Classic_Rich
Community Member
Humble beginnings
First off I'm a newbie to this hobby, so I decided to build my very first 24-inch cube tank. From start to finish.
I already drilled the hole needed for my overflow. What I did is tape the area for silicone placement. Prepped glass with acetone to remove hand oils. I wore disposable gloves.
I had thought that these corner clamps could aide me when piecing the tank together. Do not waste your money. they became a horror story.
My very first attempt. Using those forsaken corner clamps. It was so bad I had to take it apart and try again.
Second attempt. Got smart, moved into the garage used painters tape and those forsaken corner clamps again. I have not learned my lesson.
I used a pipe clamp very carefully. Again used painters tape to aide me in construction.
This is the seam after I had used my pipe clamps which is by no means acceptable. Side note I cannot begin to stress the difficulty in removing the old silicone. Each seam I made is thinner than a razor blade. I had to repetitively pour acetone into each joint and cut away. There are 8 seams in all that had to be totally cleaned of all residue before I could proceed. I was not happy with 5 total builds. Each one taking a minimum of 2.5 hours to clean thoroughly. I was becoming discouraged along with second-guessing myself and abilities.
A suggestion from a building friend of mine. Build a jig. I did. I have found success, Except, I had forgotten to lay in my painter's tape for guidance when applying the silicone bead.
Just one of the many beads I had laid down. After the completion, I went in the tank and cut away all of the excess caulking being careful not to cut into the actual seam. I then laid in the painter's tape guide and made the joints... important note: Do not let the caulk remove the tape carefully not letting the caulk smack all over the glass, it will be a never-ending battle getting it all cleaned off.. Trust me I went down that path and its a lot more than sucking.
The bead, no air bubbles what so ever nice and tight.
Yes, I moved then tank inside. The white table was used to aide in the moving. I let the tank sit for a week to ensure the caulk has cured. Afterward, I moved it outside for a water test.
This is actually the end of the test. What's not being seen. I surrounded the tank with a wood exoskeleton. This was put in place to safeguard the glass in case of a seam-split. The tank was kept full outside for one month. It passed.
The stand is also home built. The door 3 in total are held in place by magnets. I can remove all the doors exposing the inside. Maybe some of you might want to attempt building one yourself as well and if I can be of any help, please feel free to ask... The savings by doing it yourself are substantial.
