Building a glass tank: Questions...

[nerdz]

Anybody have a link to a good DIY video or build thread? I'm hoping to pick up some hints.

I have never made a tank and want to build a rimless 20" cube. I can't seem to find one commercially built, short of a Solana AIO and removing false wall, skimmer, etc...

I know tempered isn't necessary, but should have the drilled side tempered post drilling for extra security?

What style of overflow do you recommend? I would like to have it external to maximize the tanks room inside.


Thanks for any help!

[reefwars]

you wouldnt need tempered glass ......providing you use the right thickness tempered is only a pain in the azzzzzz........ tempereed also makes it impossible to do much of anything with it afterwards.


im also building a 24" cube right now its a complete from scratch build not sure if theres any tips worth following but you could check in here and there to see if it helps you:):)cheers:)

[nerdz]

Hi

Thanks Reefwars!


I had a look at you build, that will be a sweet setup! Way to do that CrappyTire saw proud!

Now that you've been through it, would you recommend masking the inside so you could pull off the excess caulking after spreading along corners?

I've been reading about peoples tank cracking after years of being setup, see greenspottedpuffer's post:sad:

I might temper the one panel to relieve stress and increase strentgh. Maybe overkill, but good insurance? I'll just make sure I have all the holes planned before its tempered.

I'll keep checking back to your build. Thanks

Anyone else have and hints?


Cheers!

[reefwars]

not really but im sure many do....hers how i went about it..


i laid my bottom on the paper ...because silicone will leak out the botton once all the sides are pushed together ....then your tank will be glued to the work table....not good so paper will fix that for you


after i laid the bottom down i ran a bead(a nice thick bead....dont skimp out here) down each edge of the back panel minus the top and then i ran a bead across the bottom of the left side panel.....it helps to have a friend there to help push it all together without it slippng on you and getting silicone everywhere

after i had the left side on and the back i went to the right side i siliconed the bottom of that panel and then connected it to the back.....taped everything in place and used clamps to keep the sides from leaning inward and becoming un square.....not what you want as square is very very very important.....


once all three sides are on its important not to wipe off anyexcess silicone at this point......ill explain in a minute......once all 3 sides are on i take a slicone gun and add a very nice bead(roughly 1/4" thick) all around the edges of the inside of the tank......after that i used some alcohol on my finger and run my fingers down the beads i just put down..........its very very important to not stop when running your finger.....so once you start to smooth it out dont let yur finger stop half way through or your gonna create a bump and even possibly a bubble..


reason for not wiping any silicone before i ran the beads inside is if i smoothed it out first i would be adding a second layer to that silicone anyways and now im trying to bond one layer to the next......its much better and stronger to have it all as one bead in one application:):)

bubble free is the goal so ideally we want lots of silicone so we have a bond with the glass but we want it to be smooth.....bubbles take away from the strenght of silicone and its ugly to see;)


after i have done that the only step is too install the front so i ran a bead all around all edges minus the top and then connected it and ran a bead on the inside where i couldnt get before..


i tried to keep my fingerrunning to once only and tried not to keep going over the same bead......if it doesnt come out perfect you can always trim later if you wipe too much out with your thumb or finger then you wont know untill its too late so lots of silicone and trim later(if needed)


the silicone will cure in a few days but withi a couple weeks it will be hard as it can get......this is when you can add water im sure you can add it earlier but its smart to be safe .....patience is a virtue:):)



lots of tape to keep it all together tight and use your square to make sure everything is square if your using glass thats been broke on a break.....being square is just as imprtant as doing the silicone right....if the suface isnt square then your gong to have a hard time getting all the edges to line up flush.....taje some extra time to level the working table using shims and the your good to go:):)



would reccomend doing a dry fit first to make sure everything is cut right or doesnt need to be trmmed:)


use alcohol to clean edges of glass where the silicone will lay....its very important to have a clean surface for the silicone to bond in order to get the maximum hold capabilitie:):)

if you had to scrape silicone off from an older tank its very very important to get all the silicone off using alcohol and razor blade.....silicone doesnt bond well to old silicone..


from what ive been told never glue acrylic to glass as it doesnt bond as well, its fine in your sump or overfow but for me at 60g thats around 600 lbs of water and you want to make sure yur new diy tank is as strong as it can be;)


this is what a glass guy told me the other day so im only repeating what he said about acrylic and glass this isnt my own personal experience as i could of had an acrylic bottom made for cheap but it didnt seem worth the risk:):)



dont be afraid to do it its alot of fun and a learning experience none the less:):) cheers buddy

[brizzo]

I don't think tempering will help with strength on such a small tank. At one point in time I had dreamed of building a 20x20x20" cube..

