Has ayone drilled petco imagtarium tanks?
- Thread starter knap_123
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Bleigh
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What material is it made out of? Acrylic habitats has a video on drilling acrylic tanks. There are tons of videos on drilling glass tanks... you just have to make sure it's not tempered. You can check whether it's tempered using this technique:
If it's tempered it will shatter, if not, watch a few videos, get a diamond bit and go for it. We drilled my tank this past weekend and it was pretty easy.
knap_123
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Love these tanks! Got the 6.8 as well and gutted it. It's going to be my dwarf seahorse tank. I love that these tanks are only 3 pieces of glass. So if something happens to the back it's easy to remove and replace. The 6.8 back is stained black glass. So I didnt check it, but might just get a piece cut so I dont ruin the stock piece.
The trick with thin glass is to go slow, use a a small cordless low voltage drill (like a 12v dewalt for example), set the chuck clutch to the lowest it will go, and drill slowly. You do not need fast speed or any torque for this. The clutch being all the way on 1 will allow the clutch to slip if the bit binds in any way. Cause if it binds up, it will break the thin glass of these tanks.
Another trick is to make 2 templates out of wood the size of the hole you want to drill. Put one piece on one side of the glass and the other piece on the other side. Clamp them there and then proceed to drill. This helps support the bit, support the glass, and allows for the lubricant (water or veggie oil, I like the latter) to stay in place.
With that said, I have drilled numerous thin very small tanks over the years, and they are super easy. You just have to go slow.
knap_123
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I wanted tiny bulkheads for the 3.7 but couldn't find any. Tractor supply had a nice 1/2 but still to big for a pico. So I got creative.
Used a old float valve , hacksaw and sand paper. This will be the return might drill the whole out a little bigger.
Used a old float valve , hacksaw and sand paper. This will be the return might drill the whole out a little bigger.
Bleigh
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Reef Squad
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Reef Tank 365
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I wanted tiny bulkheads for the 3.7 but couldn't find any. Tractor supply had a nice 1/2 but still to big for a pico. So I got creative.
Used a old float valve , hacksaw and sand paper. This will be the return might drill the whole out a little bigger.
Did you check bulk reef supply? They have a variety of sizes.
Bleigh
The best bad influence
Reef Squad
Partner Member 2024
Excellence Award
Reef Tank 365
Hospitality Award
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CRC Member
My Tank Thread
You should check all tanks. Just because one isn't tempered doesn't mean they all aren't. I've heard that manufactures will use whichever is cheaper at the time - resulting in some variation overtime. It's not hard to check and it saves a headache if it is tempered.
knap_123
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I did get a 10 from petco and used my phone and sunglasses. When I tried that way I was sure it was tempered. But when I put in front of my home computer with sunglasses. It blacked out and shows non tempered.
Completely blacked out when I rotate my glasses.
Completely blacked out when I rotate my glasses.
