BSDaemon's office tank

[IPv6Freely]

hell with it, i give up.

[The new guy]

Don't give up man.. Keep it up... You can do it!!!

[crrichey]

Your best bet is to place the side panels on top of the bottom piece not around it. Most tanks are built that way unless it's an ADA, and in that case you are dealing with people who have spent years doing this using some pretty precise equipment. Pretty sure that is why most aquariums have trim, to cover up how funny it looks puting the sides on top.

[IPv6Freely]

Your best bet is to place the side panels on top of the bottom piece not around it. Most tanks are built that way unless it's an ADA, and in that case you are dealing with people who have spent years doing this using some pretty precise equipment. Pretty sure that is why most aquariums have trim, to cover up how funny it looks puting the sides on top.

 

Yep, when I re-ordered a new bottom pane from nano-paul I had him make it so the sides would sit on the bottom. The other way around would have worked fine if the glass had been the right size though.

 

What Im doing now though, is knowing that silicone doesnt stick to silicone, I've left the thin film of silicone between panes intact (so the tank is still assembled), but ive scraped out everything from the inside corners and I'll redo the silicone there. It -should- work. I'll water test it for at least a week in my basement when I'm done just in case.

[IPv6Freely]

Looks like this project has come to a grinding halt, and isn't likely to be started up again.

 

Many reasons, but mostly related to the tank itself.

 

Thanks to everyone who have been watching this thread.

[IPv6Freely]

Hoping to get something worked out with nano-paul. The glass just doesnt fit right, even when squared up, there are gaps here and there, as if the glass isnt perfectly square or something. The bottom doesn't seem to be the right shape either. Logic would tell you that if theres a lip on the bottom on one side, it should be too short on the other... and that would be my mistake. But theres a lip on both sides.

 

I'm afraid the tank won't hold water, so it's been sitting on my kitchen floor, fully assembled, for months. If I can get something worked out with nano-paul, then I'll keep going on this project. Otherwise... it's time to pack it in, or just go ahead and buy another AGA and try drilling again.

[IPv6Freely]

..... aaaand nano-paul doesn't answer his email anymore. Lovely.

 

Well... I'm slowly leak testing this thing... I've got maybe 5" of water in it now, just doing a bit at a time so that if it starts leaking i can get to it before it floods my apartment. I -really- don't trust it, but I just can't afford to go spend another $400 on a freakin tank.

[scarfish]

I pray the damn thing bursts soon as the water gets to the top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JK hopefully we get to see this thing hooked up soon.

[supernip]

..... aaaand nano-paul doesn't answer his email anymore. Lovely.

 

Well... I'm slowly leak testing this thing... I've got maybe 5" of water in it now, just doing a bit at a time so that if it starts leaking i can get to it before it floods my apartment. I -really- don't trust it, but I just can't afford to go spend another $400 on a freakin tank.

 

 

I havent heard back from paul in a while either. He's a stand up guy, I wonder what happened to him

[IPv6Freely]

I havent heard back from paul in a while either. He's a stand up guy, I wonder what happened to him

 

He said he doesn't come here much anymore, and gave me his personal email address. I emailed him like two months ago, he said he was out of town and would get in touch when he got back to discuss my tank. Never heard from him. So I emailed him again, and again... never heard from him.

 

It just angers me because I defended the guy I don't even know how many times when people complained about his speed in filling orders. I even took a lot of flak standing up for the guy...

 

This tank was pretty near $400, just for the tank alone (not including any plumbing, etc). I would think $400 for a ~35g tank would get me something exceptional that I should have nothing but confidence in... but in reality, I'm fully expecting to come into work one day and having water everywhere.

 

Sigh...

[supernip]

sorry Dae. I saw him post in the lounge a few days ago. I've pmed him several times here as well. Iono what's going on so I don't know what to tell you man. I'm sorry about the tank, perhaps try pming/emailing him one last time.

[disaster999]

and all of you were bashing on me when i chewed him out on his "great customer service" long time ago.

 

what exactly is wrong with the glass piece? it seems like some piece isnt square right? cant you take it to a local glass shop and have them square it up for you? tank would be smaller, but only a little and you wont be out $400

[IPv6Freely]

and all of you were bashing on me when i chewed him out on his "great customer service" long time ago.

 

Well, at the time, I saw no sign of any problem.

 

what exactly is wrong with the glass piece? it seems like some piece isnt square right? cant you take it to a local glass shop and have them square it up for you? tank would be smaller, but only a little and you wont be out $400

 

Umm, I dunno. Can you do that with tempered glass? Also, the tank needs to fit the stand...

