Drilling holes for sump

[sxmgnt]

Ok, here goes my first post.

I am going to set up a new salt water reef system.

My tank is an 85g hexagon tank. I want to make it a walk around show tank, with no hoses, cables, pipes or anything on the outside. My idea is to make a sealed box in the middle that will allow for power cables, tubes for overhead dump boxes and also an overflow port into a sump underneath. This box would be apx 6in by 6in. Therefore I would need to drill 2 2in holes for overflow sump return, one 1in hole for power cables to run through, and one 1/2in hole to run dump tank fill hoses through. Also I would like to drill 4 holes close to the side glass all directly across from one another for return pumping.

One way to do this is to make a new bottom out of glass with pre drilled holes. I will have it tempered after holes are drilled. Then I would build my own box to house around this. My concern here is structural integrity. Will this bottom be strong enough to hold and if so how thick should the glass be (tempered or not)

The other is to cut a square out of the base and silicone a glass box in place sticking through so it sits on the stand the same as the edges. of the tank. Then drill my returns in the same fashion as stated above.

My end state her is to have a reef built around the box, allowing for everything to be hidden inside to it looks great.

Any ideas or info would be appreciated.

[dskidmore]

If you can withstand the price point, this is a good tank to just contract out to glasscages.com. Hrm... They're website seems to be down at the moment.... They have alot of experience with custom drilled tanks, and it will come with a warranty.

[sxmgnt]

Thank you for the reply. I do not know where they are out of. I am in Canada but I will research them and find out if this is an option or not. I have my tank and it would probably cost me a fortune to send it to them.
Thanks again.

[dskidmore]

Ah. I missed the part about converting an existing tank. Might consult with a glass company near you. They can help you figure out if your holes are too close/large to maintain stucture, and what thickness glass you need.