drilling side of a glass tank

I drilled my 75 Marineland tank in the back side. Not hard just a little nerve racking at first.
Just use light pressure and take your time.

 

thanks for the glass-holes link. I think I will probably just get the cheaper bits.

these are drills I would normally use for drilling something thicker/heavier:
His Glassworks - Sintered Diamond Core Drills

The water feed adapter is $200, and the bits are $$$$ but it feeds water to the inside of the bit.

For 2 or 3 holes tho, since I don't need the bigger sizes often for what I do, the cheap ones will probably work great.

If I'm not getting sick this will be my project this weekend I think.

-Doug

 

I used a $20 1 1/2" bit to drill 9 holes in my 225, and the glass is 1/2" thick. Got it off of ebay (dont know if it matters but the bit was yellow in color) and I drilled 1 hole on each side for a closed loop. 3" in from the corner and 3" up. And dont hold me to it, but I think most 55 gallon tanks are tempered because of their narrow rectangular shape. Cant remember where I read it at. Thought I would mention it.

 

i used a 20 long that was drilled for me by a local glass shop for a 1" bulkhead. it was in service for 2 years and still is great.

i used the gl*******s bit to drill 6 1"bulkhead holes recently (4 on a 75, two on smaller tanks) - it got a little dull towards the end but held up.

here's a link on what tanks are tempered...

Fish Aquarium and Tank  Sizes and Characteristics, starting an aquarium, buying equipment, choosing tanks

go for it!

 

re: tempered glass

In the US all tempered glass MUST be marked on each sheet. There will ALWAYS be a makers mark, and often a serial number or job number. Glass tempering is a highly skilled process and it's not cheap. If you have tempered glass that isn't marked it's probably not really tempered, or it's really old.

and the only tempered glass I've ever seen on a standard/stock tank is on the bottom.

not erally a concern as I'll be drilling on end on the side.

Thanks for the help all!

-Doug

 

just go slow, keep the bit steady, and i recommend use of motor oil it kept the bit i used as cold as it was when i started throughout the whole process. just use some plumbers putty to form a damn that the oil can sit in while you're drilling. oh and catch the glass when it goes through, my mistake the first hole i made was not being ready for the glass to fall through.

 

I accuired a 40g tank i think it was and was goin to drill it for the glass holes over flow until i found out it was tempered glass...shattered into throusands of tiny pieces.

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