[disaster999]

best that you call up some local glass shop and ask around. fitting the stand shouldnt be a problem if they are only taking a little material away to make the glass piece square.

[IPv6Freely]

Well, I decided to say to hell with it, and started filling it with water. Had a bunch of leaky bulkheads and plumbing (just not tight enough) but because the elbows had plumbing all the way up past the first ball valve piece, making it very difficult to tighten since the tank is on the floor, I decided to make some temporary plugs for the holes. (Though, if I'd do it again, I'd make plugs with elbows, just because theyd be easier to tighten. - In fact, I'm beginning to wonder if doing too much plumbing before hand is going to make it a pain later...)

 

 

I've got one bulkhead that just wont stop leaking. It was bad at first and I was able to tighten it more, but even now I got about a quarter size puddle under that bulkhead every day... I'm not sure how to fix that. Do you guys use teflon tape for your bulkheads and any plumbing that isnt slip?

 

I'm happy the tank itself isnt leaking so far (I havent got it completely filled yet). I have no worries about it cracking, due to the glass I used... but leaking is another story...

[neanderthalman]

Where exactly is it leaking from? Is it leaking through the gasket, or is it leaking through the plug?

 

I always use teflon tape on all threaded connections that require a seal. I don't worry about it on the threads for the bulkhead nuts, as the threads are not acting as any sort of seal. The gasket should take care of it all.

 

If it is the gasket leaking, then you probably have some sort of debris between it and the glass or it and the bulkhead. Could be a hair, or something similar. If necessary, you can add a little silicone under the gasket, but you won't be easily removing it later.

[disaster999]

good to see it holds water. i would leave it outside filled with water for a while just to give it a stress test to make sure it wouldnt empty all over your living room floor.

 

cant wait to see this filled and stocked

[IPv6Freely]

Where exactly is it leaking from? Is it leaking through the gasket, or is it leaking through the plug?

 

I always use teflon tape on all threaded connections that require a seal. I don't worry about it on the threads for the bulkhead nuts, as the threads are not acting as any sort of seal. The gasket should take care of it all.

 

If it is the gasket leaking, then you probably have some sort of debris between it and the glass or it and the bulkhead. Could be a hair, or something similar. If necessary, you can add a little silicone under the gasket, but you won't be easily removing it later.

 

I'm not entirely sure where its leaking from... at first I thought it was the bulkhead, but I'm just not sure. Maybe I'll try using teflon tape with all the plugs.

 

good to see it holds water. i would leave it outside filled with water for a while just to give it a stress test to make sure it wouldnt empty all over your living room floor.

 

cant wait to see this filled and stocked

 

Heh... sadly the biggest problem is that I cant lift the damn thing. With the thickness of the glass, this tank is HEAVY (the AGA I could lift easily, this tank not so much). I'd actually rather have it in the basement than outside since I have neighbours with kids... a lot of kids...

 

What I'm thinking of doing is grabbing my stand from work, bringing it home, and having a friend help me move the tank and stand into my basement. It will be much easier to do my plumbing ahead of time, and I kind of need the stand to be able to measure properly.

 

I'm happy it holds water (so far). I'm NOT happy that nanopaul ignores my messages and that I have a >$10/gallon tank that I'm not happy with... that upsets me greatly.

[IPv6Freely]

Well teflon tape stopped the leaking from that one... but I have another one thats leaking, right from the bulkhead.. I'm not sure what to do

[disaster999]

how tight do you have the bulkhead on the glass? where is the gasket placed. i find it that putting the gasket on the inside of the tank, and cranking the nut as hard as possible without breaking it seals it up pretty good. also what type of bulk heads are they? slip type or threaded? if you have those pvc tubes threaded on, wrap some teflon tape and it seals it up pretty good since its tapered threaded. dont go to town on those threads because you;ll risk splitting the bulkhead in 2 (ask how i know). if its slip. its impossible to stop the leak without actually gluing on the pipe.

[IPv6Freely]

K, so after having the tank sit in my kitchen full of water for-freakin-ever, it seems to hold water just fine (nano-paul is lucky, or I'd be flippin' PISSED. Buyer beware when you send a lot of money to somebody you consider your friend, expecting quality product in return, I guess.)

