Drilling the bottom of my custom 220

Genj · 03/03/2017, 11:47 AM

Hello all, it's been a while since my tank was operational. Latest development is that I have placed my new 220 gallon that was custom made for me. The bottom of the tank is 3/4 untempered glass.

Unfortunately the quick drain hole was left out. The question I have is, should I really drill the hole or just leave it as is and use a pump for water changes?

The local shop has the equipment to properly drill the tank, and will countersink on the outside in order to remove any small cracks from the blowout.

Naturally I'm very concerned, as I don't want to have a crack in the bottom of this tank.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Thank you.

LobsterOfJustice · 03/03/2017, 12:29 PM

Personally, I don't like holes in the bottoms of tanks as I think it introduces unnecessary risk. I also don't think drilling the bottom of the display tank for a water change drain is the best way to accomplish this. You have several other options, depending on the setup of your system as a whole (including sump, fuge, frag tank, sw mixing barrel, etc).

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luvreefs23 · 03/03/2017, 02:12 PM

I agree, if you get a leaky bulkhead your screwed plus it would be better to suck out detritus and sediment with a hose or a python water exchange hose. Or put the hole for draining water in the sump and spare the integrity of the show tank

ca1ore · 03/03/2017, 02:25 PM

Add me to the 'it's a bad idea' list. What would you do if the bulkhead got knocked and started to leak? Often they need to be cleaned and reseated. How would you do that without draining the tank?

Genj · 03/03/2017, 04:55 PM

I'm leaning to not having the hole. While I had the hole in my previous 220, and never had a problem, I'm skeptic about having a hole done outside of the manufacturing process that isn't tempered with some portion of 1600 lbs of water on top of it.

03/03/2017, 11:47 AM	#1
Genj Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 74	Drilling the bottom of my custom 220 Hello all, it's been a while since my tank was operational. Latest development is that I have placed my new 220 gallon that was custom made for me. The bottom of the tank is 3/4 untempered glass. Unfortunately the quick drain hole was left out. The question I have is, should I really drill the hole or just leave it as is and use a pump for water changes? The local shop has the equipment to properly drill the tank, and will countersink on the outside in order to remove any small cracks from the blowout. Naturally I'm very concerned, as I don't want to have a crack in the bottom of this tank. Please let me know your thoughts. Thank you. __________________ -- 115g custom 60x22x20 rimless by Miracles 220g custom 72x28x24 rimless by Miracles

03/03/2017, 12:29 PM	#2
LobsterOfJustice Recovering Detritophobe Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 7,443	Personally, I don't like holes in the bottoms of tanks as I think it introduces unnecessary risk. I also don't think drilling the bottom of the display tank for a water change drain is the best way to accomplish this. You have several other options, depending on the setup of your system as a whole (including sump, fuge, frag tank, sw mixing barrel, etc). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. I remember when zoanthids were called things like "green" and "orange" and not "reverse gorilla nipple." Current Tank Info: 180g reef with all the bells and whistles

03/03/2017, 02:25 PM	#4
ca1ore Grizzled & Cynical Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Stamford, CT Posts: 17,319	Add me to the 'it's a bad idea' list. What would you do if the bulkhead got knocked and started to leak? Often they need to be cleaned and reseated. How would you do that without draining the tank? __________________ Simon Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones! Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs

03/03/2017, 04:55 PM	#5
Genj Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 74	I'm leaning to not having the hole. While I had the hole in my previous 220, and never had a problem, I'm skeptic about having a hole done outside of the manufacturing process that isn't tempered with some portion of 1600 lbs of water on top of it. __________________ -- 115g custom 60x22x20 rimless by Miracles 220g custom 72x28x24 rimless by Miracles

03/03/2017, 02:12 PM	#3
luvreefs23 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 758	I agree, if you get a leaky bulkhead your screwed plus it would be better to suck out detritus and sediment with a hose or a python water exchange hose. Or put the hole for draining water in the sump and spare the integrity of the show tank