Drilling Acrylic

[Aaron Davis]

Alright. So dilemma here. I have a 55 gallon acrylic tank. Had it up and running for approx 6 months. When I bought it, all it had for a return is a 1" hose. I want to hardplumb the tank so I purchased all the piping I'd need and bulkheads. The return goes into the tank from the top, so there's no concern for a flood or anything. The hole in the top of the tank is not large enough for the 3/4" bulkhead. If I fabricated something to put in the tank to catch the shavings from drilling, would it work for me to drill out that hole larger so the bulkhead will fit? Without having to tear down the tank?

 

[143MPCo]

Whatever shavings fall off from you drilling a larger whole aren't anything to be overly concerned about, they won't be harmful to the inhabitants. That said, they will blow around and be somewhat annoying so you might want to place a catch net of some type to keep them out of the water.

 

[Aaron Davis]

Whatever shavings fall off from you drilling a larger whole aren't anything to be overly concerned about, they won't be harmful to the inhabitants. That said, they will blow around and be somewhat annoying so you might want to place a catch net of some type to keep them out of the water.

So it should be good to drill the top of the acrylic while it's setup? Cause that'd be fantastic. Any tips or opinions on drill bits to use?

 

[143MPCo]

I've had really good luck using a stepper bit to drill holes larger, keep the surface area wet with some RO/DI water, take your time, don't force the bit, all the standard stuff, and you should be fine. If you want to take additional precautions try to drain the tank as low as you can before you start.

 

[TbyZ]

So it should be good to drill the top of the acrylic while it's setup? Cause that'd be fantastic.

yes, just be careful with electricity & water.

Any tips or opinions on drill bits to use?

Now that is the right question to ask!

You already have a hole thats too small. You need to bore it out larger.
Use this method

 

[Aaron Davis]

Awesome! Thanks guys!!!!

 

[cromag27]

Drain it as much as possible and catch as much of the shavings as you can. you don't want fish swallowing that stuff.

 

[Aaron Davis]

Drain it as much as possible and catch as much of the shavings as you can. you don't want fish swallowing that stuff.

I actually have all my fish out right now in a hospital tank for ich treatment. Lesson learned on not quarantining first. Anywho. Water level is about 1.5" below the top of the tank. Plan is to clamp a large plastic bowl underneath where I'll be boring out the hole; obviously to catch shavings.

 

[jeff williams]

The way I made a hole larger in my acrylic tank was as follows
Clamp a piece of 1 " wood on the opposite side your going to drill then using a hole saw drill the pilot through the wood and make sure it's centered then drill through the acrylic the wood will hold the hole saw centered and take your time. About ever few seconds pull the hole saw out dip it in water to cool it then drill a few more seconds and repeat this keeps the acrylic from melting. One final step most people don't do and it leads to cracks is sand the hole until all the teeth marks are gone and depending on the size of the hole I use a paint roll cut through it length wise wrap sand paper around it and twist it back and forth the paint rollers have a spring effect and apply pressure to the hole and all you have to do is twist