Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am re-doing my 30 gal Auratus Vivarium and would like to have the tank drilled for a sump. I am thinking I will have two 1/2 to 3/4 inch holes drilled in the back of the tank near the bottom. My one concern is that the holes will compromise the structure of the tank. I am a college student, and therefore will have to transport the tank a few time a year. Will having the glass drilled make it imposable to transport the tank with out it cracking? Thanks for your advice. –Bryan
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0.0.5 Blue Dendrobates Auratus
3.2.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Hymenochirus boettgeri)
2.2.0 Asian Floating Frogs (Occidozyga Lima)
1.1.0 White's Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea)

I have drilled many aquariums over the years, you need to get a special flat drill bit that has a notch in it. You then build a mote around where you want to drill with clay and then add metal filings and water, a standard tank will take 30-40 minutes using this process. Once drilled the glass bottoms structural integrity stays the same, I have moved many of these tanks several times with no problem. I have had a tank bottom crack on me when I tried to clean up the hole I drilled but once my drain plug is in place the bottoms and drilled areas seem as strong as the original piece.

I will second Mark. I have had the glass chip at the end of the drilling process, but have had no problems once the hole is drilled. I have everyone of my tanks drilled and have had to move once across town, and around in my house several times.

Check out the link if you want to drill your own, or if you are located near me I will do it for you if you would like. I is just the first hole that is scary!

Benjamin Green
Drilling glass

Benjamin, thanks for the link.. it's very helpful.

Steven B

I would recommend not drilling it yourself. For $8 or so per hole you should be able to get a glass company to drill it for you . . . and in the event that it cracks, you won't be out the tank (they should pay for that). Oh, and they would be in a better position to konw whether you have tempered glass or not.
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Homer W. Faucett III, esq.
Purveyor of Trivialities and Fine Nonsense

Just curious, have you ever had a tank drilled?
Everyone I ask has said they won't pay for the tank if it breaks, cracks, or shatters in the drilling process!

10 years ago, my friend had thirty 40 gallon tanks drilled for $3 each at the local glass shop. He bought the 40 gallon tanks for $20 each wholesale (he was an angelfish breeder setting up his new room). He had a guarantee that they would not be cracked.

My recommendation to you is that if they are unwilling to guarantee their work, you don't want them drilling your tank. Maybe these guys have enough of a corner on the market that they can do this. Regardless, if you are just having one tank drilled, it is still cheaper to pay the $8 to pay an "expert" to drill the tank than to pay $30 for a bit and break it yourself. You do the math.
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Homer W. Faucett III, esq.
Purveyor of Trivialities and Fine Nonsense

Thanks for the help everybody. I think I will ask a few local glass places if they can drill it for me. Is there any reason why I should have the bottom drilled rather than the side?
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0.0.5 Blue Dendrobates Auratus
3.2.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Hymenochirus boettgeri)
2.2.0 Asian Floating Frogs (Occidozyga Lima)
1.1.0 White's Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea)

Drilling the bottom allows you to spray the tank down and flush all of the waste out of the tank, it keeps the environment for your animals much cleaner. I drilled all of my tanks a few years ago. I was the person that did the first importation of the mint Terribilis, along with a few other species, at that time all of my tanks were not drilled and removed excess water by soaking it up with a towel about every 3-4 weeks. Unfortunately i imported more than frogs with that shipment, something called Chytrid fungus came as well (thanks Dirk Jorgens). I ended up comtaminating and losing my entire collection (including a bunch of Histos and Lehmanni). After that I knew I needed to keep things cleaner and seperate, drilling all of my tanks allowed for that. Drilling tanks is easy but you must have the right tools.

I can't seem to find tanks without tempered bottoms. I have found ones that are sold as "Drillable Bottoms" but these are all over 100 gallons. I have asked the local glass shop if they can drill tempered, and they said "ABSOULUTELY NOT"!! Just my experience, if someone can tell me where to get 10 gallons, or 15 highs with "Drillable bottoms" I would be VERY appreciative!
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MIKE
4.14 Leopards (SHTCT, and Jungle Albino Trempers)
2.13 Fat Tails (Amels, Hets, and Normals)
1.1 Teratolepis Fasciata
1.3 Crested geckos
0.0.3 Dendrobates Tinctorius (Citronellas)
1.0 Diamond Back Terrapin
14 Snakes (Tri colored hogs, subocs, alterna, rosy boas, and black milks)

Most aquariums don't have tempered bottoms until you reach 40 gallon size, and then it is just the bottom. The tank should have a sticker on the bottom if the glass is tempered.
I personally always use the aquariums from All Glass. The ones from Perfecto have a funny ridge in the plastic molding arouns the top. This makes it hard to turn the tank vertical.

Check out the link below!

Benjamin Green
Tank Tech Info