Need help Tank drilling and overflows

[BL1]

So last night I bought a stand and 100 lbs of dry rock from Marco rocks for my upgrade. I really wanted to keep this build simple and inexpensive but, I should have known better.
I was up all night last night thinking of drilling my tank, and I was hoping someone had documented the process they went through while drilling the tank and also, the way they setup the drain and return lines. Also, I was looking at bulkheads. What is the difference between a standard threaded bulkhead, double threaded bulkhead, and a double slip bulkhead?

 

[vonjankmon]

If you go to Bulk Aquarium Supplies - Reef Aquarium Supplies | BulkReefSupply.com they have a video titled Instructions on Drilling Glass Holes.

I personally think it is one of the better videos on the subject as they recommend you use a drill guide, which I think is a good idea, especially for when you are drilling a tank for the first time.

 

[ccCapt]

I drilled a 55g that I use for my sump. There are some pics here.
https://www.livingreefs.com/125-reef-build-not-new-yankee-workshop-t12113.html

A slip bulkhead is where the pipe you are connecting it to slips over the bulkhead and get glued in place. A threaded bulkhead has the pipes it's connected to screwed together.

 

[BL1]

Thanks Von and Capt. Do HD or lowes sell bulkheads or are they things you have to get online?

 

[Bifferwine]

They don't sell bulkheads that we use for aquariums, but it is possible to DIY them out of various plumbing parts. I did that for my tank (since the LFS forgot to order the bulkheads for it and told me it'd be a 3 week wait, and I had already paid for them). It takes some trial and error to get stuff to fit.

 

[BL1]

So, here's what I was thinking, tell me if you think this would work ... In the left rear corner I would drill the drain hole in the bottom of the tank and run PVC up (possibly covering the PVC with some kind of plastic or glass overflow). And in the right corner, I would drill my return hole, and just like the drain have PVC piping coming up the tank and at the top setup an accelerator. Does that make sense and sound like it would work?

 

[vonjankmon]

I would just be careful about drill the bottom of the tank. Many tanks use tempered glass for the bottom that will shatter if drilled. Most will have a sticker on the bottom saying as much, other than that I'm not sure how you can check to see if it is tempered or not.

 

[BL1]

I would just be careful about drill the bottom of the tank. Many tanks use tempered glass for the bottom that will shatter if drilled. Most will have a sticker on the bottom saying as much, other than that I'm not sure how you can check to see if it is tempered or not.

If you ever need to check, you can use polarized sunglasses, when you look at tempered glass you should see a checkered pattern in the glass.