Joe's Starfire 210

plutoniumJoe · #1 10-26-2009, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sphelps

I wouldn't open that, best to run a line to the drain on the other side of the wall.

Floor looks nice btw, don't know if you thought off this but it might be a good idea to mark the old floor as asbestos so that any future renovations by other people will know. I'm don't know about residential but any parts in commercial property containing asbestos has to be marked.

Thanks for the input. If I have to go that way I was thinking of just branching off the closed loop and draining to the other side for water changes.

I will try to make a marking somewhere, but the floor is down and nailed. I was thinking of putting a label under the base board as it will have to be removed before they tear up any floor. Hopefully people would test, the sign will save them $50 and a week delay.

plutoniumJoe · #2 10-27-2009, 12:42 AM

I want to be able to keep everything "fishy" under the tank, including an area for electrical. As the tank is 6ft I figure a 3ft sump would suffice and still give me enough room otherwise.

I got the glass cut for a 36X18X18 so potential for 50gallons. Of course when I got the glass cut the first time I forgot to take into account the thickness of the glass itself, so my sides were about 3/4" to wide. After a few practice tries I tried cutting 1" off the sides. The first one went well and straight, the second was good but a bit like a country road. I took out the old belt sander did what I could to clean it up. I siliconed everything together and it was pretty good, the slight curve of the cut made the side piece pivot at about the 1/3 mark on the way up. As I was making final adjustments the top or the bottom would pull away leaving some air bubbles in the silicone. Being a wood worker and having plenty of bar claps I simply clamped the bottom then applied some pressure to the top and things looked better. Of course a second clamp at the top would make things look better still. A couple gentle twists and all air bubbles were out. I sat back and admired my work and about 30 seconds later pop. The long piece broke. Back to the glass shop and attempt #2 but this time I had new sides cut as well.

I cleaned all the old glass with razor blades and a wire wheel. Once things were clean I dry fitted, re-taped and glued it up. I didn't end up using the corner clamps, got a good deal for 4 at LeeValley but I am happy with the GE 1200.

I just used duct tape to pull it together and it held. Seams were good with almost no bubbles.

I let the tank sit for about 3 days and it looked like there was a small bubble that formed about half way up one side. I did a leak test and the bubble grew until I realized it wasn't a bubble in the seam but a fault or fracture in the glass. A small dime sized portion of the class popped off. I thought for sure the tank would blow again but it held. Left water in for about 2 weeks and everything A-Ok. So I am not sure what to do from here. I crazy glued the piece back in, but I know structurally that does nothing. I was thinking of siliconing one of the small 1" strips over top just to give it some added strength. The water line won't go up to the point but I don't want a weak sump.

sphelps · #3 10-27-2009, 01:03 AM

The chip could spread into a crack down the road, best to replace the pane. It sucks but better to fix it now than find a flood later.

plutoniumJoe · #4 10-27-2009, 03:41 AM

I know the chip could spread but it is round in shape as opposed to sharp if that makes sense. I know that the extra few bucks to replace the pane of glass is better than replacing the new floor.
This picture is from the long side.

and this is from the end.

kien · #5 10-27-2009, 07:23 AM

When I see those chip pictures it just looks to me like the structural integrity has been compromised.. With that much water pressure over time, I would lose sleep over that little chip, hehe. But then what do I know :-)

plutoniumJoe · #6 10-28-2009, 02:44 AM

Shelps and Kein, Thanks for the advice! I think I just needed the nudge not to be so cheap. The extra $25 for the new pane will be well worth the piece of mind. I ordered the glass today, if I get the time I will cut out the old pane tomorrow.

kien · #7 10-28-2009, 02:56 AM

Sweet! Now we can all sleep at night knowing we won't wake up to another, "OMG my tank exploded! I'm getting out!" thread :-D. Seriously though, that is a very small price to pay for that peace of mind.

plutoniumJoe · #8 10-28-2009, 02:59 AM

Most of the pictures and work posted was done over the summer. Now things will start to happen in real time. The tank build thread I hope will motivate me to do things in a timely manner.

I probably would have built the stand of wood but my brother-in-law is a welder and had some 2X2 steel. I figured the strength of the steel and the smaller space it takes up might be a bonus.

We welded up the steel.

This is my brother-in-law not using a mask, he is from Naples, where they measure a man's testicular fortitude by their reckless behaviour. He tacked and I welded(I wore a mask!). He is adding corner braces, he insisted that it would help if people tried to shift the aquarium once it was loaded. I told him it wasn't going to happen, he wanted to do it anyway. He repairs cranes! Who am I to argue with an overbuilder.

He grinded the welds.

And I spent most of the weekend grinding and using a wire brush taking the stand down to bare metal. I put two coats of primer on and I should be able to hit it with paint tomorrow or this weekend.

Thanks for checking it out.

Joe.