drilling holes in an aquarium

[msu344]

Anyone out there know whether or not a diamond tipped hole saw can drill holes in all varieties of aquarium glass? I ask this because i have a 55 G that has a little sticker on the bottom of the tank that says do not drill, tempered glass.

Can a diamond tipped hole saw drill it, or am i cursed to have to maintain a syphon overflow all the time??

Any tips, help, clues, etc.. would be great!!

MSU344

[ackerman]

Usually only the bottom is tempered glass. It will shatter if you try to drill it. You should be able to drill the back glass as long as you keep the bit cool with water as you drill.

[kraze3]

dont drill the bottom its tempered glass, it wont work. Now just because the bottom says tempered doesnt mean the sides are. You need to either contact the manufacturer or take it to a glass shop and see fi they can tell you if the sides or front and back are tempered. Good Luck!

[sjm817]

Typically, the bottom is tempered, but the sides are not.

[Steven Pro]

Many 55 gallon aquarium are also made of tempered glass on the two long sides as well as the bottom. Double check with the manufacturer before you attempt to drill this tank.

[Shagsbeard]

Pay a pro to drill it too... this is not a DYI job unless you know what you're doing. You'll bust the side if you don't have a high speed low presure drill press. It takes about 10-15 minutes to drill a hole through glass. Most glass places charge between $25-$50 a hole, and it's worth it.

[cdentii1]

any links on drilling glass?

[msu344]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I think i will play it safe and leave it be and just make sure my next tank is already reef ready!!!

MSU344

[MCary]

Shagsbeard???????????

Like they said, no drilling tempered so lets be clear I'm talking about regular untempered glass.

Glass is very easy to drill and is pretty error proof if the glass is >1/4 inch and you do it properly. I have drilled lots and lots of holes.

Your best bet is a diamond hole saw. The cheapest place to get them is a guy on e-bay from hong kong. They take about a week to get. They cost around 10 bucks. Your can also get them at aquaticeco.com for around $100. Some people use diamond bits for a dremel tool. Forget it. For $10, just get the hole saw. Search "diamond bits" and "diamond hole saw" on E-bay.

You need to keep the area wet. For this you can build a dam from plumbers putty to make a littel pond or just fill the aquarium with a half inch of water.

You need to keep the bit still to start your cut. You can use tape or a portable drill press device like this:

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/18593Picture_031.jpg

As you can see, I am drilling from the bottom in that photo. That is a no-no. Always start the hole from the side the bulkhead washer will be. That side will always have a clean edge. The other may sometime have some chip-out if you pushed to hard on the drill as it was coming out the other side.

This is most important. You are not cutting or drilling. You are grinding. You want to use a slow steady speed. Just enough to hear the bite of the bit. Going faster will not speed up the process. It will only cause excess heat and either crack the glass or shorten the life of the bit.

A 1/4 inch piece of glass should take about 3-5 minutes to drill. 3/8" about 5 minutes. 1/2 inch about 15 minutes.

You need to let the bit cut all the way through. As it starts to come out the other side you need to back off all pressure and just let the bit cut with the weight of the drill. There is only a thin layer of glass holding the plug then. Pressure will bust that layer and can cause chips around the hole on the other side which can make it difficult to seal.

Mike