Drilling tank ... help needed.

[Tynan Rasmus]

I am about to pick up a 75gallon tank, I want to pre-drill it as I plan to add a sump in the future. I have never done this before. My questions would be, what size do the 2 holes need to be, how far down from the top, and how far from the sides of the tank should they be?

Then, when I go to home depot to get the parts for them to attach the pipe to, what do I look for? Keep in mind they will need to be plugged up for the first few months as I wont be running the sump right away.

Thanks

[PlanoReef]

Wow, thats great news! I will be doin some drillin myself this weekend or next. please let me know how they turn out. I recently bought some diamond tipped hole saws/bits of variable sizes off of Ebay that I plan to use to cut the holes. Look at my build thread if u want to see what I have planned.

There are lots of variables that will affect the hole sizes. Will these be for a return only, do u have any closed loops planed? Pump size and flow rate ... like I said lots of variables. I can't think of more but I am sure others will fill in the "blanks".

Lemee give you an idea what I am "planning" at the moment and see if this help you.

I have a regular 75 gal tank (rectangle) and will be drilling two corner overflow boxes into it ... I have already purchased the acrilic "corners" and will will drill a drain hole in each about an inch from each corner centered and am planning to add Durso home made pipes to keep the noise down. These two "drains" will go down to an old 55 gal glass tank that I am converting to refuge/sump/protein skimmer compartment.

I will be using 1" overflows pipes going into sump and pump lowering to fit pump head, raise back to 1" then going into my OM squirt 4 way .... from the squirt it will come out in 3/4" lines back into the tank in four pipes.

For my closed loop I will also be using 1 inch intakes and 3/4 inch returns. Please keep in mind depending on your equipment your decision will vary with flow etc.

Please aslo keep in mind I am new at this as well so that you might want to get some more opions on your specific setup.

I hope that helped. Please let me know how this turns out for you.
Roger

[know-it-all]

Originally Posted by Tynan Rasmus

I am about to pick up a 75gallon tank, I want to pre-drill it as I plan to add a sump in the future. I have never done this before. My questions would be, what size do the 2 holes need to be, how far down from the top, and how far from the sides of the tank should they be?

Then, when I go to home depot to get the parts for them to attach the pipe to, what do I look for? Keep in mind they will need to be plugged up for the first few months as I wont be running the sump right away.

Thanks

glass ot arylic?

either way I think it's 1-5/8" dia hole for 1" bulkheads

for glass, keep a drill diameter away for the edges and other holes

[afbengochea]

I would get the bulkheads first and then try to find the bit after. A lot of the time bulkheads come in different sizes so I wouldnt rely on a "standard" size

[Tynan Rasmus]

cool, thank you all for the info so far. As for the bulkheads, I have no clue what I am looking for. Anything specific? I am guessing to find as close to 1 inch in size as possible?
I am not sure what pump I will be using for the return yet, but can I not buy that later and get one thats appropriate to the diameter of tubing I use? Also, the tank is glass.

[afbengochea]

ok, is the bottom of the tank tempered? Are u putting some kind of overflow box in the tank or are u using just a standpipe? The size matters as the smaller the bulkhead, the less amount of water it can handle ie 1" will handle 600 gph and 3/4 will handle less

[Tynan Rasmus]

no overflow box. Just one pipe coming out, and another returning. I was told to drill them 6" down from the top, and 6" from each side as far as location goes.