[tmy880]

I am about to purchase a 50 gallon glass tank that will need to be viewed from both sides. Does anybody know about drilling out the bottom of the tank so you dont have to see the filter items hanging off of the back.

I plan on adding a protein skimmer as well.

Pictures of a similiar tank setup are appreciated if you have them.

I'm not new to the hobby, but it has been about 10 years since my FOWLR tank.

Thanks

TMY880

[glampka]

If the bottom of the tank is tempered glass - forget it - you'll have a pile of small glass pieces. Just get yourself a diamond tipped drill bit (can be had on eBay fairly cheap) & be sure to cool the bit with water as you go. The other alternative is to check with local glass companies since they should be able to do it for you.

[D_Bo]

The bottom is most likely tempered on a tank that big.
You can drill the back and run an internal overflow. You can also run a closed loop (external circulation pump) to avoid having powerheads in the tank as well.

The over flow will run to a sump, usually under the stand. You can run your skimmer and heaters in the sump.

You could also run a syphon overflow, but if you end up getting air into it you will break the syphon and possibly overfill the tank since no water is returning to the sump. But plenty of people run them without an issue, there are plenty of fixes out there to prevent a syphon break.

[jimw369]

Hi TMY! Sounds like you might have found a good deal on a 50 gal tank. Please take some advice from first hand experience. If you want a tank that can be viewed from both sides order it already drilled in the bottom for you. You might even want it drilled in the middle of the tank or on the end so your internal overflow box with the pipes in it will not be visible. The point I am trying to make is unless you have a complete understanding about what you want to achieve with your tank and how all its components work with each
other you will be better off $$$ to buy tanks, sumps, skimmers already to go. Trust me,
you will save a lot more in the long run. I learned this the hard way.

[Conus]

Originally Posted by jimw369

Hi TMY! Sounds like you might have found a good deal on a 50 gal tank. Please take some advice from first hand experience. If you want a tank that can be viewed from both sides order it already drilled in the bottom for you. You might even want it drilled in the middle of the tank or on the end so your internal overflow box with the pipes in it will not be visible. The point I am trying to make is unless you have a complete understanding about what you want to achieve with your tank and how all its components work with each
other you will be better off $$$ to buy tanks, sumps, skimmers already to go. Trust me,
you will save a lot more in the long run. I learned this the hard way.

Any recommendations where to buy a tank, sump, skimmer ready to go?