Dumbass

[bunglehaze]

Is it at all possible to drill holes in tanks without removing all of the inhabitants? eg dropping the water levels and creating a safe area to catch any bits. the reason I ask is my tank is not pre drilled and I want to add a sump, I have just seen an idea for a diy weir that has caught my eye as easy to make and effective and uses no extra room behind my tank.

like I said this will sound dumb but it dont hurt to ask http://www.ultimatereef.com/ibv3/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[simon garratt]

Yes it is as long as you drop the water level WELL below where your drilling. glass gets hot when your doing this. If you leave the water level just below where your drilling the top of the hole will get hotter than the bottom and possibly cause the panel to crack.........not my first choice, but do'able.

Cheers

Si.

[bunglehaze]

thanks si, i was wondering if anyone has actually done this before. i could partially empty my tank any way as ive got a spare water butt to put the water in, i would need to lighten it up a tad anyway just to move it away from the wall.

should i invest my money in diamond tipped glass drill bits to be on the safe side??

cheers
leigh

[pavlo]

Hi

I had my sump drilled in-situ with the circulation still running.
The water level was about 8 inches below the hole. What made things more difficult was that I needed a 50mm hole and the biggest drill the man had was 30mm. With care, he was able to chain drill the hole to get the required size. It was a risk, but it went ok.
You will need special diamond encrusted core drills to do the job and these are very expensive.

HTH

Paul

[reefkeeper]

bunglehaze,

it is possibel i have done it many times however there are a few points you should remember. there is a chance that when drilling glass on a vertical pane the supply of cooling water will not be equal this will result in a "hot" patch at the drilling point which means simply the glass will break.

if the tank has water in it then the extra pressure will force the glass crack into a total breakage. ie water all over the floor.

also your household insurance will not cover you for breakage to the glass when it is being drilled

after all that it is possible with the proper equipment

danny