Fixing a 3ft tank & making it a sump filter

[Squiggle]

Ok, as everyone knows Steph had a bit of a catastrophe yesterday & the bottom dropped out of one of her tanks & after examining the damage I found the the problem was the idiot who built the tank, they use 6mm laminated glass for the base, what that means is the glass is the base was made out of two sheets of glass stuck together with a thin sheet of laminate(plastic) in the middle. Rule number one of tank building is NEVER EVER USE LAMINATED GLASS FOR FISHTANKS!! The reason for this is that the glass is only as strong as a single piece, so it was like Steph's tank had a 3mm base piece. So I got a new piece of 6mm glass & started pulling the tank apart. Also, after discussing it with Steph, we decided to make this tank the sump in her system.

First this I did was cut the rest of the bottom out, I did that at her place so I don't have a pic. :dejection:

Next I took off the cross brace & lid supports, I did this as one unit cause it was a lot easier

Now after I started cutting the front & sides off I found that the tank has been built the wrong way as well, the sides are made like the front should be, that is, the side should butt into the front not the front butting into the side, so I had to cut the side off first.

Next I cut the front off, then the tricky one is cutting the last join, just be careful you don't drop one of the pieces.

Next I scrapped off all the silicone, washed each piece & let them dry.

Then I cleaned all the pieces with Acetone & siliconed the tank back together.

This is the new base piece.

Here is the tank together, I'm going to let it sit for 48hrs before I start putting the dividers in.

I will do the next update in a couple of days when I start doing the dividers. :victorious:

[BristledOne]

THANKYOU!

Is this something you think someone can do with no previous experience? Because I really want to divide my two 3ft tanks but I dont have the courage to do it on my own! The neighbour across the road cuts glass for a living so I can possibly source glass through him and even get the dividers drilled but I'd still need to do the silicone etc and I'm a bit worried some of the current silicone on the tank is degrading as it's starting to get buildup between the silicone and the glass

[Squiggle]

Definitely dude, I will go through putting in the dividers in great detail to make it very easy to follow & there's already a DIY thread posted by Dean about drilling holes in glass, but if the guy across the road does glass work then maybe he can do them for you instead of you having to buy the tools if you're only going to use then once. :encouragement:

[Brado]

Squiggs u are an absolute gentleman for doing that for steph!! Good onya mate true skf generosity!

[Squiggle]

Thanks dude. :o

The forum made me do it!! Lol

[BlueBolts]

+1000, awesome awesome awesome. Great work squiggs.

[CNgo2006]

Good stuff squiggs, the tank handyman of SKF!

[Ronskitz]

Well done squigg you and several others (you know who you are (: )make SKF without a doubt the BEST forum around

[Garnelchen]

Awesome, Squiggs!

What would SKF be without you? :encouragement:

[ineke]

Well done Squiggs! I never knew there was a right and wrong way of putting an aquarium together so thank you for pointing that out! Look forward to seeing how to put dividers in too:encouragement:

[keego]

+1 very kind of you squiggs, your always willing to give up your time, like you did for me & many others. A big thanks you

[JPN07]

Good on you Squiggle. True SKF spirit.

[Bunnybom]

Here's a whole different level of shrimpy-ing!

Making&fixing the tank of own! wow:cool-new:

You truely are a man Squigg!

[Squiggle]

Thanks everyone, it's nothing I wouldn't have done for each & every one of you, this forum is the best & it's the people that make it that way. :victorious:

[Shrimp Aqua]

Well done Squiggle, you were only too willing to help out when i put up a request for some micro worm. This only shows the calibre of the man.

[BristledOne]

Can I ask what tool you used when dealing with removing and applying the silicone? and is the acetone something that just washes off easily with a hose?

[Squiggle]

To remove the silicone off the glass I use a scrapper blade & just scrape the silicone off, then I clean the glass with Acetone. Acetone is a liquid & it evaporates very quickly, it's commonly used as nail polish remover, it removes all the oils & impurities off the glass so the silicone will get good adhesion. Once you have cleaned the glass with Acetone you can't touch the glass where the silicone will be applied, otherwise the oil from your hands will affect the adhesion.

To apply the silicone I just use a normal caulking gun & I have a scrapper I have made to scrape the excess silicone off, I will post pics up later of the tools for ya. :encouragement:

[Squiggle]

Here is the latest update, the tank is dry enough to work on so I decided to put the two dividers that the water will flow under in. First of all I marker out the position of all the dividers.

Then I positioned the blocks to hold the dividers at the correct height.

Next I cleaned the surfaces with Acetone & ran a bead of silicone along one edge, then gently placed the glass in position & used some masking tape to hold the glass in place, I put the tape on the side I haven't siliconed. Then I ran a bead of silicone up each side of the glass & used the scrapper I made to shape the silicone

Then I let that side cure enough to hold the divider in place. Once is was dry enough I removed the tape from the other side & started to apply silicone to that side, making sure that the silicone was penetrating all the way through the gap between the divider & the side, you have to make sure there are no air bubbles in the joint as this will weaken the joint. Then I shaped the silicone with the scrapper, same as the other side.

After that I did the same exact process with the second divider. Now this is not the best way to do it but the way this tank has been built it was my only option. The ideal way would be to not put the front glass on & put all the dividers in place, then put the front pane of glass on last. This method is also very good for putting dividers in existing tanks. :encouragement:

The next update will be putting in the two dividers that the water will be flowing over.

[BristledOne]

Brilliant, I might give it a shot in the new year. Managed to sell most of the car audio gear so I can relax a bit with the bills, but DIY will save me money and if I can pick up a skill then I'm all the better for it.

Thanks again for taking the time with this thread to help everyone out. I'm sure I'm not the only one reading intently right now :)

[BlueBolts]

Brilliant' date=' I might give it a shot in the new year. Managed to sell most of the car audio gear so I can relax a bit with the bills, but DIY will save me money and if I can pick up a skill then I'm all the better for it.

Thanks again for taking the time with this thread to help everyone out. I'm sure I'm not the only one reading intently right now :)[/quote']

Definitely, every question ask helps many.... So thanks for asking and querying :-)

[CNgo2006]

No holes drilled in the dividers before siliconing Squiggs? With the substrate the gap underneath wouldn't allow much water flow would it?

[BristledOne]

He mentioned that the next dividers to go in the water will flow over the top of so I think this is the sump we are currently seeing under construction, explains the waterflow as each section will house media that the water will pass through.

[Squiggle]

Absolutely correct dude, yeah no holes Chi cause it's a sump filter. :encouragement:

[CNgo2006]

OOPs pays to read the whole thread properly...

[John.]

Awesome Work Mate :)