I think your money would be better well spent going with 1/2" glass (thick looks good imo), and get edge work done so it looks professional. (22.5 degree chamfer)

Google: "ge 2000 silicone" and "beananimal overflow"

[reefwars]

I don't think tempering will help with strength on such a small tank. At one point in time I had dreamed of building a 20x20x20" cube..

I think your money would be better well spent going with 1/2" glass (thick looks good imo), and get edge work done so it looks professional. (22.5 degree chamfer)

Google: "CS2000" and "beananimal overflow"



i wouldnt put tempered glass in my tank if i had the option from a fresh build i would just use regular glass, i also like the look of 1/2" glass as well i love the look of strength and for me the polished and beveled edges are a must;)

[The Grizz]

from what ive been told never glue acrylic to glass as it doesnt bond as well, its fine in your sump or overfow but for me at 60g thats around 600 lbs of water and you want to make sure yur new diy tank is as strong as it can be

I have built several acrylic overflows and silicones them into homemade and store bought tanks. There is a trick to doing it, you have to use a plumber primer on all edges of the acrylic. This will give it some texture for the silicone to bond to. You also have to make sure that you get a bead of silicone on every edge of the acrylic that come in contact with the glass.

If you want to see a couple examples look at my 67 gal pred tank & othicx's 200 gal build, both 100% acrylic overflows.

[reefwars]

I have built several acrylic overflows and silicones them into homemade and store bought tanks. There is a trick to doing it, you have to use a plumber primer on all edges of the acrylic. This will give it some texture for the silicone to bond to. You also have to make sure that you get a bead of silicone on every edge of the acrylic that come in contact with the glass.

If you want to see a couple examples look at my 67 gal pred tank & othicx's 200 gal build, both 100% acrylic overflows.


yeah i figured there would be , i was interested in geting a piece of acrylic but the guy said it doesnt bond as well as glass on glass and besided the glass was cheaper anyways lol:):)

[nerdz]

Hi,

Thanks again for the input guys!

Reefwars, I appreciated the detailed description of your build procedure. Some good Newfie hospitality, ha ha!

Both my parents were born and raised in NL. I hope to get back there for a visit soon too.

I found these weird youtube videos of glass work and a tank build. Some good tips, (although my Japanese is rusty, well actually is non-existent!), I don't agree with how he trimmed the silicone though:sad:.


Video 1 of 3 videos on building a tank:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypySUdkpcjY&feature=related

Is beveling/polishing really this easy? I've cut glass a fair bit... I'm surprised how good the finish is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LceROy3hVvU&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

You can click the user and he has 24 videos uploaded

Okay, I'm going for it! Next stop: custom cube!

Cheers

[reefwars]

Hi,

Thanks again for the input guys!

Reefwars, I appreciated the detailed description of your build procedure. Some good Newfie hospitality, ha ha!

Both my parents were born and raised in NL. I hope to get back there for a visit soon too.

I found these weird youtube videos of glass work and a tank build. Some good tips, (although my Japanese is rusty, well actually is non-existent!), I don't agree with how he trimmed the silicone though:sad:.


Video 1 of 3 videos on building a tank:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypySUdkpcjY&feature=related

Is beveling/polishing really this easy? I've cut glass a fair bit... I'm surprised how good the finish is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LceROy3hVvU&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

You can click the user and he has 24 videos uploaded

Okay, I'm going for it! Next stop: custom cube!

Cheers



hahaha those guys are like awesome lol i love how besides glass workers they throw in the odd complete random task like hanging a shelf , that music is kinda nuts though and its hit or miss as to guess what the video is about untill you watch it,personally enjoyed it very much....thanks:):):)

[lastlight]

Some really cool videos they have posted there... I couldn't believe how nice the edge work was considering it was all freehand! Then that video where they bond glass with that adhesive and uv light got me curious. The bottle said photobond and it looks to be just a liquid. No ugly silicone although I don't think it's suitable for tank building. I did some googling and found this chair...made the same way.

http://wwww.phillipsdepury.com/auctions/lot-detail.aspx?sn=UK050210&search=&p=8&order=&lotnum=93

[kookie_guy]

Google: "ge 2000 silicone" and "beananimal overflow"

GE1200 silicone construction adhesive. Not GE2000

[brizzo]

GE1200 silicone construction adhesive. Not GE2000

Sorry, that is very correct and could be a huge mistake. I was using 2000 for a completely unrelated project and it was on my mind. It's not rated for under water application

[nerdz]

ha ha, I knew what you meant about the GE1200...

