Tank alterations, how to cut and remove of some of the glass

[chris1004]

Hi, does anyone have any experience of removing some glass from the top of an enclosed tank to facilitate the fitting of wider pipes. My tank has an almost totaly enclosed glass top except for two sliding glass panals in the middle for feeding etc. There are currently two 45 degree triangular notched out pieces one at each of the rear corners but because I have a jewel background fitted inside the tank (almost 2" thick) I have lost quite a large portion of this access for my pipes etc.

Is there a way to cut away a small piece of this glass so that I can use larger pipes and therefore larger filters? Ideally I don't want to be taking chunks out of my background. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Ed Seeley]

I don't know about cutting a tank but you can drill into the glass and remove a circular piece. You need a Diamond hole saw. I'm not too sure I'd want to do it on an established tank though!

 

[Simon D]

I don't know the set-up, but I assume the glass lid part that you're referring to is fixed?

Can this be removed at all? If it can than any glazer should be able to adapt it. Or, aletrnatively, change it for perspex and you can cut this or file it away to what ever shape you want!

If it's fixed and cannot be removed, then any adjustments performed in situ would be very risky

Let us know how you get on.

 

[chris1004]

I kind of thought this would be the case. The glass top is permanatly fixed by silicone sealant but is in several sections and I was contemplating cutting the sealant and removing the offending section but wasn't certain how much structural damage I might cause to the rest of the tank.

The glass top is primarily there to stop the condensation from damaging the hood I believe as the stand and hood are real wood. Which is probably why the openings are so small.