# Advice on a new build- drilling a 65g or custom?



## dubmaneh (Sep 29, 2012)

Looking to get some opinions on drilling a 65 gallon tank from Big Alls. 

Basically I have space to upgrade to a 65gallon from my 34 cube. I currently have the tank and was going to drill 3 holes for an overflow from glass-holes.com and a return. (Possibly a 4th for a second return.) So two 1.5" drains and two 3/4" returns. 

I have heard that it is risky drilling store bought tanks of this volume as the glass tends to be thinner than on custom built tanks

Has anyone had any success or disasters doing this? Would the cost of a custom built tank be justified by the thicker glass?

Any advice or opinions appreciated. 


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

Are you drilling sides or bottom? If bottom have you looked for a label that says tempered? From what I researched, any BA tank over 40 gallons has a tempered bottom. Drilling the sides, eh. NBD as long as you know it's your own risk. We drilled the side of a 5mm glass tank, and it was fine. But we only did one hole. Just keep in mind that thinner glass will take less stress when you tighten bulkheads onto it, especially if the holes are close together. It is possible to drill a standard tank, going custom gives you more choices.


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## Harry Muscle (Mar 21, 2007)

Have you looked into getting a tank that is already drilled? Both Perfecto and Aqueon sell them and they aren't that much more expensive once you factor in the cost of buying a drill kit and full overflow kit.

Thanks,
Harry


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## wtac (Mar 17, 2006)

Glass is easier to drill @ 3/8" and above unless the drill slips out of your hand in mid drilling .

IIRC, they are now using 3/8" glass for 18"H and 1/2" for 24"H for trimmed/braced aquariums. Holes must be spaced at least 2" apart and you have to be clean as possible when you drill through. Take extra time as you are close to breaking through. Any chips should be ground smooth so cracks don't "spider out". I find duct taping the exit side and clamp with wood helps minimize chipping on the "break out". You know you are through when the annoying pulsing squeeling sound stops and drilling feels different.

Harry makes a great suggestion of using "Reef Ready" (RR) Aqueon and Perfecto aquariums. They are "ready to go". Nothing wrong with using them and for the typical flow rate one would use on a 65gal (260-390GPH), the Durso is pretty quiet. The drawback is the bubble is creates entering the sump but if you design it correctly, you won't have issues other than a bit of splashing noise.

Going the Glass Holes O/F route, you have to set the aquarium ~4" from the wall to accommodate the plumbing at the back whereas RR aquariums you can have ~1/2" from the wall and plumb from underneath. Replace the supplied 1" bulkheads with STD 1" bulkheads and "hard plumb" with PVC.

If it's about the DIY experience...go for it and have $$$ aside for another 65gal if you mess up. If you are on a tight budget, get the RR aquarium and free yourself from the mental torture you are putting yourself through .

JMHO/E/2C


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## nc208082 (Jun 27, 2013)

Not sure if you know this but you can get the 65g reef ready from big als for like 230 bucks from what i remember


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## dubmaneh (Sep 29, 2012)

Thanks for the replies. I drilled out my current RSM 130D and installed an overflow from glass-holes and it has worked great. It does take up a bit of space behind the tank though.

One of the problems with my current setup is the dead space in the rear chambers of the tank (it was designed as an AIO but I changed all that ). It just acts as a settling chamber for detritus and is a PITA to clean out. 

With the RR tanks available, I was thinking that the black compartment that hides the PVC would effectively do the same thing and create a calmer zone that will need to be vacuumed out. 

Ideally I would like to do a coast to coast overflow in my 65g. I'm not concerned with my ability to drill just weakening the structural integrity of the tank by drilling too many holes. 1/2" sounds better than 3/8". Ill have to check the tank I have, I think its a miracles.

What does "IIRC" mean?


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## 50seven (Feb 14, 2010)

If I Recall Correctly

The glass won't crack if supported properly. If you're concerned that it's too thin then when you place the tank on the stand, put a few blobs of silicone or spray foam to help support it. Just smear Vaseline on it first so that you can easily remove it one day. Just an idea...

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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

My overflow area is an awesome place for garbage to collect. I use to clean it out every week but then a fellow reefer told me that he ended up putting sand in his and made it a DSB so I left it alone and now I have a ton of critters in there that clean it up!


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## dubmaneh (Sep 29, 2012)

Using it as a DSB is a great idea! How much sand did you use? Did you fill it to the top? 


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

You would only fill it up 8-10 inches


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## dubmaneh (Sep 29, 2012)

In terms of the RR tanks, does the position of the overflow matter for better flow or is it mostly aesthetics?


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

Flow shouldn't rely on a return and overflow. The flow should come from powerheads or other forms of water movement since most returns are only running 10x water volume per hour.

In my tank I'm running around 450g/hr and my total volume is around 70g but I find that it works well for me in a nutrient rich system. I can't keep most SPS like acros and milli's but the softies and LPS do very well in my tank, as well as monti's.


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