I have never drilled a tank before. Honestly, I’ve been hesitant. My only experience with glass has been way back in high school. I took two semesters of stained glass for art… and loved it mind you… but I know how fragile glass can be.
But, I had this 40 gallon breeder tank, I had the Marine Depot Elite low profile overflow, and I had the MD Elite sump, so it was time to just do it.
I watched about five YouTube videos, and everybody said the same thing, and it seemed easy enough. Well… it was super easy. You just need to make sure your aquarium glass isn’t tempered, but other than that, don’t be intimidated.
Click on the links below to see everything you’ll need to complete this project.
MD Elite Overflow Box
Ready to upgrade your filtration? The Elite Overflow Box will open up a whole new world of filtration for your glass or acrylic aquarium.
The Marine Depot Elite Overflow Box is a high quality and economical overflow box that allows you to easily add a sump, refugium or wet/dry filter to your aquarium filtration system. These overflow boxes allow you to skim water from the surface of the aquarium and deliver it to your external filter without the need of expensive modifications to your aquarium.
The Elite Overflow is a slim black box minimalist design, allowing more room in the aquarium for aquascaping and swim room for your livestock. The Elite will also effectively transport water to your sump with as little noise as possible.
The included 60 mm diamond coated hole saw and template makes for a great DIY project. Once drilled, the Elite is a simple, plug and play overflow system; however, we do recommend that any drilling and installation be performed by a professional1.
Includes:
- (1) Black Wetside Box
- (1) Clear Dryside Box
- (1) Template
- (1) White Safety PVC
- (1) Holesaw (60mm Diamond Coated Holesaw)
- (1) 1.5″ Bulkhead
- (2) 1″ Bulkhead for Small & Medium Elite Models
- (3) 1″ Bulkhead for Large Elite Models
- (1) Black Cover Lid
Specifications:
- Rated for aquariums up to 90 gallons
- Internal Dimensions: 6″L x 1.25″W x 6″H
- 6″L x 3″W x 6″H
- Suitable for tanks up to 5/8″ thick
40 Gallon Breeder
You can pick these tanks up at your local big box pet store for around $80, but if you wait until the $1/gallon sale, these are often discounted to about $50. Great for both saltwater and freshwater applications.
Clamps
You don’t need any sort of fancy clamp. This cheap six pack from Amazon is under $10, and will hold the guide down just fine.
Plasti Dip
I didn’t show this part in the video, but I used this to coat the back panel of glass to hide the filtration. Put on three coats, and it worked like a charm. Just tape it off so you don’t get it everywhere. I had a bit spill over, and I just used a box cutter blade to scrape it off.
