wbaum08 Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 I'm trying to drill my new 55 G tank, do you guys have any suggestion on who does this? Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmas_one Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 (edited) Don't drill that tank! 55g is a weird tank in that it is one of the only standard sized tanks that has tempered glass on all 5 panels. Edit: Best to test it before you drill: Edited April 11, 2017 by xmas_one 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjmdh Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 I drilled 4 holes in the back of my 55g with no issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdxmonkeyboy Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 drilling is easy if it's not tempered. diamond bit from Amazon and a bottle of water. Drilling tempered glass goes really well for about 10 seconds... not all 55 gal are tempered as previously suggested. I drilled a friend's 55. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higher Thinking Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 I'm trying to drill my new 55 G tank, do you guys have any suggestion on who does this? Thank you. Where are you located? There's probably a member around you that can do it. Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunpeal Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 I've drilled a few tanks.Use a drill with the clutch setting very low. Put a garden hose on it for cooling. Keep the drill straight and use light pressure. When it's almost through and water starts dripping use zero pressure. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmas_one Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 If possible, drill starting from the inside. This way if you do get a tiny clamshell in the glass at the end of the hole it will be on the nut side instead of the gasket side. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdxmonkeyboy Posted April 14, 2017 Share Posted April 14, 2017 kudos to Xmas for the hot tip. I'll throw one out as well, when drilling plastic with a hole saw, run the drill in reverse to get the hole started. This prevents the teeth from "grabbing" the plastic and chewing everything up. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMeyer Posted April 14, 2017 Share Posted April 14, 2017 I had drilled lots of smaller tanks for research aquariums and literally never encountered or heard of tempered glass. Then I tried to drill my first 55G. Tempered glass on all sides, as described above. That was an entertaining failure. Unanimous opinions are boring so I'll throw out an unconventional viewpoint here. I've had two aquariums in my living room with PVC overflows (no-drill) for almost two years now, without a single flood. There are advantages to drilling, but the often stated viewpoint that its the only way to go is probably overstated. You can totally get away with over the side overflows. If your tank is tempered thats basically the only option. Having said this in public I fully expect that when I go home tonight I'll find a puddle on my floor, Murphy's Law being one of the most reliable principles in the universe 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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