Drilling a tank while it's still running.

[U.P.Guy]

Hey guys and gals, I'm new to the forum. But I have a 55 gallon reef tank and I built one of those, "I want to flood my house overflows" with a aqualifter pump. It has been running just shy of a year with that overflow and no problems. But, I know that it likely won't last and I'll flood my floor eventually so I want to drill the back of my tank. It's not tempered and I just moved so I have the space for a nice sized sump or two. Does anyone have tips for drilling this bad boy while it's running. My questions are, 1.) How others have kept the glass wet where drilling on a vertical serface without flooding the house. 2.) How to keep glass shards to a minimum in the tank. I would think painters tape on the inside?

Let me know what everyone thinks.

 

[Brew12]

Hey guys and gals, I'm new to the forum. But I have a 55 gallon reef tank and I built one of those, "I want to flood my house overflows" with a aqualifter pump. It has been running just shy of a year with that overflow and no problems. But, I know that it likely won't last and I'll flood my floor eventually so I want to drill the back of my tank. It's not tempered and I just moved so I have the space for a nice sized sump or two. Does anyone have tips for drilling this bad boy while it's running. My questions are, 1.) How others have kept the glass wet where drilling on a vertical serface without flooding the house. 2.) How to keep glass shards to a minimum in the tank. I would think painters tape on the inside?

Let me know what everyone thinks.

I would never try to drill a tank with water in it. I would worry the water pressure from the inside would make the tank more likely to crack as it was drilled. I think most people would find drilling straight down easier than drilling sideways. Very important to maintain even pressure while drilling.

 

[jrwoltman]

As @Brew12 stated, this is a really bad idea. There is a very high chance of it cracking and possibly with the water pressure completely shattering.

 

[ChiCity]

Hey guys and gals, I'm new to the forum. But I have a 55 gallon reef tank and I built one of those, "I want to flood my house overflows" with a aqualifter pump. It has been running just shy of a year with that overflow and no problems. But, I know that it likely won't last and I'll flood my floor eventually so I want to drill the back of my tank. It's not tempered and I just moved so I have the space for a nice sized sump or two. Does anyone have tips for drilling this bad boy while it's running. My questions are, 1.) How others have kept the glass wet where drilling on a vertical serface without flooding the house. 2.) How to keep glass shards to a minimum in the tank. I would think painters tape on the inside?

Let me know what everyone thinks.

Since your tank is already running as brew stated, it's a bad idea to drill with water in there...
Have you looked into mame overflows?
They autostart after a power failure, and for added peace of mind you could also plug in the return pump into an APC and run your tank with no worries of flooding

 

[U.P.Guy]

Well this is good advice for sure. I think I'll follow it. But I'm curious is there anyone out there that tried it?

 

[Greybeard]

The pressure on an aquarium is high. 55g tanks especially, since they generally use very thin glass in comparison to their size... nope, no way I'd try and drill under pressure.

Now... if that were an acrylic tank, then sure.

In your position, I'd probably buy a new 55g tank, drill it, get it plumbed and ready, and then transfer your reef 55g tanks aren't generally too expensive. Oh, who am I kidding... I'd buy a new 75, or 120, and move to that

 

[Brew12]

Well this is good advice for sure. I think I'll follow it. But I'm curious is there anyone out there that tried it?

I know it has been done successfully a few times and not so well a few times.

If you do want to do it, this seems to be the preferred method. Again, I don't advise this, so it is doing it at your own risk.

Drain the tank at least 1/2 way.
Build a wood frame for a drill bit guide and clamp/tape it to the tank.
Tape a very loose plastic catch inside the tank to catch any glass shards.
Stuff a paper towel into the drill bit to hold water.
Drill with minimal pressure very slowly. Stop every 30 seconds or so to wet the paper towel with a spray bottle.
Expect it to take over an hour per hole on your tank. You need to go that slow.

 

[tdileo]

Why not just buy a big rubbermaid holding container and putting everything in there for 2 hours while you drill and then plumb the tank? No worries about shattering the glass (which I guarantee will happen if you drill with water in the tank).
Also, make sure you are using a diamond blade. Bring the tank outside and have a hose constantly running cold water on it. If you can try and get somebody to just hold the hose for you

 

[jboone82590]

Its going to be hard.
I broke 2 tanks doing it this way.
It may be better to just take everything out and take it outside and do it right.
Everything would be fine in a tub for a day or 2 while u get it drilled and plumbed.

 

[U.P.Guy]

There appears to be a consensus here haha. So I'm glad I asked before getting crazy blowing the tank on the stand.
I do have a 75 available to me relatively cheap but this 55 gallon is expensive enough, I feel like upgrading a tank would mean more than just the tank and stand. Either way I won't drill it on the stand, but I'll keep you guys posted with what I decide. I should probably drill two holes, for a backup? Is this a lot for the thin walled 55. Does anyone have anything against hardware store bulkheads?

 

[Mike N]

Why not just buy a big rubbermaid holding container and putting everything in there for 2 hours while you drill and then plumb the tank?

+1
This is the way to go. Just spend a little money on a container that can be reused/repurposed later.

 

[Greybeard]

Your call... you know your finances, I don't... but from a 55 to a 75 isn't usually a big deal. Same 4 ft light should work, same rock and sand will do (might need a few more pounds of substrate, if you're running a real thin layer. It's an easy upgrade, and you won't believe the difference between 12" wide and 18" wide. That 6 inches makes a HUGE difference. Then again, my new tank is 30" wide, so I guess I'm just a sucker for fat tanks

 

[jboone82590]

There appears to be a consensus here haha. So I'm glad I asked before getting crazy blowing the tank on the stand.
I do have a 75 available to me relatively cheap but this 55 gallon is expensive enough, I feel like upgrading a tank would mean more than just the tank and stand. Either way I won't drill it on the stand, but I'll keep you guys posted with what I decide. I should probably drill two holes, for a backup? Is this a lot for the thin walled 55. Does anyone have anything against hardware store bulkheads?

75 wont be much more then a 55.

 

[surgeon1]

I have drilled a hole in a 180 glass sump while it was running with 1/2 inch glass. took a long time but no cracks and I place the 2 inch bulkhead without any trouble.

 

[surgeon1]

I should note that I have probably drilled 2 or 3 dozen holes in glass, so I think I am reasonably good at doing it.