coolwaters Posted July 23, 2007 Author Share Posted July 23, 2007 omg yeah Novus is what im using. works like magic. just wished i got the gallon version =p yeah i know that there brand names but it comes down to quality and what it contains. Link to comment
ENraged Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 Good stuff I will look in to some of that. Link to comment
coolwaters Posted July 24, 2007 Author Share Posted July 24, 2007 make sure u have some thing to reinforce the tank. like triangle braces. in the future im going stemless or braceless tank. cuz it looks hot. might have to do 1/2" cell-cast with something special to make it stronger. and thats just for a 10g.... Link to comment
fade2black Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 make sure u have some thing to reinforce the tank. like triangle braces. in the future im going stemless or braceless tank. cuz it looks hot. might have to do 1/2" cell-cast with something special to make it stronger. and thats just for a 10g.... Eurobracing is the best. Triangle bracing will do nothing to prevent bowing as it is concentrated only in the corners where the tank is already strong enough due to the joint. You need the support in the middle. It's best to overbuild a tank, but 1/2" for a 10G is going a bit overboard Even if you want it braceless. 3/8" would be PLENTY thick enough. Link to comment
coolwaters Posted July 24, 2007 Author Share Posted July 24, 2007 thats just 1/8" think more. not that much the thicker it is the easier it is to glue. if i get a middle support that means the rock size is limited...unless i build it with it already inside. pretty tricky i really want that front view angle next time. sexy? i think not lol too bad its not low iron glass. whould have been hot Link to comment
fade2black Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 I have glued several thousands of feet of joints and the thickness of the acrylic really doesn't matter up to a point In fact, I would have to say the thicker the acrylic, the HARDER it is to glue and get a clear joint. The joint is going to be so much wider it's tougher to get a clear bond; especially for the novice. Unless you have a lot of experience, getting a clear joint takes a lot of finesse. I wasn't talking about a center brace, I meant the eurobracing like in the picture you provided. That is going to provide the necessary support in the middle. A triangle brace like you mentioned is not going to provide any support in the middle, thus resulting in needing to use thicker acrylic....which in turn means more $$$$. If money is no object, then by all means build a 10G out of 1/2". I'm just saying it isn't a necessary expense. Have you actually priced the difference between a sheet of 1/2" and a sheet of 3/8"? Sure it's only 1/8" difference, but the cost difference is huge! Retail, you are looking at close to 62% more money for 1/2" over 3/8". Just something to keep in mind. Link to comment
coolwaters Posted July 25, 2007 Author Share Posted July 25, 2007 i was trying to glue together a 1/8" piece before and it was a nightmare... i had the bottle with the needle and it was still pretty hard...might need to smooth out the sides...and test it out with water first. fade whats the best way to smooth the sides? Link to comment
fade2black Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 If you are using the water thin stuff the pieces have to fit together perfectly or it is a waste of time. I use a router in my router table to clean the edges prior to assembly. It is the best way to get perfect fitting pieces. I first rough cut with the table saw, then take about 1/16" off each side with the router to get them to their final dimensions and to get the pieces the exact same size. Link to comment
coolwaters Posted July 27, 2007 Author Share Posted July 27, 2007 yeah i dont have any tools just a hacksaw.... but im planning to buy one of thos mini motor circular hand saws... and going to sand it down with 200g and then 1000g or 2500g. (yeah i know not to round the edges...) dont think my mom wants to see more mini reef tanks laying around.... Link to comment
fade2black Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 You don't need to go to 2500 grit sandpaper. 220 would be plenty. The edges don't need to be polished in fact, that is the worst way to assemble a tank. The polishing will weaken the joint. If you are doing it the way you say, use #16 as there is no way you can get perfect joints with those hand tools. Or pay someone to cut the pieces for you and you just do the assembly. Link to comment
coolwaters Posted July 27, 2007 Author Share Posted July 27, 2007 that makes sense. i'll keep the sides around 200-300grit tap plastics (a plastic chain) does straight cuts for free so i tell them what sizes i need. it was funny how i asked for 20 pieces and each are just inches long XP (overflow siphon) (just wished i used weld-on 3 for my 3g the edges look really messy...but for the chambers i needed 16 for sure...) making small complicated aquariums out of acrylic is fun. everyone should try it. Link to comment
coolwaters Posted July 29, 2007 Author Share Posted July 29, 2007 i might do this project just because i can. but i'll w8 until i get enough money to waste again. its going to be a front angle tank with 3/8" cell-cast. i'll move everything in my 10g to it. anyone want to try it before me??? Link to comment
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