SpidersWeb Posted March 15, 2007 Report Share Posted March 15, 2007 Hey all, I'm starting a DIY project this weekend based around an aquarium setup I got for $60. The tank was originally built for an elderly home and is complete with cupboards, 3 x 5ft fluoros etc but the tank was disassembled and as you can see the stand is going to need some refinishing This weekend I'm doing the stand BUT soon I'm going to need to reassemble the glass aquarium that sits inside. The tank is 650 litres, your standard 6'x2'x2' and was constructed with poorly braced 10mm. I'm going to get some bits cut up to brace it properly etc but my problem really lies with not having built a tank before. I've repaired them but thats it. Ok so here is what I DO know: - use an air powered caulking gun to make sealant application easy and quick - use acetic cure silicone - use a wet finger to bead the silicone - rough edge down, polished edge up (glass edges already done) - after the glass is sealed, run an additional silicone bead on the inside of tank joins - how to brace - most people use packing tape to hold the glass But what I want to hear is, how do you guys assemble an aquarium? I've seen pictures of people using L-clamps before instead of tape? Where do I get those? What order to you assemble the glass? Any other hints to make my first tank build less of a disaster? Thanks heaps, Jono Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowfax Posted March 15, 2007 Report Share Posted March 15, 2007 all i can say is best of luck & will look forward to some pics of it finished! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb Posted March 15, 2007 Report Share Posted March 15, 2007 from the tanks i have seen being made they attach back pane to bottom, then the two sides, and lastly the front pane- hope that helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dimebag Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 im not 100% on this but i think if you use your finger on the silicone it can go mouldy? use a glove? good luck man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 Sit and think about the finished product... You "obviously" don't want the raw edges of the glass showing at the front.. so the front pane sits with its base on the stand.. and the two ends would then go "inside" the front and back pane... so in reality.. the base sheet would be completely surrounded by the four other panes of glass.. ie: inside the glass box you made. Cleaning First job... Make sure all the old glass is ABSOLUTELY spotless .. no old silicone.. oil.. or fingerprints.. "before" you start. Scrape with a razor blade or good scraper.. then work like the blazes to get those edges spotless... or you will have probs down the track. Taping As regards the tape.. Tape is "great" for the job... no fuss.. easily removed.. non-protruding etc.. so just make sure you have something like 200mm strips around the corners (across the front and sides.. not DOWN THE SEAM).. and place about four or five of these at each corner... plus ones coming under the base and up the front.. perhaps six or eight for this length of tank. Use 25mm wide "Masking Tape".. it's cheap and effective. Sealing Some pack the glass out slightly.. (especially on large tanks).. so that the silicone can actually get in between the seams. Some use matchsticks.. or tooth picks.. then just prior to it all setting.. they remove them and put a small smear over where the spacers were. Using the Cartridge gun Air powered cartridge gun... Wow.. not heard of that one... and for my money (and I've built hundreds of all sizes of tanks).. the old cartridge gun is easy to use.. and works for me. You will find your own method.. but I work from the corner out in all directions.. then I use the CAP from a felt tipped pen (large end).. and run that up the seam at around a 45 degree angle. This puts a nice finish to the seam.. with little clean up. Some mask off with masking tape to hide the excess.. but truth is.. you DON'T need a lot of silicone to hold the seam.. and adding MORE SILICONE after the first layer is cured is a pure waste of time and money. Do it right... first time.. Curing Time It is VITAL that you allow at LEAST three days before you EVEN THINK ABOUT MOVING the tank after sealing.. and preferably at least a week before you half fill it to test it. Testing for leaks Do the test on a firm base.. (outside if you can... you never know.. and carpet drying is expensive these days.. he he) Leave it for a day or more half filled... then top it up gradually while you watch for probs. Get it Level and Firm BIG important point.. is to "Get yourself a spirit level.. a long one".. because tanks that size (any size for that matter).. need to be DEAD LEVEL... both across the front and ends. It also needs to sit on a styrene base pad.. "PRIOR" to filling.. or adding ANY water. I would use a 25mm styrene pad for a tank that size. Well.. hope this helps.. and the best of luck with your project. Take care now. Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 I don't normally make tanks with the front glass glued to the side of the base but when I have I do a light sanding of the area in contact with the base to get a better bond and also add straps around the inside to double the bond area. You will need to make sure the glass cutting is more accurate this way (placing the front,back and sides on the base is more forgiving). Using a spacer must be a north island thing as I have built hundreds of tanks and seen the work of many others on the mainland and have never seen a tank built that way. RTV is an adhesive not a filler and I have always glued glass to glass. There may be a sound reason for doing it that way or it may just be something in the water up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 Well... Alanmin I find the latter part of your post to be quite insulting to my intellegence. No mention was made that "I personally" used packings.. and I did say... Some mask off with masking tape to hide the excess.. but truth is.. you DON'T need a lot of silicone to hold the seam.. How you manage this I don't know... I don't normally make tanks with the front glass glued to the side of the base but when I have... You will need to make sure the glass cutting is more accurate Glass is (by the looks of the pic).. sat in the cabinet.. a dis-assembled tank. SW said: but the tank was disassembled and as you can see the stand is going to need some refinishing We are "hopefully" here