Drilling glass aquariums seems like a risky proposition to anyone who’s never tried it, and to be clear it should not be undertaken without caution. But ‘installing’ access holes for plumbing, drains and closed loops has some very real benefits to the function of an aquarium.
The two main things you need to know about drilling glass is that using a glass drill bit is much less like drilling or cutting than it is like grinding. With this in mind you want to drill a hole nice and slow with a good strong bit, and plenty of lubrication to keep the drilling area from getting too hot.
Everyone has their own approach to carefully drilling holes in glass aquariums and I have mine, which I demonstrate in the newest vlog on the development of the Reef Builders Studio. Installing six holes on three aquariums in place on the Mode Aquariums retail rack system is no walk in the park but in the end, we succeeded in upgrading this stack of tanks with more flow and more outlets for optimal long term performance.
