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Diana’s build

Four foot 120 has awesome reef tank dimensions. Love it
Radiata... “I think a 120g would have the same problems as a 90g for a short-armed person”

@radiata. You have Fixed a problem I didn’t know I had hahaha. For years I thought I had a 90 gallon tank and never really liked it because I couldn’t quite reach the bottom. And I like the 120 more because I can reach the bottom and there is more volume Do to the greater front to back with. But your post had me thinking so I measured. And low and behold I have been misinformed and my tank is NOT a 90. It’s a little bigger and the reason I couldn’t reach the bottom. my tank is 27-1/2 top to bottom (I know, kind of odd) but when I got it used from another fish guy he said it was 90 gallons and I never questioned it.

So Diana. Ignore my 90 gallon comments. But for the record. I still love the 24” front to back of the 120 more than the 18” of the 90. :tranquillity:
 

diana a

Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
I didn't hear back from ACC so I gave them a call. Mike does the ordering and he said "it's a sales issue." I'm assuming that means he can't get one from the manufacture. Mike is going to speak to John today or tomorrow.
 

diana a

Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
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I have been busy driving far for these two tanks. I checked both in the store for shady lines stretching across the glass with polarized glasses. Didn’t see any. I tested the polarized glasses on my glass shower door, sliding door and fridge door to make sure I knew what to look for. I will retest outside before drilling again. If I crack the 75g then I will have to live with the 40B for the rest of my life. I am more nervous about drill the holes at the incorrect height. The other competitor's template instructions are different then Innovation Marine. I am such a visual learner

I will be drilling for the innovative marine Overflow. Innovation Marine doesn’t have a video showing how to drill. But I did watch the Exotic Marine overflow installation. He shows how to do it. One question that I don’t see in any YouTube videos is what do I set the drill torque on? Is it not the numbers, but the “screw” option?



 
Diana. You don’t need to worry about what to set the torque clutch on your drill to. However I would use the drill setting and not the screw setting. This isint something you need to be overly concerned with. It’s more of personal preference. You won’t be putting any heavy pressure on the drill as you drill so the clutch should not activate. Nor will the clutch do much in regards to protecting the glass while you drill. Odds are if the bit got hung up a little and the clutch “popped.” It would only spook you and make you more nervous than you need to be. This is a very simple process. You will be fine.
 
Drills torques arent all equal to the number shown. Use the around the middle setting. Generally, low is for soft woods and high is for masonry. Going a low-med speed you should be fine.
Also make sure the battery is fully charged before you start.
 
I’d like to add that the video is very good. The part about backing up the glass with a piece of wood although not necessarily. IS. Very good advice. Also if you have a situation where you can’t simply run a house while you drill. You can use plumbers putty and make a dam around the template hole and fill it with water. This works quite well.
 
It's easier than you think. I didn't use a "house" while drilling (sorry @Sponge lol). I did use putty (from the dollar store)& made a little dam. It was my first time drilling a tank. Just make sure to let the drill bit do the work. You are pretty much grinding through the tank. If it wasn't for @Sponge I would have never tried it.

You got this @diana a :encouragement:
 

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diana a

Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
Well let me update this thread. I first drilled the 75g and it was tempered because it exploded into little pieces. Dropped the tank at the recycle center. So off I went to drill the 40g. Placed the tank on its side, Modular Marine template on the outside of the tank, the 1x4 wood on the inside and clamped it all down. Ran the stream of water. Drilled both holes. Decided since it's all setup for drilling, I might as well drill the hole for the return line. I got a scrape pieced of plexiglass and setup my drill press to make a template for the return line. I drill the hole on the tank. I remove the MM overflow template and my return template. The 1st hole I drilled for the overflow has a large scallop on the outside of the tank that extends past the gasket, hole 2 and 3 are absolute perfect. So this tank is also trash! :rolleyes: Maybe 3 times a charm!
 
Well let me update this thread. I first drilled the 75g and it was tempered because it exploded into little pieces. Dropped the tank at the recycle center. So off I went to drill the 40g. Placed the tank on its side, Modular Marine template on the outside of the tank, the 1x4 wood on the inside and clamped it all down. Ran the stream of water. Drilled both holes. Decided since it's all setup for drilling, I might as well drill the hole for the return line. I got a scrape pieced of plexiglass and setup my drill press to make a template for the return line. I drill the hole on the tank. I remove the MM overflow template and my return template. The 1st hole I drilled for the overflow has a large scallop on the outside of the tank that extends past the gasket, hole 2 and 3 are absolute perfect. So this tank is also trash! :rolleyes: Maybe 3 times a charm!
Such bad luck,, but keep pushing forward I know you’ll be successful
 

deepblue68

POTM Winner
At least you tried !!sometimes its just a matter of getting the feel .I have never drilled a tank but will be trying soon for another project. Good luck!!
 
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