Tank Drilling

[oldreefer76]

I need to get 2 holes drilled in the back of my 29g and was wondering were on the west side of Cleveland I can get it done or a good source for the hole saws to drill them myself

[serpentman]

You can purchase diamond drill bits online but they are pretty expensive. The glass on a 29 is relatively thin, you could use a diamond tip demel tool. I was a little nervous the first time but its really a breeze.

[oldreefer76]

I would try the dremmel if I owned 1 and North coast Marine in Solon is about $58 for the hole saw

[itZme]

The hole saw I have is from THIS VENDOR (http://stores.ebay.com/THK-Diamond-Tools_Diamond-coated-stuff_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ2QQftidZ2QQtZkm) on Ebay. It was less than $10 and has held up great through everything I have drilled so far. It only took about a week to deliver from Hong Kong.
I was very nervous for the first few tanks I have drilled. It helps to have a few under your belt but don't ever think you have it mastered or you may end up with scrap pieces of glass :). I have been lucky enough to never break one yet ( I stress the YET part)

-- Kevin

[bond007069]

i second the ebay source, you will get a much nicer hole, then with the freehand dremel

[ohclereefO2]

Can anyone link me to what bulkhead you used and what size hole you drilled?

I'm thinking of trying this. :)

[bond007069]

1 inch bulkhead =hole size 1 3/4 inch

look at MD, CA, or PA online stores to find more information, each bulk might be different

[oldreefer76]

ok next ? 29g tank into a 10g sump 3/4" or 1" drain

[carman9941]

I would go with 1.5"

[oldreefer76]

ok 1" should give me 600gph and 1.5 what around 800gph and my skimmer can do 260gph in sump now to figure a return via 3/4" I am getting so confused trying to figure this out I am an electrical whiz (and can wire anything on the fly) can plumb or pipe anything but calculating what I need is killing me

[ChickenCannoneer]

You don't want a lot of flow through your sump. I would say a couple hundred would be plenty so that would be like a 1/2 " pipe return and a 1" drain. I wouldn't worry too much about it as you will always have some working room. If the drain is oversized the water will just go through it slower and you can always tune back your pump but I doubt that that would happen. And for further reference here is the RC flow calculator: http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/drain.php?gph=200&drain=Submit

HTH, Tim

[oldreefer76]

ok 1" drain gives me 600gph a mag5 thru 3/4" the way I want to pipe it will give me around a 300gph return (calculator on RC does not do 1/2" headloss) and my skimmer in sump will process about 300gph am I on the right track or do I need to increase return pump size?

[itZme]

That's exactly the way I did my 29g with 20L sump/fuge. 1" drain and 3/4" return. If you push more than around 300gph through the drain it will need a durso or it will begin to gurgle and flush. I ran the pump turned down a bit and was happy with the amount of flow through the fuge.
I used a 45mm holesaw for the 1" bulkhead and did an over-the-back return using PVC.

Let me know if you'd like to follow through on the plan to do it here. You can do it using my tools if you have no plans on doing any more holes later and don't want to invest in the tools or you can just sit and watch for a few minutes while i break your tank ERRR.. i mean drill your tank. :lol:

-- Kevin

[oldreefer76]

I have all the tools I need and am going to get those hole saws off the ebay link you posted,and my plan for the return was also over the back and splitting it into lockline nozzles and piping. OK seems I have my plumbing plans locked into my brain and can fly with it, the Lighting is a breeze, already can redo my MH and may go T5 for supplementation. My next obstacle is building the stand and canopy. I have all the high end tools but I am by no means a carpenter, for me electrical/lighting can do that asleep, plumbing no big deal, welding easy, carpentry ouch

[tye_c]

One thing that I found when drilling is that it is difficult to start the hole. I made a template out of 1x4 that was pretty much the same size as the glass bit. Taped the 1x4 in place drilled for a minute or 2, just long enough to get a nice groove and removed the template. With the groove already there you can dril away. I also clamped a 1x4 on the back of the glass behind the hold. Helps with chipping and doesn't let the driled out glass fall. HTH

[bond007069]

Also put a towel on the floor, (where the glass chunk is going to fall), so it does not break the other side of the tank, when it falls out.

Use plain water to "lubricate" the drill bit

[cmador]

Great thread guys with good info. I've been thinking of upgrading my 20h sumpless to a 26 bowfront with a 20l sump. I have never drilled a tank before and I have some questions. Where specifically are you drilling the drain on the back of your tank? Are you also building an overflow or just using a drain kit? TIA.

[oldreefer76]

I am going to just build a drain into the sump, looking at a 15g or 20l now instead of the 10g am going to get the euroreef skimmer from fade2black , and run a mag5 piped over the top into locklines. I am going to drill the hole close to the top