Do Not Drill! Tempered Glass

[grisha]

very well... and glad for you ..

 

[bigbris1]

Thanks Ahmed & Greg, all issues (microbubbles & noise) have been rectified. I'm really happy & so is my wife.

 

[fritz]

OMG it worked and you guys video taped it!!!!!!

Oh man I can't believe that. You guys have HUGE b@lls and you taped it! You guys totally get the Reefers of the month award. You guys rock!

 

[DrGonzo]

When Bris told me he was going to do it, I had to bring the camcorder. I gotta give him credit. He did his research and was extremely patient.

 

[bigbris1]

Ah man, I'm just starting to think how I must've looked on that vid.

 

[DrGonzo]

I'm uploading it as we speak. It's too long though, so I'm doing some quick editing.

Ah man, I'm just starting to think how I must've looked on that vid.

 

[bigbris1]

This thread is a must read for anyone contemplating drilling their own tank. There are priceless morsels peppered within. Just when you thought you'd read enough, something else comes up.

 

[OctaviousMonk]

WOW! Congrats! I am glad it worked out for you.

 

[DrGonzo]

Video

Here's just a small clip of the drilling.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlaOl-dBniI


I hope the link works. If not, advice on how to do it is appreciated.


Here's the url: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlaOl-dBniI

 

[bigbris1]

Nice. Thanks man

 

[masterswimmer]

Nice job. Another resident drilling expert surfaces. :party:

 

[Alexxn]

Let's see some pics with the plumbing installed ! :thrash:

 

[fritz]

OH man you guys a friggin nuts. I can't believe you guys did that with a spray bottle. I must say thanks for really pioneering and stepping beyond the realm of what was accepted practice. It is that attitude that drives this hobby forward. Great project! I'm also really glad that you documented the process to show that YES it can be done.

 

[bigbris1]

I have to say that what the video doesn't show is the fact that we stopped periodically to feel the saw blade & spritz the glass. The bit never really heated up. Patience is key, if you follow your natural urge to push the drill thru, you will crack the tank. If you let the bit just grind away, you're golden.

 

[bigbris1]

Let's see some pics with the plumbing installed ! :thrash:

Quiet One 3000 return pump, 1" PVC dor the drain, 3/4" ID clear hose for the return with a Tee & ball to adjust flow from the pump without hindering it's output. This should work in thoery:

Since my tank fit perfectly in the "nook" it sits in, I had to trim the Tee & 1" bulkhead down to make it fit without sticking out:

It's a fit!

 

[bigbris1]

It was up & running but now a new problem, a ton of microbubbles were in there & getting pumped into the main display.

Stitched a filter sock out of some 50 microm floss I had & attached to the drain with a rubber band

Also, the Quiet One was sucking in air thru one of the fittings at the pump. I made a gasket with a rubber band. That solved the bubble issue. Added 10lbs of fine oolitic sand, some base rock rubble & chaeto. Yes!

Return

DIY Auto topoff in action

I also modified the stand so that it has 4 doors instead of the original 2 in the center so I can have complete access.

 

[masterswimmer]

Looks very nice. Great job.

Have you done a power outage test to see if your sump can handle the back flow from your display without flooding?

swimmer

 

[bigbris1]

Looks very nice. Great job.

Have you done a power outage test to see if your sump can handle the back flow from your display without flooding?

swimmer

Thanks.

I have, I get about 5-6 gallons siphoned in an outage, the sump can handle about 4 gallons. I'm figuring that I'll cut some teeth in one of the baffles & cut the other down to accomodate the overage.

 

[masterswimmer]

Thanks.

I have, I get about 5-6 gallons siphoned in an outage, the sump can handle about 4 gallons. I'm figuring that I'll cut some teeth in one of the baffles & cut the other down to accomodate the overage.

I kind of noticed in your pix the sump didn't have much overflow capacity. I wanted to make sure you were aware of it before any flooding occurred. The baffles look very high. The 'teeth' should help a lot. Don't be afraid to lower that by a few inches. It'll give you some peace of mind.

Russ