Drilling questions

[byrdman81]

What is the best place to buy glass diamond hole saws to drill my 75 gallon aquarium. I will be drilling one in bottom for overflow and either one or two for my return lines. What sizes do you all recommend 1 in bulkheads ? I guess im going to get slip on both sides so i can glue pvc in from both ways.

[tampa-reefer]

glass-holes.com is where i buy from its easy.
Make sure your tank glass is not tempered before you start drilling.

1" BH requires a 1 3/4" holes.

[byrdman81]

Thanks i looked there and it said 13/4 was on backorder :( will there be a tag or sticker letting me know the bottom is tempered?

[devgru]

most tanks,if not all standard glass tanks 55g and larger are tempered bottom.

first look for mfg name
second look for sticker(hopefully its a new tank)
third there is some sort of 'prism' test you can do ive heard to see if the glass is tempered.

if your drilling bottom for overflow,i would just drill high rear of tank for that.no need to have PVC pipe risering up in display.

i have a thread i think in'diy forum' with pictures of my 125g drilling process.*note-the drilled holes on bottom were existing when i bought the tank

[devgru]

sorry to hear about backorder.if you lived alot closer you could have my extra 1-3/4".i usually order 2 or more from them as its the same shipping price and there is always someone local looking for them.

also return lines should be 3/4" so you need a 1-3/8" diamond bit as well.

[Heavy Hittah]

if your 75 gallon is AGA, then im pretty sure the bottom is tempered

[sjm817]

AGA, Perfecto, most all 75Gs will have a tempered bottom. Some are tempered on all 5 sides.

[byrdman81]

I have no idea what brand it is this tank was given to me about 5 years ago from a family member and it was given to here by someone so im not really for sure how old it is. All i know is its 1/2 in glass and its got the little fake oak trim around it lol. Whats the worst that could happen if it is tempered just crack?

[sjm817]

Worst that can happen?

Drilling Tempered Glass (Don't try this at home)
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[byrdman81]

man i dunno. maybe i should just try to sell the tank and stand and get something else

[sjm817]

Drill the back. People do it all the time.

[byrdman81]

you think the back would be okay?

[sjm817]

Yes. Generally, only the bottom panel is tempered. You usually drill the back a couple inches down from the top and from an edge.

Check the glass-holes site. They have videos showing how to do it. The kit they sell is nice. Comes with the overflow box, drill bit, bulkhead, plumbing parts. Everything you need in one kit.

[byrdman81]

i think i have saw someone with a diy version on here before but cant find thelink. Thought about making a box that was 18 in long to try to get good surface agitation.

[byrdman81]

OK after i started cleaning the tank i found a sticker on it in a corner. Its a AGA from 1990. Thats old :D wonder if they tempered glass back in those days.

[noboddi]

Check out glass-holes.com. I drilled my tank last weekend and installed one of their overflow kits. It's very easy

[byrdman81]

thats probably who i am going with

[devgru]

email Mike at glass-holes.com.he will help you out.ive been using their bits for some time now and no complaints.(you also get a lollipop for every bit ordered.

kinda nice bonus,it will help you relax while you drill.

forget the bottom.my 125g came with x5 on bottom and its a pain in the tukas.just drill the back.drill a minimum of x1 1" and x1 3/4"(more if possible) and you'll be fine.

good luck...:)

[lougotzz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14445205#post14445205 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by devgru
email Mike at glass-holes.com.he will help you out.ive been using their bits for some time now and no complaints.(you also get a lollipop for every bit ordered.

kinda nice bonus,it will help you relax while you drill.

forget the bottom.my 125g came with x5 on bottom and its a pain in the tukas.just drill the back.drill a minimum of x1 1" and x1 3/4"(more if possible) and you'll be fine.

good luck...:)

I got nerds.

[devgru]

i received 2 dum-dum's on last order,it seems as if hes switching it up.

were they the sour nerds?

[byrdman81]

would it be ok to add two return lines to the back on both sides of the overflow or would that be oto much for a 75 gallon?