Can you drill a tank if you drain some water out of it?

Alex808

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As the title says. Can you drain some water out of a tank that is alive and full of critters and then drill a hole for your over flow or is this a dangerous task to undertake? Will the weight of the contents put to much pressure on the walls as you compromise integrity of the glass.

Tank is a 20 long with aqua clear HOB style filters that work fine but I’d like to go to a sump set up. Only thing is, I don’t want to tear the tank down just to set it back up.
Has anyone here ever done this?

I’ve also seen some folks do the siphon style over flow but that’s a recipe for disaster isn’t it?
 

Spieg

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Glass or acrylic? It can/has been done but it's not without risk. Acrylic is probably not a big concern, but glass is another story. Full or empty there is a chance of cracking the glass, which can be a big problem if full of water and livestock. At the very least I would be prepared with some kind of a backup tank/tub in case you need it in a hurry.
 

JGT

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As the title says. Can you drain some water out of a tank that is alive and full of critters and then drill a hole for your over flow or is this a dangerous task to undertake? Will the weight of the contents put to much pressure on the walls as you compromise integrity of the glass.

Tank is a 20 long with aqua clear HOB style filters that work fine but I’d like to go to a sump set up. Only thing is, I don’t want to tear the tank down just to set it back up.
Has anyone here ever done this?

I’ve also seen some folks do the siphon style over flow but that’s a recipe for disaster isn’t it?
Can be done, carefully and slowly. You can take a zip lock bag and tape it to the opposite side of glass from where you are drilling. Drill from the outside and have the bag taped inside. Any glass shards will fall outside the tank as you drill and the bag will catch the shards and the glass plug inside the tank. Just remove the tape/ bag carefully and toss.
 

gizzo12

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As the title says. Can you drain some water out of a tank that is alive and full of critters and then drill a hole for your over flow or is this a dangerous task to undertake? Will the weight of the contents put to much pressure on the walls as you compromise integrity of the glass.

Tank is a 20 long with aqua clear HOB style filters that work fine but I’d like to go to a sump set up. Only thing is, I don’t want to tear the tank down just to set it back up.
Has anyone here ever done this?

I’ve also seen some folks do the siphon style over flow but that’s a recipe for disaster isn’t it?
I’m in the same situation as you but I chose to go the hob overflow route because I didn’t want to risk any chance of breakage. If you set it up correctly and get a good one like LifeReef, then there is little to no risk. As I’ve been told.
 

xxkenny90xx

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Sure, you can do it and might even be successful. You would want drain like 90% of the water. Still I would never attempt this. Especially with thin glass like that. If it does crack the crack will instantly run to wherever pressure is being applied (right where the water is....)

The advice your getting in this thread is making me very nervous, let's get some more opinions here @ReefSquad #reefsquad
 

Weasel1960

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Never drilled a tank but I wouldn’t suggest it especially if you have sandsifting inverts. Is there a way to modify the HOB to go down to the sump?
 

Idoc

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Well, I have never drilled a tank and the general consensus of the thread responses seems to be that it can be done. But, you better have a quick reaction plan ready to go if that glass breaks! But, it's only 20g... I would put the fish/rocks/water, etc... in a plastic tote for a couple hours and drill the tank safely.
 

Pistondog

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As the title says. Can you drain some water out of a tank that is alive and full of critters and then drill a hole for your over flow or is this a dangerous task to undertake? Will the weight of the contents put to much pressure on the walls as you compromise integrity of the glass.

Tank is a 20 long with aqua clear HOB style filters that work fine but I’d like to go to a sump set up. Only thing is, I don’t want to tear the tank down just to set it back up.
Has anyone here ever done this?

I’ve also seen some folks do the siphon style over flow but that’s a recipe for disaster isn’t it?
Yes try to drill. Siphons suck.
Remove as many critters as you can.
Always think/plan about the worst that can happen.
You crack the tank and have to replace it, after drilling the new one.
Not so bad if the livestock have a temp home,
YouTube videos about this.
 

SliceGolfer

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We’re talking about a 20g tank. Buy a new one, drill it, then swap the tanks out. I’m sure the $30-$40 bucks you spend on a new 20g will be much less than that thin glass cracking and spilling 15 gallons on your floor, damaging your home, and potentially not being covered by your insurance policy.
 
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Alex808

Alex808

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We’re talking about a 20g tank. Buy a new one, drill it, then swap the tanks out. I’m sure the $30-$40 bucks you spend on a new 20g will be much less than that thin glass cracking and spilling 15 gallons on your floor, damaging your home, and potentially not being covered by your insurance policy.
I’m a lazy reefer lol. But that’s what I’m gonna probably have to do. Would go bigger but the Lady friend insists we don’t have the space. Already got 3 dogs running around
 

Brandon3152134

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As the title says. Can you drain some water out of a tank that is alive and full of critters and then drill a hole for your over flow or is this a dangerous task to undertake? Will the weight of the contents put to much pressure on the walls as you compromise integrity of the glass.

Tank is a 20 long with aqua clear HOB style filters that work fine but I’d like to go to a sump set up. Only thing is, I don’t want to tear the tank down just to set it back up.
Has anyone here ever done this?

I’ve also seen some folks do the siphon style over flow but that’s a recipe for disaster isn’t it?
Seems risky you could end up cracking the glass then you would be really out of luck. The hob overflows need to have a float switch on the pumps negative wire fed through a relay to 12 volts and then they are safe. Here's a link to a float swicth build.
Eshopps builds some nice overflow boxes that seem to last the longest without breaking siphon and keep a siphon when theres a power outage. But they always have the potential to break siphone so make sure u install a float swicth. Also a grounding wire if you dont already have one or our expensive fish will be on the floor.
 

Viking_Reefing

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Can it be done? Perhaps. Cooling the glass will be a challenge for one.
Should you do it? No, that’s stupid.
The risk to reward ratio is all out of whack.

For a small(ish) tank like that removing everything won’t take to long an then you can do this properly without risking a complete disaster.
 

malacoda

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I'll second the notion that ... for a 20 gallon ... it'd probably be easier and safer to just empty out the tank, drill it, then put everything back in.

I completely took down a 48x18x18" 65g in 6 hours. We're talking a full tear down -- all the coral-covered rocks and livestock into buckets, sand bed removed, all equipment removed, wiped down and packed up -- for a move. (and then immediately drove everything to our new house 9 hours away...)

All you have to do is put the rock, livestock and water into another 20g container ... cover your sandbed (if you have one) with a plastic trash bag sealed against the glass with some masking tape ... drill your holes ... then put your rock, water and critters back in. Shouldn't take more than 2-3 hours. Much better than taking a chance on cracking the tank and ending with everthing on the floor.
 

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