Is it possible / advisable to drill drainage holes in an Exo Terra Tank?

[Jayzie Greenfrog]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has any experience in drilling holes in an ExoTerra tank? I vagely think I have heard / read that it was possible but was wondering what was involved and whether it is difficult to do or would you advise against trying? I have done everything I can to minimise the amount of water in my tanks but I still have problems with flooding (not least because the waterfall I constructed still has a few teathing problems and keeps dumping a couple of litres of water into the tank everytime I turn my back).

I look forward to hearing your views on this subject. Regards Jay

[John]

It's quite doable. You will need a diamond hole saw (basically a special kind of drill bit with diamond dust impregnated into it). Do a search for drilling aquariums - same approach. There are tons of aquarium web sites with how-tos for this and there are plenty of videos on youtube.

[Jayzie Greenfrog]

Thank you John that is really healpful I will research as you advise. I was wondering if anyone here has any experience in doing this? It is always helpful to talk to people who have tried something. Tho I will look into it as you advise.

[UncleChester]

I just picked up a 1/2" diamond core drill bit and tried my first few practice holes today. It was actually pretty easy. The hardest part I found was starting the hole where I wanted it- I'm using a cordless drill without any sort of guide and I did some skipping over the glass before getting it going. Otherwise it's just a patience game, you're basically slowly grinding away at the glass. I'm going to make some sort of guide/template thing before drilling anything important. I'll probably do a few more practice runs as well

Here's some handy info (there's tons of other pages out there, especially regarding aquariums as John already mentioned):

How to Use Diamond Drill Bits


You can probably find someone experienced to do this for you for a few bucks if you don't feel confidant doing it yourself or don't want to spend the money on the diamond drill bit and only have a hole or two to do.

[DonLisk]

Hey Brian. Nice to hear that you felt comfortable doing this. The hardest part besides the starting hole is definitely patience. Don't push and let the drill bit do the work.

Thanks for the link and info Brian.

[Jayzie Greenfrog]

Thanks Brian, is it an exo terra you are going to drill? It is really great to get first hand knowledge of the pitfalls before I attempt it. I have a really brilliant drill so just have to get the diamond drill bit. It is a good idea to practice first. I was also thinking of maybe trying it out on my small viv (only 30 x 30 45) before I make a mess of my main viv (45 x 45 60)!

Good luck with yours I'm very interested to know how it goes!

[UncleChester]

My tanks are homemade jobs, but glass is glass (unless it's tempered glass, but exo terras don't appear to be http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/beg...exo-terra.html).

I used one of my practice holes from yesterday as a template to help start a new practice hole and it worked like a charm. Much easier and no skipping. My main problem now is when the hole is nearly complete I'm having a hard time going slowly enough when about to go out the other side so the back side of the glass is chipping off slightly. Not in a structurally hazardous way, but it looks messy.

To be honest I have no specific plans at the moment for what I'm going to drill for a real use. I originally wanted to do a waterfall with a canister type of filter externally so I figured being able to drill glass would be handy. It also gives more options for types of fasteners, handles and other things I can use on homemade tanks, and I might look at getting a larger bit to put air vents near the bottom of tall vivariums.

[Jayzie Greenfrog]

Hi, Thanks that is really interesting and helpful. With regards your problem for the other side my other half who is dosing opened one eye and suggested putting a block of wood against the other side or try tapeing the glass! Im hoping he knows what he is doing as he would be the one doing the drilling - I can see it will be me holding the hose (and getting shouted at if it goes wrong). Everyone seems to be drilling the back because I want the hole for drainage (my home made waterfall keeps dumping large quantities of water into the tank and my efforts to stop it happening arnt working - yet!) I actually wanted to put one in the side do you think it would make a difference?

All the best with your ideas for a waterfall, I have been thinking of something similar for my small tank as because of its size it is really not possible to have the water sorce in the tank which is what I have done with the large tank.

I will study all the various links and get my drill person to do the same (when he is more awake lol) The big tank is stripped down at the moment and it would be a good time to put a drain in. Thanks again.