on my snow filled step lol.

Becca
 
I personally would always want a sump on any tank over say 40 gallons and I also would NEVER do a HOB overflow again and will ALWAYS drill and always install a bean animal type drain system..

FYI.. Your tank glass "could" be tempered which means it cannot be drilled without shattering into a million pieces..
Its always good to check that first before deciding on a tank if you have any intentions of drilling..

But you absolutely can run a tank of any size without a sump.. Its not a necessity for any tank.. It can sure be nice though..
 
I know some people don't like them, but I have an HOB overflow. I got the auto top off relay from autotopoff.com and put on float switch at the tank and one in the return chamber. My skimmer is also plugged into it. This keeps my return pump from either overflowing my tank or running dry. Also keeps the skimmer from running dry. I've turn my tank off over a dozen times and it doesn't lose prime. This past water change I cleaned the U tube because it had some diatoms in it since it is basically a new tank from an upgrade in size.
 
I recently setup a 40 breeder that I drilled myself. I went with the eshopps large overflow and drilled two returns. Couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. You don't have a huge weir in the tank and can plumb it to use the bean animal setup. My protein skimmer is louder than the overflow and it's not loud.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for the input! I'll have to do a search for what a "bean animal" setup is as I'm not familiar with that term. (I'm at work sneaking on the forums haha). I def want to have a sump...I miss it from my 90gal... I'm just at the point that I don't know the best way to go about it is all anymore. Everything seemed so straight forward 10 years ago, now there are so many options and new ways of doing things.

Right now my skimmer just hangs off the back, its a CPR Bak-Pak skimmer (https://www.marinedepot.com/CPR_Bak..._Reefs_Nano_Skimmer-CPR-CR1111-FIPSNS-vi.html) which has worked great..but if I want to put all my equipment in the sump I'd need a different one of those too...$$ is adding up lol. Any recommendations on a skimmer that would be appropriate to sit in the sump then?

And I always was of the mindset that get the biggest sump that will fit in your tank, is that still a good rule?
 
I have a 75g and a HOB overflow. When I bought the tank I was just starting off in the hobby and wasn't about to drill a brand new $500 tank. I was going to use a canister filter, but after researching I opted for a sump set up. Fast forward two and half years and I have had no issues at all with the HOB. I don't know why it gets such a bad rap. Never had a siphon break or flood and noisy at first it was corrected with a DIY Stockman Standpipe and is super quite now.
But if I was to do it all over again, I would definitely drill. A drilled tank looks more aesthetically pleasing without all the hardware hanging off the back.
 
I run a CPR overflow box and have only had 2 tank overflows onto the floor in 4 months :eek1::eek1:
 
Drilled with Sump, in general it's the most reliable and clean looking setup you can run. Also have a go drilling it yourself, its not as hard as you may think and you earn a new skill.
Just practice on some scrap glass first.
 
about 90% of 75g's only the bottom is tempered, unless it's some unusual really expensive brand. Tempered glass costs a lot more, even tanks as large as 125 and 220 the sides are not usually tempered. Just find the brand of the tank and contact the manufacturer if you arent positive.

ordering the drill bit and bulk head and drilling it yourself is easier than a lot of people think.
 
You guys think I could really attempt it at home? I have NO idea what I'm doing when it comes to that. I mean I know how to run a basic drill and and pretty handy but dang that makes me nervous. It would be way more convenient to be able to do it at home tho....

I assume there would be a special glass type drill bit I'd need? And just what, lay it on the side on the floor and go to town? lol
 
you have the basic idea but there's a bit more than that.

you need a special diamond coated bit to get through the glass and you need a way to keep the bit cool. some use putty in a circle around where you are going to drill and then fill the moat with water and drill. When I drilled my sump I just had a helper run the hose over the bit to keep it cool.

Let the drill do the work, don't push it. make sure there's a towel or something soft to catch the glass puck that will fall out. you don't want to drill through one side just to crack the glass on the other side.

watch a few youtube videos to get comfortable. BRS has a how to, that's the one I followed.
 
ryeguyy84 said:
you have the basic idea but there's a bit more than that.

you need a special diamond coated bit to get through the glass and you need a way to keep the bit cool. some use putty in a circle around where you are going to drill and then fill the moat with water and drill. When I drilled my sump I just had a helper run the hose over the bit to keep it cool.

Let the drill do the work, don't push it. make sure there's a towel or something soft to catch the glass puck that will fall out. you don't want to drill through one side just to crack the glass on the other side.

watch a few youtube videos to get comfortable. BRS has a how to, that's the one I followed.
Click to expand...

I will definatly take a look at some youtube and that BRS site to see what I can learn. I think what it will come down to is how much that drill bit will cost. The local glass company will charge me $40-$50. I have NO idea how much a drill bit like that costs but I'll go with whichever route is cheaper.
 
ryeguyy84 said:
you have the basic idea but there's a bit more than that.

you need a special diamond coated bit to get through the glass and you need a way to keep the bit cool. some use putty in a circle around where you are going to drill and then fill the moat with water and drill. When I drilled my sump I just had a helper run the hose over the bit to keep it cool.

Let the drill do the work, don't push it. make sure there's a towel or something soft to catch the glass puck that will fall out. you don't want to drill through one side just to crack the glass on the other side.

watch a few youtube videos to get comfortable. BRS has a how to, that's the one I followed.
Click to expand...



Just to add to this. A hole template clamped down to the tank makes this much easier. Also I use some duct tape or masking tap on the inside of the tank to help with chipping. I usually do this solo by clamping the template to the tank and clamping a hose to the rim. Run the hose at a slight trickle and drill away.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Bit's are around $25, if it's easy to bring the tank to the glass shop i'd go that route. it's not hard once you get over the fact you're drilling glass haha.
 
Like mentioned above the bottom is the only glass that's tempered so drilling the back glass should be no problem. The 75g I use for QT was drilled by me several years ago. Watch some videos on it before you attempt it and go slow, let the bit do the work
 
I drilled my 75 for the return and 16” Shadow overflow. First time ever drilling glass and it came out great. Watch multiple videos about it until you feel comfortable with doing it then take your time and go slowly. Afterwards, have a drink, sit back and admire it, and laugh about how stressed you were about doing it!
 
Over the years I must have drilled 30 holes. The first one is a bit scary but you get used to it. Gl*******.com sell diamond drill bit and bulkheads you might want to check them out
 
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