to drill or not to drill

[Ryeguy1284]

I have a 72 gallon bow front and really want to drill not sure if its worth it and don't know how big how many or where to put the holes I been looking around the forums and other places on the web and just can not find my answer a little help please ty

 

[KoleTang]

It is 100% worth it.

I have a Herbie overflow (Completely silent) with two 1" drains. The return is 3/4" and goes over the back (so no hole for the return). Bulk Reef Supply made a video on the Herbie.

I can't remember the hole size for 1" pipe. I'm sure there is an article on it somewhere.

 

[On388]

Definitely worth it I just drilled my recently and it looks much cleaner. I got my kit from glass-holes.com they made everything really easy.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Got to drill. Glass-Holes kit, without a doubt!

 

[kateater]

Easy to say drill when it ain't your tank. Is it worth the risk? Ton of options for external overflows.

 

[Ryeguy1284]

well im very handy my whole thing is placement and size I did goto that page how many gph do I need for 72g 700? and my tank says the bottom is tempered what about the back how do I know

 

[kateater]

well im very handy my whole thing is placement and size I did goto that page how many gph do I need for 72g 700? and my tank says the bottom is tempered what about the back how do I know

That's some of the risk I was talking about. If its tempered you will find out really quick.

 

[swimmatte]

Got to drill. Glass-Holes kit, without a doubt!

+1

Definitely drill IMHO. I didn't drill before getting it wet and I kicked myself over and over again. I ended up drilling my fully stocked tank and it was the most stressful thing I ever did.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Got to drill. Glass-Holes kit, without a doubt!

^^Agreed^^

 

[On388]

I used the 700gph kit with the same tank as you and works great. Here's a picture to see where I drilled.

 

[Wrx5803]

Deff drill it. Also use a laptop screen and a pair of polarized glasses to help determind if its temperd. Which I doubt it is. You can youtube a video to see how to tell.

Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

 

[redfishbluefish]

HERE is the method I use to determine tempered glass, using a pair of polarized sunglasses and a netbook. It works!


The Glass-Holes kit comes with everything you'll need. It's easy to drill glass. Here's what you need to do.....run the drill slow; NO pressure on the drill, especially when you're about to break through; put something (a towel) below the hole to catch the hole; use water to keep the bit wet (cool).

Also check out the videos on the Glass-Holes site....they are very helpful as are the guys at Glass-Holes.

 

[shred5]

Got to drill. Glass-Holes kit, without a doubt!

Yep I got my first kit from them... I was afraid the first time too... As long as you keep it under water and go slow and keep it straight it is a piece of cake. As long as you know the tank can be drilled and where it can be drilled.

i have seen external overlfows fail to many times for me anymore.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Ryan, you’re not that far from me. If you want, I could come over and assist with the drilling of the tank. I’m hoping it’s empty!

 

[Ryeguy1284]

that would be awesome im going to look into ordering stuff this week end and ill let you know when I get it

 

[jservedio]

Definitely drill if you can! I wish I drilled my 20g, but it was already filled and running when I added the sump and didn't want to drill a filled tank. I ended up using a HOB overflow - which was expensive ($100 for a 20g tank - way more than an entire Reef-Ready tank in 20g) AND I have to constantly run a peristaltic pump to keep vacuume in the siphon in case the siphon is broken (so it'll restart) - another $20 dollars worth.

While It doesn't keep me up at night or worried while on vacation, it is a pain in the butt, expensive, sticks out about 8" behind my tank (so it isn't flush). I REALLY wish I had a drilled tank. Hopefully, next time I move I will have time to drill it.