 

The problem is that I had made some PVC plugs that I could screw into the bulkheads so I could water test, but loosening the plugs tightened the bulkheads... and I couldn't for the life of me get the bulkheads unscrewed after removing the plugs. Soo.... I ended up cutting the bastards off, using the tools I had on hand: a steak knife heated by a barbecue lighter. Now I need to buy some new bulkheads, but I think I'm going for slip this time. No chance of leaking if the damn thing is glued together!

 

So I have two questions:

 

i) Where would you guys recommend buying bulkheads that are threaded on the inside (my loc-line is threaded) and slip on the outside?

 

ii) I'm undecided if I want to use solid PVC plumbing all the way down to the sump, or if I want to use flexible hose. Which would you recommend?

[neanderthalman]

K, so after having the tank sit in my kitchen full of water for-freakin-ever, it seems to hold water just fine (nano-paul is lucky, or I'd be flippin' PISSED. Buyer beware when you send a lot of money to somebody you consider your friend, expecting quality product in return, I guess.)

 

The problem is that I had made some PVC plugs that I could screw into the bulkheads so I could water test, but loosening the plugs tightened the bulkheads... and I couldn't for the life of me get the bulkheads unscrewed after removing the plugs. Soo.... I ended up cutting the bastards off, using the tools I had on hand: a steak knife heated by a barbecue lighter. Now I need to buy some new bulkheads, but I think I'm going for slip this time. No chance of leaking if the damn thing is glued together!

 

So I have two questions:

 

i) Where would you guys recommend buying bulkheads that are threaded on the inside (my loc-line is threaded) and slip on the outside?

 

ii) I'm undecided if I want to use solid PVC plumbing all the way down to the sump, or if I want to use flexible hose. Which would you recommend?

 

Hey dude - glass-holes.com sells exactly the bulkheads you're looking for.

 

Having used both flexible and solid PVC, the hard pipe is definitely the way to go wherever you can use it. You do want to have a short section of flexible hose to connect to pumps. The flexible hose helps deaden vibrations from the pump from travelling up the plumbing.

[IPv6Freely]

Hey dude - glass-holes.com sells exactly the bulkheads you're looking for.

 

Having used both flexible and solid PVC, the hard pipe is definitely the way to go wherever you can use it. You do want to have a short section of flexible hose to connect to pumps. The flexible hose helps deaden vibrations from the pump from travelling up the plumbing.

 

Thanks dawg, I'll check them out. I don't recall where I bought my bulkheads and loc-line from the first time, but glass-holes looks like a good place. Especially funny is http://glass-holes.com/category.sc?categoryId=4 where their picture of a SCWD has been replaced with a gif of batman, for some reason..?

 

edit: hmm, they have thread x slip, but the threads are on the side connecting to the plumbing... the opposite of what I need. But I've learned there is such a thing as short bulkheads... which is great since I only have about 6" to work with...

 

Edit x2:

http://www.saltysupply.com/1-Bulkhead-Fitt...t-p/bh010sh.htm

They dont have a 3/4" SxT short though...

[nano-paul]

Sorry guys, I really am not on here much anymore due to a new job that has me traveling alot. I check it from my blackberry every now and then though.

 

BSDameon,

 

Is there something physically wrong with the glass???? I have to know whats wrong with it before I know if I can help you fix it. Your emailing an old email address from my other job. I will PM you a new one.

 

You have to remember that this has been over a year ago, so warranty issues really become a problem for me, but I will do what I can.

[IPv6Freely]

Sorry guys, I really am not on here much anymore due to a new job that has me traveling alot. I check it from my blackberry every now and then though.

 

BSDameon,

 

Is there something physically wrong with the glass???? I have to know whats wrong with it before I know if I can help you fix it. Your emailing an old email address from my other job. I will PM you a new one.

 

You have to remember that this has been over a year ago, so warranty issues really become a problem for me, but I will do what I can.

 

Yes, the pieces don't fit together right. It's like they weren't cut square or something. There are gaps in some parts, and the bottom piece has a lip on it because the four side panes dont sit square on top of it.

 

You already told me via PM that there is nothing you can do:

 

I don't really know what to do in this case. I cant really warrant a refund and I don't build tanks. What would you like for me to do?

 

It's fine, I'm over it. It holds water, it just looks like crap. I paid a crapton of money to have a custom tank and a custom stand with the intention of having it much much nicer than anything I could buy in a store, and at this point I certainly couldn't sell it to somebody even if I wanted to.

 

If I could do it over, I would have had somebody custom build the tank for me. It would have cost a bit more, but I also wouldn't be sitting here a year later still with no established aquarium. If it had been pre-built, then the problems would have been noticed before it was ever shipped.