Tank Making Tips

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john.m.cole3

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eurobracing pic
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Here are some more so this thread is pic heavy! lol These were from the builder when my tank was being built. But you can see from here how they setup the glass panes. They use an 1/8" thick piece of wood on the bottom of the tank. I have never seen it done before except for here. The sticker yu see on the bottom is between the wood and the bottom glass pane. I think it just protects the bottom a little bit.
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Here are some more so this thread is pic heavy! lol These were from the builder when my tank was being built. But you can see from here how they setup the glass panes. They use an 1/8" thick piece of wood on the bottom of the tank. I have never seen it done before except for here. The sticker yu see on the bottom is between the wood and the bottom glass pane. I think it just protects the bottom a little bit.
photo.JPG
photo-2.JPG
It looks like they made a jig for the entire aquarium to fit in. Then added small pieces here and here along the perimeter to make fine adjustments to square the tank off. Inside the tank along the bottom panel is where I see another wood frame. Is that frame between the side panels and the bottom or is that another frame to ensure the tank is square? It seems like a 1/16" gap between glass panels is preferred for most tank builders. I wonder if they do all the silicone work at once or if they join the structural seams first and then do the inside of the tank.
 

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The spacers I refer to, keep the panels of glass evenly apart to allow the silicone to be applied in between. when I was building glass tanks I would use plastic zip ties that were just under 1/8" thick. once the silicone starts to set, pull the zip ties and fill the holes with more silicone.

As already mentioned, a euro brace can also be added to the bottom of the tank. this technique is generally used when you skimp on the panel thickness and need some "insurance". I'd rather do it with the right material to start with.

Unlike acrylic tanks, the front, back and side panels are siliconed around the bottom panel, and not on top of it.

Plastic trim is usually molded as a one-piece and can be hard to find retail.

Building a jig to hold the panels in place is usually the way to go. I made wood jigs and used various clamps.

Get to know your local glass shop and they may be willing to give you scraps to practice with.
 
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The spacers I refer to, keep the panels of glass evenly apart to allow the silicone to be applied in between. when I was building glass tanks I would use plastic zip ties that were just under 1/8" thick. once the silicone starts to set, pull the zip ties and fill the holes with more silicone.

As already mentioned, a euro brace can also be added to the bottom of the tank. this technique is generally used when you skimp on the panel thickness and need some "insurance". I'd rather do it with the right material to start with.

Unlike acrylic tanks, the front, back and side panels are siliconed around the bottom panel, and not on top of it.

Plastic trim is usually molded as a one-piece and can be hard to find retail.

Building a jig to hold the panels in place is usually the way to go. I made wood jigs and used various clamps.

Get to know your local glass shop and they may be willing to give you scraps to practice with.
sounds like you need to work fairly quickly. Do you also run the silicone in the corners at the same time you apply the silicone between the glass?
 

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I did one panel at a time, so there was no rush. yes, I would add a thing layer in the corner as well at the same time. this isn't really needed though. you'll notice on some manufactured tanks there is no silicone in the corner where the panels meet.

sounds like you need to work fairly quickly. Do you also run the silicone in the corners at the same time you apply the silicone between the glass?
 
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I may be wrong but as I understand it, the silicone in the corners is meant to protect the silicone between the glass from breaking down. Right or wrong?

I spoke with my local glass shop today and they were real nice. I'll go visit them this weekend.
 

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I don't believe that to be true. I guess it could protect the seal from razor blades. but it's not required to keep the tank together.

I may be wrong but as I understand it, the silicone in the corners is meant to protect the silicone between the glass from breaking down. Right or wrong?

I spoke with my local glass shop today and they were real nice. I'll go visit them this weekend.
 

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It's littered with bad advice. what are you trying to silicone in your stand?

Would love a link to the silicone thread. Currently in the process of looking for silicone to use in my stand build.
 

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How big are you trying to go?

GE 100 series or SCS1200 are the best two commercially available options from what I researched a few years ago. The SCS has slightly higher tensile strength but can be harder to come by, at least in smaller tubes. I didn't need a full cartridge for any of my builds, so I stuck with the 108.

I've done a few smaller tanks (usually recommended so you can work out how it's done before attempting a potentially house/apartment destroying sized tank). I have not seen anyone using spacers when assembling glass tanks, acrylic yes. You typicall lay the bead on the wall and stand it up, pressing it into place and supporting it so it stays square as you complete the tank, then form the fillets, or leave the squeeze-out at is if you are not doing fillets. Some people do it in stages, but most do it all in one shot.

Plastic trimmed tanks usually have a floating bottom panel that sits inside the walls. If you build a trimmed tank, you are limited to stock tank sizes as you will effectively be buying repair parts for commercial tanks, unless the trim is just decorative or if you have a plastic welder for those longer strips. There probably wouldn't be much of a cost difference if you are using trim and all that unless you are building a custom height tank in a stock tank dimension. You could always make your own trim if it is just decorative.

You would want to have the base inside the walls. Silicone has a fairly high tensile strength, but a relatively weak shear strength. Building walls on base would put shear stress on the silicone.

Remember, a rimless or flat bottom tank has different support requirements than trimmed tanks.

Eurobracing goes inside the tank.

Watch out with some of those calculators, not all of them are as good as they seem. Most make some sweeping generalizations and assumptions. They don't take into account variations in manufacturing or professional organization standards. I lost most of my links when I had to refresh windows and I think the rest are on an old computer. I haven't completely gone through this one yet and it isn't a calculator, but it looks like it takes a lot of the safety factors into account http://www.aquarium-glass.co.uk
 
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Another one is https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...-the-glass-thickness-for-your-aquarium.50760/

If the tank is not very deep or long, you may not need bracing with properly sized glass, although this will need to be ballanced against weight and cost. If the equations don't give you what you need to compensate for no Eurobracing and you are not sure how to calculate that, you may end up building an expensive heavy tank that requires Eurobracing anyway.
 
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