Trying to drill a 10g Petco tank

[spiderman097]

Tried everything from going super slow, to taping the absolute crap out of it. Just want to drill a 1 3/4 hole on the side of the tank for drainage. Does anyone have an opinion on this besides buy a 20g because of the thickness of the glass? Better yet, if you can do it for me I'll pay some money for it.

 

[axio]

spiderman097;1092961 wrote: Tried everything from going super slow, to taping the absolute crap out of it. Just want to drill a 1 3/4 hole on the side of the tank for drainage. Does anyone have an opinion on this besides buy a 20g because of the thickness of the glass? Better yet, if you can do it for me I'll pay some money for it.

Seems like there is like a 50% success rate on drilling tanks with glass that thin. Just have to go extremely slow and carefully. But my concern more so would be putting too much weight/pressure on the drilled hole with a bulked+plumping. I have seen tanks that small failed quite often from the seer pressure/pull on the glass.

 

[bobz]

When i set up my breeding system I must have drilled about a dozen or more 10G tanks to get 8 I could use. It was a frustrating process.. new bits and very light pressure.... go slow and steady and resist the urge to apply pressure when you think you are all the way through...let the bit do the work. And Jakub is right about the plumbing putting stress on the glass. I had several crack because i over tightened the bulkhead. Also, make sure that there is no pressure or stress on the plumbing as that will crack the glass as well. I used flexible PVC and a drainage system that was not glued or connected, i.e., it just fir in to a wider opening in the return line. There was a lot a little salt splash but it didn't matter to me since this was part of the breeding system and in the fish room not my display.

 

[sewer urchin]

Not an expert here at all, but I slept in an Holiday Inn recently....

I thought I remember reading about gluing (silicone really) a thicker piece of glass to the 10 gallon and after the silicone dries drill through both. Don't know if it would help with the drilling but might help distribute the weight of the plumbing over a wider area

 

[saltwaterwannabe]

I agree with everything said here...

Another issue some people either miss or do not realize the signifficance of is that heat buildup in the glass adds stress within the glass. Glass can withstand only so much stress, so the heat can really play a huge role since glass is a terrible heat conductor and heat causes expansion - even in glass. Glass can warp or melt also, but in most applications it will break first. I am sure everyone has seen glass sheared from freezer to warm water in the right application... . I have seen you tube videos making cups from blass bottles using the stress to cut the glass with a freezer, solution, and string.

I have used a donut shape of plumbers puddy to make a dish a few times larger than the hole that holds water on the glass as you drill. You can stop and flush the water to keep it cool periodically. It cools both the glass and the bit. Obviously pushing on the drill can add a lot of stress to the glass, but every little bit helps.

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[myvwrock]

I just got a 40breeder for 20 bucks at petco. Do you know if these are tempered? I remember reading something where you can get a white screen and put it in the tank and then look at the screen through the side of the tank with sunglasses and see what color the screen is .... it was something like that

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[sewer urchin]

There are a bunch of vids like this, but this shows examples of both

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly4abrJJUgA">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly4abrJJUgA</a>

Here is where I helped a good friend drill his 40 G breeder. My 5 year old help because he said he was to scared to hold the drill

[IMG]http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=91048">http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=91048</a>

Just kidding!

Oh, if I remember right Petco has 2 different tanks that the sell. One is Aqueon and I believe sometimes they sell a cheaper tempered glass one for the dollar per gallon.

 

[grouper therapy]

I've drilled dozens of 10 gallon tanks and b only cracked onr. Use a cordless drill with the bit chucked barely tight so much so that it will easily spin with your hand. Go outside and run the hose over It as you drill. If the bit binds it will not Crack the glass.

 

[grouper therapy]

I would help you but in recuperating from an injury and surgery.

 

[myvwrock]

ok , I have drilled many tanks. But all the glass we used was never tempered.

 

[spiderman097]

The tanks are so small and fragile, I don't know if it's worth it to drill this tank. I was just going to house a mantis shrimp in it, and have it fed from the return pump. The drilled bulkhead was just going to help with drainage to return back to the sump.

 

[jennm]

myVWrock;1093079 wrote: I just got a 40breeder for 20 bucks at petco. Do you know if these are tempered? I remember reading something where you can get a white screen and put it in the tank and then look at the screen through the side of the tank with sunglasses and see what color the screen is .... it was something like that

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For most tanks, if not all these days, the bottom is tempered. The sides are not.

For the other questions - 10g are tricky to drill.

We used a drill press when drilling any tank. Very very light touch, we put duct tape over the drill site and kept the water flowing over while drilling, to cool the glass.

Still very breakable... but those things helped mitigate the risk.

Jenn

 

[myvwrock]

JennM;1093421 wrote: For most tanks, if not all these days, the bottom is tempered. The sides are not.

For the other questions - 10g are tricky to drill.

We used a drill press when drilling any tank. Very very light touch, we put duct tape over the drill site and kept the water flowing over while drilling, to cool the glass.

Still very breakable... but those things helped mitigate the risk.

Jenn

You are correct a drill press is nice. I have drilled so many pieces of glass with chris,would of been nice to have a press. Or just a drill plunger type press

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[spiderman097]

Yea, I switched to a 20g and it worked perfectly

 

[snowmansnow]

JennM;1093421 wrote: For most tanks, if not all these days, the bottom is tempered. The sides are not.

For the other questions - 10g are tricky to drill.

We used a drill press when drilling any tank. Very very light touch, we put duct tape over the drill site and kept the water flowing over while drilling, to cool the glass.

Still very breakable... but those things helped mitigate the risk.

Jenn

hmm this is the first time I have heard / read the word "mitigate" today.
congratulations