diy overflow

[malofish]

I was wondering if anyone knew of a good way to skim a 7minibow aquarium without having to adda bulky box or a custom dam, I don't have a prob drilling the tank. Any ideas would be great!! Thanks

[eleyan]

I was able to drill my 20G using a 1 1/4 drill bit I got from HomeDepot, It is meant for tiles, but it worked fine for glass. This was much cheaper than buying a glass drill bit ($10 vs $50). I think my tank was 1/4 or 3/8 thick. What I did was fill about "1/4 water in the tank to cool the glass down as I drilled it. I went slow and did not put too much pressure. My bottom was temperg glass, so I ended up drilling the side of the tank instead. I drilled it about "3-"4 from the top and put a PCV bulkhead and elbo from HD (<$1 each). If your bottom is not tempered glass, you can drill it and use a peice of PVC pipe along with the bulkhead to raise the water level.

[Tim Marvin]

Also don't forget to measure twice and cut once! Remember to add the the elbow length. The water will typically be about 1/2 to 1 inch above the elbow. You can always add a small piece of pipe if you drill too low, but if you drill too high...........

[eleyan]

Another trick I used to adjust the water level was to use a bulkhead with a female 1 1/4 inch fitting on the inside of the tank. Then I got a 1 1/4 inch elbow and placed it in there without glueing it. I turned the elbow to different angles to get different water levels. I never had to glue it since it fit pretty snugg.

[MikeP]

I was just thinking of this - I have stagnant water at the top of my 29 gallon nano - was thinking of rigging up some kind of strainer to sit on a maxijet intake that would pull from the top of the water.

[dan]

malofish, that sounds like the best idea drill hole and install a bulkhead and from the inside put a 90 turning up.

[dan]

of course than you would need a sump to pump water back to the tank. o by the way THANKS FOR THE FRAGS really cool of you man!!!

[malofish]

thanks for all the info, the only prob. is that I don't have a drill press, I only have a drill, it's a real nice drill, I paid over 130 for it about a year ago. I just need to know if I can do it with this kind of drill, it's the kind you have to plug it to the wall? I think it just might be smarter to let aquatic warehouse do for 15 big ones!!

[manny]

yeah, AW would probly be the best thing to do. 15 bucks isn't a bad price compared to how much everybody else charges.

[manny]

Are there any advantages to using a durso stand pipe instead of the upturned 90 deg elbow?

[Instar]

Hey Tim, you skipped a couple things -- measure twice with micrometers, mark it with chalk, cut with a chainsaw and glue or paint to suit.

If you plan on sitting the mini sump behind the mini bow, I can't see where the durso will do much for anything. If you plan for it under a cabinet, then when the pipe is verticle and the durso is adjusted correctly (calibrated some call it), then it will be perfectly quiet and will not get air locked on you causing a mini flood.

[prof]

You can use a dremel and trim the elbow down if it is too big. I built an overflow for my 40g that turned out pretty well.

It consisted of a 3" T fitting, reduced to 1" to fit the bulkhead. I cut strainer slots on one side of the T and capped the other side. So, strainer up, cap down...in the tank. I then trimmed a 90 degree elbow to fit inside the T fitting and pointed it down like a durso. A small hole for air in the top of the elbow and it works great.

Sorry, no pics right now.

[eleyan]

I used a regular hand drill when I drilled mine. Just had to make sure I made no sudden moves. Oh yeah, I tested the drill bit on a peice of glass the first time, and I broke that one. It was 1/8" and I think it did not withstand the preasure. I tried it a gain and was able to drill it by not pushing too hard. It took about 10 min just to drill it. The main thing is to keep it cool. I found that submerging it in water as you drill is the best way. The thing you want to watch for is the last bit right before you break through. Make sure you don't slip and hit the glass with the body of the drill as it goes through. Good luck

[prof]

I have drilled a couple of tanks with a dremel and the diamond tipped bits. Turned out ok. Do a search on reefcentral for more info.