making freshwater 55's saltwater

[lorihallfrisch]

hi, i am new here, I have 2 55 gal aquariums that i am considering trying to set up as salt water. do you have to put holes in them,,and thats not something i want to do myself,
is that something a fish store could do and any idea of the cost? i will probably just use one of the 55 gal and sell the other.

 

[heatdissipation]

No you don't have to put holes in them, but having a drilled tank is a nice bonus, and it's not hard to do yourself. You just have to make sure the glass is not tempered, And converting a freshwater tank to saltwater is fine as long as you are positive it has never been treated with copper in the past. I am sure someone else will come along soon and give you more advice also.

 

[bobman]

Most 55 gallon tanks are tempered glass and cant be drilled. You can use the siphon overflows. I dont like them but they do work.

 

[heatdissipation]

That's what I thought also bob man, i even had it typed out but erased it because I wasn't 100% sure

 

[bobman]

Countless videos on utube about drilling 55 gallon tanks and none have had a happy ending. Now another thing to keep in mind is that you can drill tempered glass but I would take it to a glass shop. You do see 55 drilled tanks in most all lfs and even my 92 gallon corner is drilled at the bottom and has a sticker right next to where it is drilled that says tempered bottom do not drill lol. However it would require a heck of a lot of patience along with a drill that has a very very low setting on the clutch and there is no way for the bit to bind, lots of water and you will still probably end up with a broken tank. A 75 on the other hand can be drilled. I never drill the bottom but the back glass I drill with no issues. However I do recommend lots of very stiff drinks so if you do in fact break the tank you can blame it on he alcohol

 

[lorihallfrisch]

Oh my I don't drink. Lol Think I'll pass on drilling....guess I'll have to check out go to do it without drilled

 

[lorihallfrisch]

Any idea of cost at by a pro?

 

[3dees]

you can drill it or have it done, but you can also go sumpless. sumps are great for hiding equipment and for more water volume but many tanks (including mine) are sumpless.