Making my own tank??? need help

[Ryan d]

Hi, I was intersted in making my own tanks... but i have some
questions...

1. What kind of silicon do I use?
2. Where can I get the plastic top and bottom rims that hold the tank
together?
3. Any suggestions on how to silicon and how to put the tank
together?

Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!! thanks!

[[email protected]]

http://www.reefcentral.com

look in the DIY section. there are tons of sites out there with info for
just this. also Maxium magizene had a howto build an aquarium in it, not
sure what issue though.. good luck.




Ryan d wrote:

> Hi, I was intersted in making my own tanks... but i have some
> questions...
>
> 1. What kind of silicon do I use?
> 2. Where can I get the plastic top and bottom rims that hold the tank
> together?
> 3. Any suggestions on how to silicon and how to put the tank
> together?
>
> Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!! thanks!
>
>

[Fishnut]

On Mon, 01 Dec 2003 01:55:19 GMT, Ryan d > wrote:

>Hi, I was intersted in making my own tanks... but i have some
>questions...
>
>1. What kind of silicon do I use?
Buy a tube from your LFS or it will probably be cheaper mail-order.
>2. Where can I get the plastic top and bottom rims that hold the tank
>together?
The plastic pieces are only for "looks". They do not hold the tank
together in any way.
>3. Any suggestions on how to silicon and how to put the tank
>together?
>
>Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!! thanks!
Make sure you wear gloves when handling the glass.
>



Regards, Fishnut.

[skozzy]

To make things easier, have some wood on hand that you can cut slots into it
to hold the glass, the width and length can be much easier to hold together,
glass thickness is important for the size tank your building. Now the
silicon, depending on the company that makes it the stuff could be called
anything. Go to your local hardware store and as the dude behind the counter
what silicon is safe for aquarium use. Silicon and glass hold quite well,
but make sure the glass is clean first (use clean paper like the stuff for
drying your hands) to remove any residue on the glass. as for the
application of the silicon, my trick is to apply a 4-5mm thick beed the
length of the glass, then use a plastic bag to push my finger into then use
that as a trowel to smooth the silicon out. As for the strips down the edges
get something plastic, not perspex and a good width (about 1 inch for a big
tank), full the thing with silicon and push it on, don't worry about any
mess for now. At this stage the tank is done, now use a razor blade to clean
up the excess silicon. As for the bottom of the tnak, well I have seen some
tanks with the base inside the four outer peaices, and some with the base
under the four outer peices, I can't give you any advice here, but I do make
sure the base is double thickness.


"Ryan d" > wrote in message
...
> Hi, I was intersted in making my own tanks... but i have some
> questions...
>
> 1. What kind of silicon do I use?
> 2. Where can I get the plastic top and bottom rims that hold the tank
> together?
> 3. Any suggestions on how to silicon and how to put the tank
> together?
>
> Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!! thanks!
>
>

[skozzy]

> >2. Where can I get the plastic top and bottom rims that hold the tank
> >together?

> The plastic pieces are only for "looks". They do not hold the tank
> together in any way.

They do help in holding it together, without them the tank would just open
up.

[L8N DEB]

Call All Glass Aquariums for the plastic frames. 800-255-4527. They are VERY
reasonable.
Use GE Silicone I (not II) for assembly.

If you would like assembly tips, e-mail me.