lizbeth Posted April 25, 2003 Author Share Posted April 25, 2003 I mitered all the corners because I wanted them to match. I ran a bead of silicone in the part of the trim that fits on the tank and smooshed it on. Then I ran my finger around under the trim to spread the silicone onto the trim and glass, making sure that the corners were sealed to the inside rim. Then I placed a couple of rubberbands around the whole mess overnight. The glass is 1/8 inch. If I was going to make a "real tank" I'd have the glass cut and the edges seamed at a glass shop. They have the equipment to cut the glass straight and seam the edges for a nicer fit. Or you could do what I did and slap it together from scraps of glass. Link to comment
SeaMountain Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Originally posted by lizbeth Then I ran my finger around under the trim to spread the I never made it past that. Can you tell the weekend is only 30 minutes away? lizbeth... I just love it when you talk tank. Rack her! Link to comment
bertz_maru Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 hey im just wondering.... on tanks of these sizes do you use a skimme?? what all is going to be in the sump?? Link to comment
lizbeth Posted April 27, 2003 Author Share Posted April 27, 2003 Hi bertz, no on most nanos there is no reason to run a skimmer tho' some people do. Regular water changes take care of exporting the bad stuff. In the sump I plan on running the pump and heater. Link to comment
reefphreak Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 Looks really nice Liz! I would love one of those. My birthday is this wednesday. Do you think you could build one in time for me? Keep it up Liz. Link to comment
lizbeth Posted May 6, 2003 Author Share Posted May 6, 2003 Well I think it's finished. The hood and base are stained with a mix of red oak and early american. They are clear coated with matte finish spraypaint. The lid for the tank is 1/4" plexi with a small handle for easy removal. The lighting is a 13 watt 50/50. The ballast is in the blue pod, which is the base of the lamp I ripped apart for the guts. In the sump is a Rio 50 and a Hagen Thermal Compact 25 watt heater. Front view; Link to comment
bertz_maru Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 nice.. what all you plan on puttin in it? Link to comment
lizbeth Posted May 6, 2003 Author Share Posted May 6, 2003 Stocking plans are; About an inch of sand, one main rock (then I'll see what else will fit), 5 small frags of various zoos, a three head green button frag, one nassarius snail, one small tan starfish, and one minibrittle star. Later if it seems stable I might add a sexy shrimp if I can find one locally. Link to comment
DeskJockey Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 Looks great Liz! =) Man when I saw the first shot I thought that was a side view at first hehehe Link to comment
Lunchbucket Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 that looks awesome. what is up w/ us and small tanks. my 3.6gal cube is funny like that also Lunchbucket Link to comment
lizbeth Posted May 8, 2003 Author Share Posted May 8, 2003 Lunch,......I think I just like to fiddle with things. And fiddleing with small tanks is cheaper. Now that I'm basically done with the Midge I'm going back to building the 3.2 which was the original idea. Link to comment
Raise Posted May 13, 2003 Share Posted May 13, 2003 all i have to say is "Hell Yeah!" That is a killer little setup, it makes me wish I was DIY handy. Great job. Link to comment
ejmeier Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 Very cool projectB) I have a few questions though, if you don't mind? I've cut the glass How exactly did you do this? ??? I have heard of custom acrylic tanks, but I think it would be huge if DIYer could make glass tanks instead of acrylic - more scratch resistance. Also, how did you do your background for the sump divider? From the looks of the picture, it looks like you just used a can of spray paint. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it bad to have paint on the inside of a tank, in contact with water?:*( Love the hood though, you definitely got some skills. Link to comment
ejmeier Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 oops:blush: I didn't realize that is was an acrylic divider... You probably just used colored acrylic - it was the can of spray paint in pictures that threw me. Link to comment
lizbeth Posted May 14, 2003 Author Share Posted May 14, 2003 Yes I cut the glass. You can get a glass cutter at any home improvement store. Years ago I took several stained glass classes so cutting glass is no big deal. Even if you don't cut the glass yourself it's inexpensive to buy cut to size and seamed (the edges slighty smoothed). no opps. The acryilc divider is spray painted. I did some research and found that people have been painting PVC pipes and fittings in tanks for years. I painted the fittings in my 40 and decided to try it for the divider in The Midge. So far so good in both tanks, tho the turbo snails seem to be eating some of the paint in the 40. The paint has to fully cure before you use it. I let the pieces sit out in the sun for 4-5 days and I water test my tanks for a few days also before putting anything live in them. Thanks, I like the hood too. Link to comment
littlereefer Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 I've been lurking here for a while but this is my first post so... If you don't mind, where did you get the glass and how is it sold (size wise). Link to comment
lizbeth Posted May 14, 2003 Author Share Posted May 14, 2003 Welcome littlereefer! I had the glass left over from another project but any glass shop will be happy to help you. Size wise you need to decide what size tank you're going to build and they can cut the glass for you. Remember when figuring the measurment that the sides sit on the bottom and that the front and back overlap the sides. Depending on the thickness of your glass that is where you get the measurment for the bottom. I hope that makes sense! Link to comment
wetworx101 Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 What kind of spraypaint did you use?? Link to comment
lizbeth Posted May 15, 2003 Author Share Posted May 15, 2003 Krylon. Don't just take my word for it. I looked it up on RC and on the net. Link to comment
caja Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 So Liz, when can we expect to see more midge tanks for sale in the classifieds? That little tank is so awesome. I'd buy one just cuz it's so damn cute!! Link to comment
lizbeth Posted May 15, 2003 Author Share Posted May 15, 2003 Thanks Caj. I don't think I'll be making more soon...but it is an idea. I added a cpu fan to try to keep it cooler when the lights are runing. Let's see if I can post a picture of it....having computer problems...... Link to comment
wetworx101 Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 Maybe you should put the fan back in the computer then if it is having problems...he he. Link to comment
onthefly Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 Hey Liz, Did you reconfigure the top? Put hinges on it or something? Looks different between pics..... Link to comment
lizbeth Posted May 15, 2003 Author Share Posted May 15, 2003 Wet, actually a friend was trashing an old computer....I screamed "NO" as it was headed for the dumpster. I brought it home and took out the power supply and the fans, then I put it in the trash. Onthefly, I put little plastic bumpers on the top edge of the hood to create a small air gap. Good eye! Link to comment
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