Drill for Bulkhead = WHERE???

[MGKelly]

Where is the best place to drill a bulkhead opening to allow for the fastest, easiest and most efficient draining of your tank?

I've seen them drilled on the bottom, on the side high and on the side low and some people just hang the PVC on the side of the tank without drilling the glass at all.

I've looked at a bunch of fish room setups, planning a project and need some suggestion or experienced insight.

Joe

[Disgirl]

The tank I got recently from a breeder has the hole drilled about half way down the front or back side, he used front, I have it to the back. It is a 2" hole and I keep it plugged but it empties the tank fast if I use it for a wc.
Barb

[Northwoods Discus]

I drilled all my tanks halfway down so I could do 50% water changes. If I forget the tank is draining or it springs a leak it will only go to 50% and the fish will still have water. I connected these to a drain system so no buckets! I can also hook up a hose to the bulkhead for cleaning the bottom and still no bucket!
I have 3/4" pipe and the tanks drain very quickly, I don't think you will need a larger drain than that. On a 60 gal half drains in about 5 minutes. I have not timed it but its quick.
My 150 upstairs in the bedroom is a pain carrying buckets. 10 5 gal buckets for just a 30% WC. I am thinking of moving this tank downstairs also.

[MGKelly]

thanks for the reply's.

What i was thinking is that if you drill the tank in the middle or even at the bottom for that matter, don't still have to siphon the bottom of the tank.

I understand it makes water changes much easier, but some uneaten food and fish debris still remains at the bottom. So don't you have to manually siphon the tank anyway?

thanks, Joe

[GoingDiscus]

I saw a tank that was drilled about halfway down and the guy has a t fitting and ball valve in the line and a hose connected, when he does a water change he opens the valve to get the siphon started and then cleans the bottom first,once thats done he opens the valve to the tank and hes done in a couple minutes...

[Darrell Ward]

Tanks that are drilled on the bottom are generally set up for a overflow box. A standpipe is placed on the bulkhead to control the amount of water that can be drained, and to prevent "flushing" inside to box. Never drill the bottom of a tank unless you are sure that it is plate glass, and not tempered. Many tanks these days have tempered glass on the bottom for extra strength. Tempered glass will shatter into a million tiny pieces if drilled. I recommend drilling on the back of the tank for your purposes. Halfway down should be fine. Just stay away from tank edges where it makes it easier for the glass to crack.

[MGKelly]

Thanks for the reply's!!!!

OK my next question is how well do the "Non Drilled Overflows" work?

Do the overflows stay primed?

thanks, Joe

[csarkar001]

my own experience is that overflow holes drilled on the bottom simply work much better (you get a faster rate of flow). the only problem is hiding the pipe. so you have to put up a wall in front of the pipe, if you want it to look nice.

i have played with non-drilled overflows and just my opinion, once you drill, you never go back. 20 years of drilled aquariums, i have never had one bulkhead break or leak on me.

one more thing, if you do drill the bottom, you need to keep away from the edges and the corner so as to not reduce the structural integrity of the tank. at least a few inches away. also, like the other poster said, you need to make sure the bottom is not tempered.

chandan

[jeff@zina.com]

Where is the best place to drill a bulkhead opening to allow for the fastest, easiest and most efficient draining of your tank?

Three eight inch holes in the bottom would be very fast... :)

Seriously, the suggestions are all spot on. I like bottom holes and a standpipe to set the minimum water level, but a lot of people can't use a bottom drilled tank in their racks (I can't in my latest incarnation). Lately, I've stopped drilling tanks and use a siphon instead, I don't glue the internal parts and I can change the heights out easily. Plus it skims the surface during water replacements. But that's another discussion.

Jeff

[jeff@zina.com]

OK my next question is how well do the "Non Drilled Overflows" work?

Do the overflows stay primed?

I've actually switched back to these in my latest setup, and they're working great. I do like a drilled tank, but the last LFS that would drill tanks for me closed and the glass shop wants $40 a hole. :mad:

The LFS would drill them free if I bought the tank there, $5 a hole if I didn't. If I had paid attention I might have tried to buy their drilling rig when they closed (They moved out of state, took most of the tanks and only sold off livestock...).

As for the siphons, there are plenty of different designs, Google/Bing will find you lots of options.

Jeff

[roundfishross]

glass holes .com they will sell you an entire set of bits for every bulk head size for 65$. i run an overflow box on one of my 70g tanks and it keeps prime with a tiny vaccume pump