Drilling - bottom or back?

[dmolavi]

I'm starting to plan out my expansion of my existing reef tank up to a 125. My current nano is sumpless, but obviously with the larger tank, a sump will be required.

WRT drilling, is it better to have the rear or bottom of the tank drilled (assuming that the glass on the panels permit it)? I will be building my stand, so I can accommodate plumbing in either situation.

[mr_X]

I like drilling the back. I don't like the large overflow box running all the way to the bottom of the tank design. It takes up way too much space. You have to have this, because you need a barrier between the display and the bulkhead, so in the event of a leak, you can fix it without having to empty the entire tank. I've read that most bottoms are tempered anyway.

You will have to accommodate for the pvc 90 coming off of the back of the tank though....this may bring it away from the wall a few inches more than if the bottom was drilled.