How to deal with a drilled hole in a tank

[squirrelrabbits]

Can some of ypou handy guys take a look at this tank (esp the second pic of it) and tell me what I would need to do to turn it into freshwater:

http/cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

As you can see in the second pic, it's got a rather sizable hole drilled in the top (for saltwater, I presume) but I am wondering if I could plug the hole and use it for freshwater. Or would that produce too much pressure on it?

Bidding ends in a few hours... any tips or advice is appreciated!

 

[The-Wolf]

I had this same problem too
what I did was found a measuring cup that is tapered
i siliconed the hole and pushed the cup in as far as I could.
waited for 72 hrs for the silicon to cure and topped up the tank.
never leaked and the small shelf has proved an interesting
thing for small fish to investigate

internal shot

External shot

 

[newland]

Preasure is not a major problem at the top of the tank. If the hole was near the bottom of the tank then this would be a more serious problem.

I like the idea of the measuring cup. Also adds extra space to tha tank.

 

[ogh1156]

The-Wolf has a great solution, Do fish use it to hide? I was thinking you could buy a "soft plug" or "test plug". We use them in our shop to hydro test steel tanks with holes in them. It is basically a thick peice of rubber the same diameter as the hole with a ss plate on each side & a screw through the middle, When you tighten the screw the rubber expands in the hole sealing it. Hope this helps.

 

[Fishist]

I had this same problem too
what I did was found a measuring cup that is tapered
i siliconed the hole and pushed the cup in as far as I could.
waited for 72 hrs for the silicon to cure and topped up the tank.
never leaked and the small shelf has proved an interesting
thing for small fish to investigate

internal shot

External shot

I was going to suggest a glass patch siliconed over the hole, but the cup idea is much better.

 

[squirrelrabbits]

Yes--excellent diy fix. Thanks wolf.

 

[freddyk]

Another safe fix, regardless of where the hole is, is to simply have a piece of glass cut to slightly larger then the hole. Silicone it in place. Done.

 

[The-Wolf]

Do fish use it to hide?

when I had cories in that tank, they used to rest in it
especially just before feeding time.
currently my angel pushes food into it so he can eat
it with out being bothered by the other fish

 

[wuvmybetta]

Another safe fix, regardless of where the hole is, is to simply have a piece of glass cut to slightly larger then the hole. Silicone it in place. Done.

Exactly what my lfs did to my used reef tanks to make them freshwater...

It's not beautiful,but it works