I was curious about that 2nd disc. Google found this for me:

http://www.wingpoh.com.sg/items/Item_Details.aspx?itemid=571&cateid=186&Page=

I might have to try on a scrap, unless the glass store is reasonable and I don't want the hassle.

[The Grizz]

The first 2 discs are called flapper discs, they can be purchased at any welding supply / tool supply store. The discs are made up of overlapping pieces of sand paper. Never thought of using them but tried it out today in the shop. Works great.

[nerdz]

Ya, I've used them before, (not on glass), but much coarser around 60grit. The one in the video is fairly fine and has some flex.

What grit did you try today and did it leave a fairly honed/polished surface condition?

Cheers and thanks for experimenting!

[The Grizz]

All I had was an 80 grit but it worked amazing to smooth out a bad cut that was made on the 116 gal that I am rebuilding. Going to pick up some 180 & 220 grit tomorrow.

[brizzo]

http://www.crlaurence.ca/apps/sitesearch/search.aspx?searchSource=search-input&query=seam%20and%20flat

They have other 'straight cut' diamond router bits, which can be used on a table with water and a parallel offset fence to put a true edge back onto the glass.

[jostafew]

Hey there, thought i would add to the good instruction that's already been posted; you absolutely right about using painter's tape to create a sharp silicone edge. I just scratch built a 24"x24"x18" sump & fuge unit (lots of baffles etc.) and used plain glass for the build. On the seams that were easily visible i masked off the inside of the seam with tape and the seams look pro. Not saying that it's right or wrong, but i used a light bead of silicone when assembling panels, did a panel at a time (spaced a couple hrs apart) and imediatly smoothed out the excess silicone that squeezed into the inside. Once assembled i went back, masked the seams, added more material and smoothed out the seams. I beleive that silicone will not bond so well to itself, but because the initial bead wasn't huge and there wasn't tons of squeeze-out there was plenty of fresh glass for tue 2nd bead to adhere to. Also, because the silicone is so soft the extra material on the inside of the bead is more of a cosmetic and sealing thing rather than being structural. The silicone between the glass panes will be taking the load and will fail before the inner bead sees any stress, and by then it's too late amyway. Hence why people often use glass adhesive to assemble the panels, then silicone to seal and finish.

Good luck with the build!

[monocus]

i just finished building a 46 gallon breeder-go to the aquatools.com.they have a simple glass thickness calculator and all the instructions you need to build a glass aquarium-you definatly do not need 1/2 " glass.i made mine with 6mm glass and then put a 1 1/2 maple strip along the top to support a piece of glass on top if i want it

[ScubaSteve]

Hey Nerdz,

How'd the build go (or have you started)? I'm in the debate of building my own 45G 24" Rimless Square tank as I'm had some pretty crazy quotes thrown at me. Of the four numbers I have right now one is $700! FTW? I'm having a hard time justifying that when I got the same size tank (not-rimless) made a year ago for less around $170.

Who have you tracked down as your glass supplier and what is the approximate build cost on this?

[ner'T']

Hi,

Sorry everyone!

I didn't see all of the new replies... For some reason my email didn't get the updates.

The tank: not started yet as I've worked 10-12.5hrs/day for the last 18 days:sad:. Probably would make more sense to pay have it built! I still am going tackle myself though.

It'll be 3/8" w polished/beveled edges and GE1200 black.
Cheers

[ScubaSteve]

Hi,

Sorry everyone!

I didn't see all of the new replies... For some reason my email didn't get the updates.

The tank: not started yet as I've worked 10-12.5hrs/day for the last 18 days:sad:. Probably would make more sense to pay have it built! I still am going tackle myself though.

It'll be 3/8" w polished/beveled edges and GE1200 black.
Cheers

I'm going to take a crack at this in about 2 weeks or so. I'll let you know how it goes!

[toytech]

Those vids where great , very informative. The only problem with them being in Japanese is i was expecting a ninja or robot attack the whole time and it just never happened .

[Ross]

Then that video where they bond glass with that adhesive and uv light got me curious. The bottle said photobond and it looks to be just a liquid. No ugly silicone although I don't think it's suitable for tank building...

I talked to my glazier in-law and that glue is not suitable for tanks as it weekens drastically with moisture.
So if you want a great looking tank for a very very short while then it would be ok.
Otherwise, its impractical.