Glass tank build? I can help!

[TherealplexiG]

Heya!
I have been making aquariums professionally since a while. I hail from Subcontinent. There are many ways to make an aquarium. I wanna show you guys the most efficient, foolproof and engineered way to make one. Any questions, you are welcome..
I'll be posting a list of tools that are necessary for the build along with the procedure.

 

[don_chuwish]

I'm eager to see what you have to share!

 

[LbulletM]

Coming along for the ride out of sheer curiosity.

 

[TherealplexiG]

I'll write up probably this weekend.. Bring me the beers..

 

[Blacktank]

Excited to follow

 

[TherealplexiG]

Hello ya'll,
Been busy with some family stuff. Real hard to get hands on time but here we go..

List of tools..

90 degree clamps or custom clamps for angled builds like hex, triangular or some weird shapes.

Painters tape not masking tape (I don't use any, but you might)

Denatured alcohol for cleaning glass, removing silicone Aka caulk residue while still being wet.

Lotsa rags cut in to small pieces for cleaning excess silicone. Approx 4"*4"

Spacers could you anything which doesn't contract under stress or pressure (more on this later) I use business cards stacked to the right thickness if there is a complex or big build, stainless steel strips generally. You could use other things it's fine..

Caulking gun, I use pneumatic. However for small builds under 120 it would be fine to use manual one. You could also build larger tanks with it unless you have extra pair of hands and really strong arms.

A platform, table or stand with adjustable Leveling feet.

Level spirit bottle or laser or any other equipment to check the level of the stand or surface we gonna build tank

MDF strips of different sizes and length. Could be 1/2 inch thick or more. (more on this later where and how would you use them)

Clamps lots of, c clamps or quick clamps.

Caulking tool, such as fugi or other types.

I'll add if I remember anything that might be needed apart from this...

 

[TherealplexiG]

First and foremost you need your glass cut in acute right angles. Grounded and polished, this increase the strength of tanks and safety factor.

I'll also try to list glass thickness that I use for my builds for different sizes. Most of this stuff or calculators are over or under exaggerated online.

The way we gonna build is floating bottom, ie the bottom stays inside of all the panels. I'll see if I could attach an illustration later. The sides will flush to the edges of bottom and front and back to the edges of sides and bottom if that makes sense.

 

[TherealplexiG]

Important notes.

Get your surface of stand table or whatever to extreme flat. It shouldnt have any angles on it or else your tank would not be structurally sound. As you are gonna put stress at certain sections right from the start. Also aesthetics would ruin because if it is not level your glass would pop up from one side from the top edge. This is the most important one.

Ambient temperature and humidity plays an important role in caulking. Our workshop is regulated for this. Temp should not exceed 26 degrees Celsius and humidity should be below 50. I know most of ya'll won't have privilege for this. So the right time to caulk is when there is no temp fluctuations. Avoid caulking during the day. Do it at evening or night where the temp would be stable for a few hours..

Curing the silicone..
It may differ due to geography or climate.
My golden rule is 1 mm per day. However 2mm per day is fine for smaller builds. Below 1/2 inch or 12 mm.

 

[TherealplexiG]

What type or brand of caulk to use?
I maybe not familiar with all the brands that you guys might have access to but I'm putting some spec knowledge and how it affects.
I personally use Momentive Rtv 108 made in Germany or US, Momentive Scs 1200, made in US, Soudal Silirub AQ from the EU.
However I have also tried and tested Alot of other brands they might work fine upto an extent but you are really never sure about it. Longevity is what we are looking for. And majority or peeps don't take any tanks beyond a couple of years.. But when you build you should build it like it should last for a long long time...

Tensile strength..
The resistance. Really don't not matter practically because you might also get general purpose silicone stating the one I have mentioned above.

Elongation
It really matters coz this is what gonna hold your tank.
In soudal it's 800 percent or something if I remember correctly. In momentives it's little less then that. I prefer soudal for longer tanks. But when looking at height anything above, 24 inches I would go with momentives..

Bonding strength to the surface of glass..
Nothing beats 1200.

However all of this silicone are reliable, have successfully used them on hundreds of tanks..

Caulking gap between the panes. It's most critical. The more closer the glass more strong the joint but you don't need that. Coz thermal expansion would lead to tank failure. The more farther the glass less the strength more flexibility for expansion. But we need to find a sweet spot between the both for aesthetics and strength..

Rimless vs rim...
More on this later...

 

[vanpire]

This is fantastic. Looking forward to the thread.

Is Momentive Scs 1200 the same as GE SCS1200?

 

[TherealplexiG]

This is fantastic. Looking forward to the thread.

Is Momentive Scs 1200 the same as GE SCS1200?

Yes..

 

[Reef4Rose]

What is that gap sweet spot between panes? Smaller tank 48long 12 deep 16 high. I am planning on 1/16” gap.

 

[TherealplexiG]

What is that gap sweet spot between panes? Smaller tank 48long 12 deep 16 high. I am planning on 1/16” gap.

Glass thickness?

 

[Reef4Rose]

.25”

 

[TherealplexiG]

1/16th is too much, it comes to 1.5+ millimetre. You need 1 mm for that size to make a rimless tank, 12 mm glass thickness (1/2 inch).
The more near glass panes the more stronger bond, but taller you go there is need for more flexibility.

 

[TherealplexiG]

.25”

Eurobrace it with that thickness...

 

[George209]

Looking forward to the thread...great info!!!

 

[TMB]

Awesome thread! I don’t think I would ever attempt doing this myself, but I enjoy reading (and seeing - Pictures hint!) other people do it. Can’t wait to see some DIY’ers take this on.

 

[joe berkman]

I'm so glad you started this thread I've been wanting to play with glass. I was thinking of starting with an ato container. It needs to be 5" by16" deep by 24" tall can I do that with 1/4" glass, do I need tempered glass,, can I use recessed corner braces and is tinted glass reef safe.

 

[TherealplexiG]

I'm so glad you started this thread I've been wanting to play with glass. I was thinking of starting with an ato container. It needs to be 5" by16" deep by 24" tall can I do that with 1/4" glass, do I need tempered glass,, can I use recessed corner braces and is tinted glass reef safe.

1/4 would work well if built properly, but there's a lot to it. I don't know what you mean by recessed bracing, you could do a hybrid brace with acrylics more on it later. Could you provide me a link to what type of tint are you referring?
Go with 3/8 to be on a safer scale.