Help Picking an Overflow

[Reef_Tank_Fan_SC]

was it really that easy??? ive watched a tone of how to vids, also have brought the diamond drill bits. but still nervous as hell about attempting it lol

It really was that simple.. honestly. If you happen to have a piece of glass your not using then practice on it first so you get a feel for it. Like an old tank lit or something like that. You may even be able to get Lowes or Home Depot to give you a scrap piece for just a couple bucks. I had an old lid in my garage so I hit it first and once I seen how easy it was I just laughed at myself for being so nervous. Just keep a good water flow on the bit and go slow and steady. Don't push the drill, just let gravity do the work. The hardest part for me was just making sure that the glass wasn't tempered beforehand. Once I knew it wasn't it was smooth sailing.

 

[Big G]

was it really that easy??? ive watched a tone of how to vids, also have brought the diamond drill bits. but still nervous as hell about attempting it lol

The drilling part is easy. Don't push the drill. Just let the weight of the drill apply the pressure to the glass. What you are really doing is "grinding" the glass slowly. As you get close to coming out the other side, ease up a bit so the glass doesn't pop a chip or two out. You want a nice clean hole without chips. Cheers!

 

[John Holbrook]

I have looked at the Synergy ones and I love the look of them but they are like $250 for just the overflow, which is a bit much


That is a good point! I think I will drill a tank (which will be terrifying!)

I have 2 Marine depot HOB on my tank and I like them. But I have a canopy that covers them too. The reason I went with those, is my tank takes a lot of room, so I set it up about a foot off the floor, my sump is to the side

 

[Brian W]

I always drilled my own tanks. I tried Glass-Holes overflow kit and found them to be too loud. Now Im working on a new 85 gallon rimless starphire tank. Im had a custom tower overflow built from Disturbed Dimensions out of Ft. Worth TX. It was completed in less than 24 hours. Installed on my tank in less that 48 hours from the initial contact I had with them. Price was $60

Cant go wrong drilling and installing the overflow yourself. Pretty easy to do.

 

[jamiec266]

It really was that simple.. honestly. If you happen to have a piece of glass your not using then practice on it first so you get a feel for it. Like an old tank lit or something like that. You may even be able to get Lowes or Home Depot to give you a scrap piece for just a couple bucks. I had an old lid in my garage so I hit it first and once I seen how easy it was I just laughed at myself for being so nervous. Just keep a good water flow on the bit and go slow and steady. Don't push the drill, just let gravity do the work. The hardest part for me was just making sure that the glass wasn't tempered beforehand. Once I knew it wasn't it was smooth sailing.

What do you mean by not tempered?

 

[jamiec266]

It really was that simple.. honestly. If you happen to have a piece of glass your not using then practice on it first so you get a feel for it. Like an old tank lit or something like that. You may even be able to get Lowes or Home Depot to give you a scrap piece for just a couple bucks. I had an old lid in my garage so I hit it first and once I seen how easy it was I just laughed at myself for being so nervous. Just keep a good water flow on the bit and go slow and steady. Don't push the drill, just let gravity do the work. The hardest part for me was just making sure that the glass wasn't tempered beforehand. Once I knew it wasn't it was smooth sailing.

How would i find out if its tempered or not?

 

[redfishbluefish]

Google this.....using a pair of polarized sunglasses and a white screen on a phone or tablet, turn the phone/tablet until the screen goes black. If it's total black, it's OK to drill. If you see grey streaks, it's tempered, and can NOT be drilled.

I left out that the phone/tablet is on one side of the glass (inside the tank), while you are looking through the glass wearing the sunglasses.