to offer assistance and opinions to others in need of help.. not to critisize someone elses methods.. as in this instance there are quite a number of variations. The packing BTW.. as I understand it.. (but have never used it).. is apparently to give the seam a bit of flex as the pressure builds up on the walls of the tank... no glass to glass contact. To say you have "never seen a tank built that way".. all I can say is that you must be living on the Chathams,... not in CC I think if you examine any commercially made tank you will find that there is "indeed" a certain thickness of silicone between the faces of the glass and the edges.. especially on the larger size tanks. Don't want to cause a ruckus here.. but since I built my first AGT in the very early sixties using Dow Corning Silicone, I have only ever had a couple of tanks fail.. and that wasn't the silicones fault .. so I "do" have a little bit of knowledge on the subject... There may be a sound reason for doing it that way or it may just be something in the water up there. Wouldn't know about this... don't touch it... on tank water he he. Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 Pegasus, my apologies if you feel insulted, it was certainly not my intention. I have made many tanks and because of that generally have a good look at the way other people make them and have never yet seen a tank around here with an obvious gap between the glass. It may well be that I have been in the Chathams and have eaten too much crayfish. My intention was to find out if there was a reason why people left a gap and I had assumed that it was for the reason you gave. My problem I guess is that in a previous life I worked as a rubber technician where I learned that adhesives and fillers are not necessarily the same thing and I was curious as to wether the advantage of the added flexibility was outwayed by any weakness through having a greater thickness of RTV. You would know that RTV sets in contact with the air and I believe that too much RTV will not cure properly in the middle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted March 16, 2007 Report Share Posted March 16, 2007 By the side of the base I meant the edge of the base. As in any good design, the cabinet looks to have sufficient flange to hide the bottom of the tank anyway so I guess it wouldn't matter which way the tank was made. Like most things there is more than one way to do things and I was and still am curious about other ways to do things. As an aside I also like to see the top of the cabinet opening come down far enough to cover the water leval and for the tank to be low enough such that you are not looking up into the lights. It should be a great tank when finished. I wish you luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted March 17, 2007 Report Share Posted March 17, 2007 All points accepted Alanmin and like you... no offence meant. Just jumping back a few decades.. I had an LFS in England.. and back then all the tanks were Angle Iron. Sorry Spiderweb.. for diverting on the topic.. but your replies seem pretty good he he. Anyway.. I had a friend who also had an LFS, and he imported the Jewel tanks.. which were actually all glass.. but sealed with silicone.. and had a light anodized aluminium frame around them. (Jewel are still going BTW).. In his shipping list he obtained a few toothpaste sized tubes of Dow Corning Silicone.. for which he offered me a couple. I made a small tank up.. 18X10X10 and filled it later and set it up in the shop with a couple or so of Goldfish in it.. (very early 60's .. '61 I think BTW) You would have thought I'd invented Fire... the customers went balmy over it and couldn't understand how the thing was holding together. A day or so later a rep came in the shop from Evode.. the big glue people that made Evostick among other things. He asked me to trial "their" product of silicone.. for free.. and gave me half a dozen cartridges of the stuff for FREE... Yehaa FRREEBEES. Needless to say I was blown away.. but on trial the tanks began to fungus.. so I told the rep. They sorted the prob and he brought me a new case of 24 cartridges for free. I built 60 new tanks for the shop.. all glass... plus four large display tanks five footers.. then 40 more quarantine tanks.. and the guy kept stocking me up with free silicone. All these were built after extensive trials for strength and endurance.. plus contamination tests and such. The big debate at the time was "Edges on TOP of the base.. or the face of the glass to the edge of the base.." 2 foot.. 3 foot.. 4.. 5.. and six footers were built.. with absolutely no "proven" difference in the reliability or strength due to the position of the front and rear panes.. and the only "objectional" feature was that the raw edge showed in one method. Cutting this short... I sold hundreds of tanks after this.. plus started a rental service for pubs, clubs, school, etc all with the AGT's... and even put forty in the local University Research Dept.. then the shops got wind of it all and were ordering tanks by the dozens.. so my wife and I started supplying the trade. One of the tanks that failed.. (a five foot by eighteen by eighteen).. . that I mentioned above.. was in a pub on an old oak shelf.. eight foot off the deck.. it exploded with a great gush.. but it was not the Silicone.. just the heavy hood that the client had decided to use instead of the ones I offered to supply.. which were light weight. BTW: I replaced this tank THREE TIMES for free thinking it was my fault.. but after close examination of all the remains.. it was found that each front glass that failed was chipped in the same place.. due to the heavy hood he was using. Oh well happy days.. the early days of the AGT's in England, and I can honeastly say that I was one of the key leaders in getting the AGT's off the ground in those days... which "still" doesn't make me an authority on the subject.. as we are all learning every day, and just offer our knowledge and experience to others if we can. Once again.. sorry for the diversion. Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron_fish_mad_guy Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: wow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 After taking another look at the cabinet it doesn't look like there is a great deal of support for a tank of that size. It might pay to look at getting more support for the tank at this stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.