[doctor T]

OK, I guess I am really addicted or crazy. I am buying a 265 gallon acrylic tank 6 foot long, 2.5 feet wide and 3 feet tall 3/4 inch thick. Damn Craigs list!!! It has no holes drilled so I am looking for input from someone with experience on drilling one out to set up for a reef. I also think I want to cut down the height as 3 feet is a bit too deep for easy maintenence.
This monster is going in the basement!

[jimw369]

That monster holds 335 gal my friend

[doctor T]

I just did the math. Actually when you remove the wall thickness of 3/4 inch, it works out to 69,320 cubic inches which is 300 gallons! Wow I am getting 35 free gallons of fun! I am really hoping that I get some feed back of hole placement, locations and drilling advise. There has to be someone out there who has been there / done that. Should I just do 2 corner overflows or 2 corners and 1 center? I am looking to use an old 55 or 75 gallon tank for a sump / fuge.
I also want to hard plumb PVC pipes with jet holes for water movement. Powerheads are a pain and not relyable.

[doctor T]

Ok folks. I finnaly went down and picked up the "monster today". The tank barely fit in the pick up. I am a bit worried as it is 3 feet high and my arms are only normal length!!! It has NO holes or over flows and I sure would appreciate some help and direction on getting it set up and drilled for a reef. Again it is 6 feet long, 2 feet wide and 3 feet high. The guy had it set up for fresh and I have about 4- 5 gallon buckets of some really nice, black, FW gravel substrate for planted aquariums if any one can use it. Also a bunch of lava rock and slate. He kept Afican Cichlids (sp)?

[doctor T]

There was a typo. 6 x 2 x 3 - feet that is....

[doctor T]

So far no help. Can anyone point me in the direction of where I can get some advice on the set up and drilling of a large 235 gallon, 3/4 inch thick, acrylic tank for reef ready set up???

[migget]

Id find the best local reef store in town go there and then ask for some advice or if anyone there does tth kinda thing. I know i got soe really good advice tht way from one of my LFS's but i decicded not to drill my tank due to it galss and im not tht confident yet.
Another thing you could do is go to home depot and buyt some 1/4 acrylic and practice with a wholesaw bit, drill and someone keeping a steady stream of watter on the area you are drilling.
the last thhing you could chk is the local glass shops, i know sometimes there willing to drill tht kinda thing but only sometimes.

Other then tht go to other reeef sites and ask question jsut like your doing here.

john

[WILLIAM1]

1st off I would never ask the LFS for any advice. There advice will cost you in the end.

2nd its acrylic so go buy a drill bit set for doing holes mark and drill them. This is not glass so it will not shatter or break. Mostly since its 3/4" thats thick. I never drilled holes in acrylic before my last tank and it was super easy.

Just get everything marked and start drilling. I put some masking tape over the area where Im going to drill then mark it. Just find a good spead with the drill and worked it till its done. No water involved since its acrylic.

[CyberJester]

You have a couple of options here. You can do two different type of overflows.

1. Back wall level overflow
2. bottom drilled overflow

Personally I like them drilled at the bottom as this does more to reduce unsightly hosing and gravity also helps feed the system.

Also make sure you drill your holes prior to installing the walls. This will make it easier to clean up the holes so that you get a good tight seal by the bulk heads. Get the holes drilled, clean the holes, install the bulkheads then glue in your overflow wall.

Also make sure you place some type of snail guard on the intake standpipe so that it can not get plugged up by a snail or other creature. This can be a mess as you sump will continue to return into the tank and cause an overflow.

Other then that, just make sure that you take your time and don't rush things, so that you end up with a nice looking job.

[doctor T]

Thanks Cyber, I do appreciate the input. I am planning to drill the bottom and install standpipes. I was hoping for advice on the size, location and number of drain ports and the box wall configurations. Again 6 ft long by 2 feet wide by 3 feet deep (235 gal). I am not so concernd with the actual drilling as I have found several sites with advice on that. It seem with proper planning, patience and a generous amount of coolant the job is no too difficult.

[doctor T]

Isn't there anyone out there that can give me advice on the size / number of the over flows needed for a tank of this size? I sure was hoping for some seasoned input. I bought the tank last spring and it has set idle since then.