DIY glass aquariums

[Kid03]

Make things simple for yourself.

 

If you dont re-glue it, as stated before use a ruler and razor blade to clean up the lines.

If you do re do it, pre tape all edges but leave a space for glue.

place bottom pan on level surface and lay down a thick bead in where your 4 sides will rest.

then lay thick bead on one side edge of your side wall. and repet untill all sides are together.

As you work use painters tape to keep sides in place.

 

Dont worries about glue getting squished between the pans, its needed to have glue between the pans.

if glass is touching glass, it needs glue between them.

 

pull only the edging tape to view clean lines and let dry before you water test.

 

Hope I did not mess this up lol but thats how ive always built mine.

 

Last option. Pay someone to build it for you.

 

Ive got faith in ya guy, its easer then it sounds.

[albertthiel]

Thats very similar to what I did. I laid a 1/4 bead of silicone down. I just dont understand what happened.

If when you assemble the pieces and tape them and if you stick a match between all the panes to keep them a little apart and then silicone, and when the silicone starts drying after a number of hours, you pull out the matches you used and fill the tiny holes with some silicone and clean up the overage

 

That way you have a ticker bead of silicone between all the panes and a better hold.

 

I used to build large tanks that way and never had any issues. On the larger ones I used little pieces of thin acrylic rod to keep the spacing between the panes. FWIW

[dling]

I think that the problem may be that I did not have enough silicone between the glass.I have the glass pieces so tight together that I can even get a razor blade between them .

[albertthiel]

I think that the problem may be that I did not have enough silicone between the glass.I have the glass pieces so tight together that I can even get a razor blade between them .

Yes IMO that is indeed the problem .. as I said in a previous post I used spacers between the glass so that there would be a thicker layer of silicone between them

[dling]

Yes IMO that is indeed the problem .. as I said in a previous post I used spacers between the glass so that there would be a thicker layer of silicone between them

I think that's a good idea Albert. It's 1/4 glass . So I think I will use tooth picks. Do you thing that will be enough space gap ?

[JamieSheffield]

I'm planning on DIYing a 10" cube this weekend from a 10G tank...you guys seem to reference 1/4" glass a lot, but I'm pretty sure that the glass in my tank is 1/8"...

 

I had originally planned on an 8" cube, but 10" is many fewer cuts/breaks...

 

Jamie

[dustbust]

I just built my first 7.5 rimless cube and used black RTV 103. I put all of the sides against the bottom pane not on top. I ran a decent sized bead on all of the side bottoms and up the sides of the front and back pane. When i assembled i gave each pane a little bit of pressure and taped. Not too much pressure or you will squeeze all of the silicone out. I then ran my finger along all of the seams to smooth out the bead. Keep in mind how big you want your seams. If you don't use enough pressure you will have big thick seams which isn't very sexy.

 

I prefer the sides beside the bottom not on top because if your glass is not cut perfect it gives you some wiggle room with the silicone.

 

I taped all the panes to get a nice seam. But it didnt work that way. I just made a mess anyways. So I let it dry and took a razor blade to it which was pretty easy. Instead of a ruler grab a razor blade, tape or super glue a little piece of wood about 1/8" thick onto it. With the piece of wood against the glass run the razor up the seam. You use the glass as a guide and the little piece of wood keeps your seem perfectly straight and 1/8" the whole way up.

 

took me half the time to razor the seams than it did to tape everything

 

not sure if my rant helps, just sharing my experience. My tank is holding strong after a week of water testing.

[albertthiel]

I think that's a good idea Albert. It's 1/4 glass . So I think I will use tooth picks. Do you thing that will be enough space gap ?

Yes that should be enough or if you can find the wooden matches that may give you a little more spacing. Let the silicone dry for a few hours and then pull the spacers out and put a little dab of silicone in the hole and clean up the excess with a razor blade if needed.

[dling]

Yes that should be enough or if you can find the wooden matches that may give you a little more spacing. Let the silicone dry for a few hours and then pull the spacers out and put a little dab of silicone in the hole and clean up the excess with a razor blade if needed.

Thanks Albert. I will give it a try.

[albertthiel]

Thanks Albert. I will give it a try.

If you need help, call me, you have my # ...

[dling]

If you need help, call me, you have my # ...

Thanks Albert.I hope it doesn't come down to an S.O.S. call. I stopped and got some wooden matches on my way in to work this morning.I plan on getting started on the silicone removal today when I get home.I hope to have it all re-bonded by the end of the day tomorrow. What a pain in the butt.

[dling]

So glad that I saw this thread...I'm actually planning on trying my hand at a DIY tank this weekend.

 

Thanks NR!

 

Jamie

There are some good vids out there for diy. I wish they show how good/bad their seems are. Also I did mine having the front/back and sides going around the bottom which may have made it a bit more difficult. If your tank size is nano it may be easier to put the all the glass on top of the bottom piece . Good luck and take some build pics to post

[albertthiel]

Thanks Albert.I hope it doesn't come down to an S.O.S. call. I stopped and got some wooden matches on my way in to work this morning.I plan on getting started on the silicone removal today when I get home.I hope to have it all re-bonded by the end of the day tomorrow. What a pain in the butt.

Yes and you have to make sure all the old silicone is off the glass ... after you scrape off as much as you can with a sharp razor blade, what remains can usually be removed with denatured alcohol .. soak it on the remainder for a bit and then scrape again and it should come off.

 

Before you re-silicone all the old one has to be off the glass ... so keep scraping till none is left

[dling]

Yes and you have to make sure all the old silicone is off the glass ... after you scrape off as much as you can with a sharp razor blade, what remains can usually be removed with denatured alcohol .. soak it on the remainder for a bit and then scrape again and it should come off.

 

Before you re-silicone all the old one has to be off the glass ... so keep scraping till none is left

I was planning on using a wire disk brush and drill to remove the silicone that the razor blade leaves behind.

I sure hope it comes out better this time.

[albertthiel]

I was planning on using a wire disk brush and drill to remove the silicone that the razor blade leaves behind.

I sure hope it comes out better this time.

 

If you heat what remains on the glass with a hair dryer the silicone becomes harder and it should then be easier to remove.

 

Good luck ... I am sure that it will be ok now

[dling]

If you heat what remains on the glass with a hair dryer the silicone becomes harder and it should then be easier to remove.

 

Good luck ... I am sure that it will be ok now

Thanks.

[JamieSheffield]

I cut glass for, and made, a 10" cube yesterday!

 

It was fun, and messy, and while I'm reasonably sure that this one will hold water, it is not the prettiest tank I've ever seen...that being said, I love the idea of making a tank...thanks NR!

 

Jamie

[albertthiel]

I cut glass for, and made, a 10" cube yesterday!

 

It was fun, and messy, and while I'm reasonably sure that this one will hold water, it is not the prettiest tank I've ever seen...that being said, I love the idea of making a tank...thanks NR!

 

Jamie

And yes you have the addl satisfaction that "you" made it ... :-)