Dumb question time- drilling glass tank

[Junkzoo]

Just wondering , after seeing the latest post on closed loop and such, i have a 200 oceanic(barely used) in the garage , waiting to go in the basement (after i finish the basement) plan on drilling for bulkhead overflows in the back ,now that JT from Harbor is leaving for LA,i need to either sweet talk Joy into doing it , or borrowing the drill bits from her and do it myself. I'm also mulling the idea of drilling for closed loop while i'm at it (more holes) am i risking structural weakening of the tank with the more holes i put in ? i plan on drilling the tank b4 i move it .(out of the garage into my P/U drive it over the back door, up a few deck stairs, then a straight shot down into the basement,,,not a back move in my mind,but a heavy one.(4 strong/young movers i figure)so i plan on being moving boss. bottom line is : am i over cautious about the tank flexing/cracking during the move with possibly 4 holes in the back glass? i plan on having the tank sit on a 3/4" plywood "base" for the move, with probably a controlled "slide" down the basement stairs. not a long/tricky move, but i think there will be a lot of huffing/puffing.(and cheer-leading /encouragement-orders from me)
Any help-hints-encouragement-past experiences?
i bee's askin' ,cuz you TRT'ers bee's smart!
Thanks in advance

[Doug1]

Jeff, assuming you dont drill them edge to edge, the Oceanic should be fine with that many holes drilled in it. The drilling is going to be the crucial point, Slow and Easy

[Junkzoo]

Yup Doug , i figure i'd space 'em out....just did not want to weaken the tank more than i had to,,,

[Doug1]

BTW the chearleading the move makes a lot of sense as well a 200 Oceanic is gotta be a little heavy

[Junkzoo]

Originally posted by Doug1
BTW the chearleading the move makes a lot of sense as well a 200 Oceanic is gotta be a little heavy

Yup again Doug, being that i am a spinal surgery survivor(3 yrs ago coming up Valentine's day) bottom three vert's fused together,,, still got my "bad" days (amen to vicodan, an' muscle relaxers ) My wife might disagree, but i DO know when to be stupid(smart) and let someone else do the dirty work,,,,,
i DID move the tank onto a wheeled dolly platform to move it around in the garage,, but i live by the credo :
"Work smart-NOT hard" LOL
all those months of telling the wife ,,,"yes dear,,,,i'm only filling up the w/c buckets 1/2 way to bring up the stairs"..... SHHHHHHH!!!!

[Junkzoo]

Originally posted by Doug1
BTW the chearleading the move makes a lot of sense as well a 200 Oceanic is gotta be a little heavy

Doug , i'm quessing ,350 lbs. + i think,,,,

[big t]

Well good luck with the big tank move, I think it's great that you have some strapping young lads to help you out!!

[JennM]

I just got in a 120 Oceanic for a custom order, has 2 holes drilled 8" above the bottom of the tank and spaced at even intervals from the edges (16" I think?), in addition to the 2 overflows that are standard on that tank. Jerry at Oceanic Customs had no reservations about doing this. It was factory-drilled, and trucked in, and I moved it from my distributor to my shop, Scott and I moved it into the shop (it weighs about 250) where it stays until the customer's custom cap is ready. There were no structural concerns.

As was mentioned above, the real tedium is in the drilling. Use a drill press, lots of water to keep the glass cool, and go very very slowly. It will probably take you about 45 minutes or more per hole. It takes Scott 25-30 minutes to drill a 75 g and that's thinner glass.

HTH

Jenn

[Junkzoo]

Thanks for the info Jenn!