Post by lucille on Mar 12, 2015 12:26:47 GMT -8
don't feel too bad Elda - I have a cat that thinks of me as 'that really soft doughy scratching post" ; )
Two part post - part one is instructions on how to drill holes - part two is a crazy update on what happened when my cat broke one of the tubes off - scroll down to part two : )
Hi Daisy -
I searched youtube for 'how to drill holes in a glass aquarium' and watched a bunch of videos. And then I bought a 55 mm diamond hole saw (its a drill bit that goes on an electric drill). I think reflecting back on it, that I probably could have gone with a 54 or even a 53 mm size but I wanted to be really sure the tubes would fit without having to force them at all. I think if I did it over again I'd try a slightly smaller size just to see - you can find the bits on ebay for around $10.
it's a really simple process but the one thing that you absolutely can NOT do is drill through tempered glass. Most of the reptile tanks are made from regular glass and most of the fish tanks 40 gallons and up seem to be made of tempered. The cheap fish tanks 30 gallons and under seem to be made of regular. It may vary by the brands in your area though - you can do a google search for methods to figure out if glass is tempered or not. If it is tempered glass it will for sure 100% crack the aquarium. I did accidentally try to do some drilling on tempered recently and could feel the difference immediately - instead of the bit sinking into the glass and creating a tidy circle that got deeper the longer I drilled it just seemed to slosh around on the surface and etch a wide sloppy blobby area without sinking in.
Once you've made sure that your aquarium is regular glass the process is pretty easy and actually not nearly as intimidating or messy as I thought it would be. The basic procedure is to get a regular hole saw bit slightly larger than your diamond bit hole saw and make a template by drilling a hole into a piece of plywood. Take your template and duct tape it to the aquarium where you want your hole - best to duct tape it all around every edge because you'll be pouring water into the hole.
Place the aquarium on some towels for padding with the side you will drill on top. Place a towel inside on the side that rests on the floor so when that circular piece of glass you're cutting out finally falls, it won't hurt the opposite wall. Get a bottle of room temperature water and dribble it onto the glass where you will drill. It doesn't have to be a TON - there's a you tube video of some guy pouring water by the gallons onto his tank while he drills, you won't need all that lol. The purpose of the water is just to help cool as you drill and to keep that glass powder from going into the air. It also lubricates the bit. People have also been known to use vegetable oil.
when you start drilling - something to keep in mind is to go slow and take a lot of breaks. Breathe. Feel the glass every so often to make sure it's not getting hot. Technically you won't really be drilling the glass - you'll actually be slowly grinding it down so it will take a while.... don't apply any pressure other than the weight of the drill. Stop often and take a look at where you are - it will be obvious when you've broken through a bit because you can feel it with your finger from underneath and there will be a little water dribbling through the hole. Once that happens - TAKE A BREAK! And come back a few minutes later because you still have a bit to go. I make sure that once it's beginning to break through I ease way up on the drill and support it a little so the full weight of the drill isn't coming down on it. You'll want to do the last part slower than the first to prevent yourself from just punching it through and taking a big chip of glass with you. Also when that glass circle finally drops, you'll be glad you're supporting most of the weight of the drill so the drill doesn't fall through the hole and mess up the glass edges.
Once you've got your hole take a super coarse sand paper - I can't remember what I used but it was 200 or 300? Super coarse and run it around the hole to get all the sharp edges gone.
Ok - so you've got holes now : )
I had to get creative with finding ways to hold the tubes to the aquariums. Mostly, I poked them through the hole and then put a habitrail ovo ring on the part of the tube that goes inside and then used the appropriate size hose clamps on the part of the tube that sticks outside. Ovo rings can be a chewing temptation for Jack Jr but he seems to do better with it when I attach a short crittertrail or sam toob to that inside ovo ring so it's not just the ring.
Now.... I have to admit, if I'm going to be totally honest with myself - Jack Jr could get through these plastic tubes and connections at any time if he put his mind to it and I doubt it would take him very long. He really doesn't have any interest in leaving his enclosure though after having to fend off a 5 foot python before I got him and then being dumped in the wooded area by my apartment... he's pretty happy to be the boy in the bubble. Also, I do think that if my cats wanted to at any time they could put their minds to it and really bust in.
:::::::::::::::::::: part two :::::::::::::::::: A TUBE FINALLY CAME UNDONE!!!!
Now ... about two weeks ago there was an accident. Jack Sr the cat LOVES to stand on one of the tubes that connects a habitrail ovo to a clear crittertrail on the kitchen counter and watch his little buddy eat. It's been holding up fine ... but I think Jack the cat put on a few recently and the tube broke off. While I wasn't home. And I found it later on in the day - who knows how long it had been like that? I frantically called for Jack Jr (who actually almost NEVER comes when I call for him.. though he will come out when I call the hamster.. I have no idea!) and he poked his head out of his usual nest all groggy looking and was like 'what? oh... that??? Yeah. That happened today. I am NOT going out there.' lol I was SO relieved. And strangly, Jack the cat seemed really distressed that he had broken Jack Jr's home and was frantically pacing back and forth while I put it back together. Ever since then I notice him stepping AROUND that tube instead of ON it.... so it's really only because they seem to have kind of an unspoken understanding of the situation that tube city is able to continue.