Cutting 40G Breeder to 12" tall

[reefmkr]

I been using 40 breeder as BTA tank , and its little too tall for my taste, would like it be 12" tall, i know 30 breeder would work, but no one in my area sells one and its expensive. So I decided to cut it down without taking whole tank apart.... should have taken more picture but was in hurry to put BTA back in the tank.

Tools I used- safety glasses, gloves, handheld diamond saw, hammer, flat head screw driver, and sharp knife, and silicone.


first set the tank on the side to make long cuts on both side using trim as guide to make straight cut.

set the tank up right and shim where i just make the cuts in the 4 corners. and cut two side panels. didn't want to move the tank after 3 sides are cut.

That was not bad, it was pretty easy actually, took me less than 20 minutes to cut.

I removed the top and break all glass to remove from the top frame, key here is break glass as small as possible to peel it off without forcing too much, scrape and clean old silicone, re-apply new silicon and attach the top frame.

Here is picture of finish tank, bottom tank is un-cut 40 breeder.

 

[titlowda]

I like it and may do something like this. Any way to get some details on that saw?

 

[ca1ore]

Wow, nice job. Not something I would have recommended ..... or done myself . Clearly it wasn't tempered.

 

[reefmkr]

I like it and may do something like this. Any way to get some details on that saw?

saw I used was from big orange store, ryobi 4 in tile saw.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-4-in-Tile-Saw-TC401/205654302

 

[reefmkr]

Wow, nice job. Not something I would have recommended ..... or done myself . Clearly it wasn't tempered.

Thanks, usually 40 breeder are not tempered on the side panels.

 

[cracker]

That was cool ! Have you done this before? The saw is designed for tile so can handle being wet. I see you shimmed the space where the cut was made. Good idea !
Did the corners match level ?
When I read the title I thought no way without a big hassle. I was wrong !

 

[ca1ore]

I'd quite like to do this to a 30L that I use as a QT tank. Did you do the cuts in a single pass, or multiple?

 

[marvelousone]

I like that. I don't think I would try it myself though

 

[reefmkr]

That was cool ! Have you done this before? The saw is designed for tile so can handle being wet. I see you shimmed the space where the cut was made. Good idea !
Did the corners match level ?
When I read the title I thought no way without a big hassle. I was wrong !

thank's

this is my first time, i have cut other glass with other tile saw but not the whole tank,
yes corners level matched since i used trim as guide, i was going to use rimless but edges were rugged and not smooth as i like so i put the trim back.

 

[reefmkr]

I'd quite like to do this to a 30L that I use as a QT tank. Did you do the cuts in a single pass, or multiple?

single pass.

 

[Erica-Renee]

I have that same saw.. Well mine is the older purplish blue version. I use it to cut Granite , Composite stones and sometimes Concrete blocks , And have cut down glass with for my 12 inch sump.. I took apart a 120 gallon and build a 5 ft long by 12 inch tall tank.... Glass cutting is Much easier then 99.9% of people i see on Aquariums Insist that it is.. But everything is Hard to someone..

Nice work

 

[User]

How do you start the cuts? Do you just go straight through the side panel as you start one of the long panels?