Going to dismantle... learn from me!!

[deeishealthy]

I've been doing that, Bill. But it's getting thick again and the tube is pink half way up, and I'm not keen on siphoning that... ew. I think the drain would just be one more step closer to my perfect scenario.

And yes, I checked. It's only the bottom that is tempered. Which actually makes me feel better about the rocks.

[deranged chipmunk]

gotcha. i figured you tried that, but i had to toss it out there. you'll want the drain as low as possible.remember that the lowest part of the inside of the tube will be your lowest drainage point, not the lowest point of the hole. so any water below that point will be forever in the tank. of course it will mix with new drainage water, so that will keep it from becoming stagnant. Lynn should be able to fill you in on how it's done better than i can. she has drilled her tanks herself. not only brains, but she's handy too

[deeishealthy]

Let's hope Lynn sees this then.

[chacmhaal]

Maybe you could buy a drill bit and make a hole at the base but is it a bit risqy

[UncleChester]

An alternate to drilling is to push the substrate and drainage layer away from a corner and build a dam so you always have clear access to the drainage.

Pictured below is one made out of river rocks held together with a dab of silicone between each rock. The 'dam' needs to be porous enough to let water through but tight enough to keep critters from crawling into it.

I have added a dam like this to a tank with a layout like yours after it was inhabited. I built the dam outside the tank and actually installed it without removing or even disturbing the frog- it only took a couple minutes to push the substrate out of the corner and remove the excess hydroton I had as the drainage layer, then put the dam in place. No silicone is required to hold a dam like this in place (apart from what's holding the rocks together), it's made to fit in the corner and it's stuck between the substrate and the glass so all the curing can happen outside the tank.

This also gives the frogs access to the drainage area as a pond.

A built in drain would be pretty convenient though. You could always buy another tank and build it from scratch with a drain added. Then move your frogs over. Then rebuild their old tank. Then get more frogs.

[deeishealthy]

You could always buy another tank and build it from scratch with a drain added. Then move your frogs over. Then rebuild their old tank. Then get more frogs.

Brian is my new best friend. I like the way he thinks.

[J Teezy]

if your friend is a glazier and is drilling the tank for you then he should be well knowledged in drilling glass though anyone can do it, i've drilled plenty of holes in tanks. If you are putting it in a side panel of glass remember this, drilling can always cause tiny fractures in the glass, so small you can't see them so it is important not to drill too close to an edge of the glass as this will increase your chance of cracking. I personally put my drains in the bottom of the tank but if your bottom is tempered that's out of the question for you, but if you ever do another and put a drain in the bottom, remember that your stand will need to be able to accomodate a bulkhead in the bottom of the tank so depending on what you are using for the stand you would have to drill a hole in the top of the stand as well or like I have done as well, cut a couple bars out of a bakers rack. Built in drains are a great conveince that i would never go without.