hole drilling

**jimpierce** · 03-29-2008, 01:14 AM

any body drill a hole in their aquarium? Any experience in placing a hole for a sump drain? I was thinking about having a hole drilled in the new tank about 2" from the top to get rid of the siphon box.

**sailor** · 03-29-2008, 01:29 AM

There are bits you can puchase for this but they are quite expensive I hear. There are some lfs's that will do this for you also some glass shops will do it as well. If it is tempered glass it can not be done.

**Halelorf** · 03-29-2008, 01:34 AM

Here's a link to a video that goes over drilling a tank for a sump that I thought was pretty good.

**jimpierce** · 03-29-2008, 03:02 AM

looking at that video it doesn't seem to hard to do. All I need is the bit. But jeez that would suck to crack a hundred dollar tank.

**Nautilus29** · 03-29-2008, 03:07 AM

Those glass drills are expensive it would be better to just go into the top of your aquarium.

**Halelorf** · 03-29-2008, 03:07 AM

Maybe pick up a cheap used tank to practice on a little or go to a LFS and see if they have any damaged ones that are just going to get trashed anyways. Then once you're confident jump into the real drilling.

**Tigerbarb** · 03-29-2008, 04:29 AM

I'd love to see how the drilled hole turns out with your sump. It would be nice if you could post some pix of the design once you hook up the sump pipes to the hole.

**spudbuds** · 03-29-2008, 05:50 AM

I've never done it before, but as I understand it, you'll need a diamond hole saw to cut through the glass. Then get some putty to build a dam around the area you want to cut. Put some water in the dammed area and you are good to go. Just let the bit do the work and go slow. Practicing on a piece of glass or an old tank probably wouldn't be a bad idea.

**cocoa_pleco** · 03-29-2008, 06:07 AM

personally i wouldnt trust drilling, it would suck to ruin the tank

do you still have the overflow from the hex tank?

**jimpierce** · 03-29-2008, 06:15 AM

Originally Posted by cocoa_pleco

personally i wouldnt trust drilling, it would suck to ruin the tank

do you still have the overflow from the hex tank?

I sure do still have it. Works like a charm too. It may prove to be more prudent to simply build a more narrow siphon box for the back of the tank. It will also depend on the cost of a diamond hole saw as well. My local glass guy will only do it if he can use his drill press. I'll probably end up sticking with the siphon. I would have to feel confidant it will work before I would try it.