StirCrayzy
Well-Known Member
I think a Fish Room is the ultimate gold standard that we all envy and dream of !
Good luck making it a reality !
Good luck making it a reality !
DIY Resealing and removal of plastic frame.
- Thread starter Squatch XXL
- Start date
Squatch XXL
Well-Known Member
Well, at this moment:
40 breeder is up and running. I have a 38 gallon almost totally set with my rock. I am still waiting for box#3. I am looking forward to posting a photo of a 38 gallon tank with 110# base rock and #60 agrocrete.
I have a 20g and a 10g waiting for the need for a q-tank. The recent bout I had with nudibranch pretty much got my goat on corals for a bit....
My math is telling me that by april, I should have a wet tank.....so in the meantime I am going to be cooking some rocks on a long term cure.
Another thing that will most likely happen....My "sump" will be kept at a slightly lower elevation, basically right beside the DT. Never will I bend over again to fiddle with a skimmer. Also, this will let my return pump with with as little head height as possible.
40 breeder is up and running. I have a 38 gallon almost totally set with my rock. I am still waiting for box#3. I am looking forward to posting a photo of a 38 gallon tank with 110# base rock and #60 agrocrete.
I have a 20g and a 10g waiting for the need for a q-tank. The recent bout I had with nudibranch pretty much got my goat on corals for a bit....
My math is telling me that by april, I should have a wet tank.....so in the meantime I am going to be cooking some rocks on a long term cure.
Another thing that will most likely happen....My "sump" will be kept at a slightly lower elevation, basically right beside the DT. Never will I bend over again to fiddle with a skimmer. Also, this will let my return pump with with as little head height as possible.
This one just happened to be perfect. Aside from the home being exactly what my family needed, the man cave with the drain in the center of the floor is just asking for fish.
Squatch XXL
Well-Known Member
Tank is still in storage, and I started having doubts about GE Silicone type 1. My concern is structural. I know it is safe in the sense that it will not foul the water....but I wonder about the strength...There was some fancy $5 dollar words that I have read about "tensile strength".
If no one has ever used GE type 1 to reseal something this large, than I guess I will be the first.....It is still in storage because I have been lazy and busy at the same time. It won't fit into my Cadillac, so I need to procure a truck. I may just have to go buy one of them too.
There will be photos once the process starts....but procrastination.....
If no one has ever used GE type 1 to reseal something this large, than I guess I will be the first.....It is still in storage because I have been lazy and busy at the same time. It won't fit into my Cadillac, so I need to procure a truck. I may just have to go buy one of them too.
There will be photos once the process starts....but procrastination.....
StirCrayzy
Well-Known Member
Resealing and rebuilding are two different things. The tank is together, so your structural concern is the bracing right?
There's far less pressure on those than the pane to pane bond front, sides ,and bottom.
If I was building a large tank I would use the RTV type silicone, I forget which # 108?
Sealing and bracing with GE1 should be fine, it's still very strong, and I've seen a lot of big sumps built with it.
There's far less pressure on those than the pane to pane bond front, sides ,and bottom.
If I was building a large tank I would use the RTV type silicone, I forget which # 108?
Sealing and bracing with GE1 should be fine, it's still very strong, and I've seen a lot of big sumps built with it.
Squatch XXL
Well-Known Member
This is exactly what I wanted to know. I was gonna go get it this weekend, but apparently we are getting a bit of snow....and I refuse to drive in it. Drat!
StirCrayzy
Well-Known Member
Call uber. 1St rides free Just saying...
Squatch XXL
Well-Known Member
I may have to lol. They didn't end up digging my rental van out until Yesterday (Wednesday). It sucks that I planned this trip weeks ago, and scheduled off of work, but it was a "Perfect storm" figuratively and literally. 30"+ snow in one day pretty much put us in a jam. This weekend looks packed again. I may try for saturday. I have more there than the tank, and though Uber sounds nice, I have about 2 trips based on remaining "junk" that I accumulated....none of which I need aside from the tank. I paid rent until 04-16-2016, and am just trying to get out ASAP. The "landlord" is upset with me because I have violated my lease by shutting off the water and trash, but as I advised her...Somehow I used 1,000 gallons of water in the month of november to december....of that time I was there twice, and only once ran water ONLY to clean the kitchen sink with a brillo pad. She admitted to coming and going and doing painting etc.....At that juncture I told her that the water will remain off because I am afraid that IF a plumbing disaster happens, it won't be because I was not living there. She wants water, she can pay for it. She is also mad that they refuse to take her garbage that she keeps bringing by. She understands the term "Theft of Services" after our conversation. I haven't herd from her in a week. She is really going to blow her top when I disconnect the heat and drain the water from the house entirely. Oil may be cheap right now, but Im not paying for services I don't need, and am falling back on the clause that I need to "Maintain" the property as if it was my own. If it was mine, and I was not living there, I would do no different. There is much more to the story, and we left because of safety concerns over electric, structure of the roof and plumbing. It does not take a genius to figure this out, as I left 6 months into a fully paid year lease. I refuse to chance having her half-assed home hurt my family.
Squatch XXL
Well-Known Member
My 2000 Cadillac decided to throw some more error codes today. I could tell by the way that the "Check Engine" Light was now flashing AND the car running rough that something terrible was happening. I drove it to work and back.....Checked it out, and it appears there is a catastrophe somewhere in the ignition system. AT LEAST 2 of the cylinders are misfireing....I guess that 4 are based on the theory that a coil pack has bit the dust. This was the final straw for the car. It will not pass inspection due to another error code stating the "Torque converter was not working" i.e. a wire was loose/ripped etc. Our Terrible state cannot pass a budget for 2015's fiscal year...but they still refuse to allow a vehicle to be inspected even if an error code unrelated to emissions is on. This is the final straw in its long life. Ever since I hit that poor woman (She was sitting at a green light talking to mom on the phone when I bumped her) I have had intermittent issues with the air bag light. The dealership even tells me that they basically don't want to work on it....It will cost more than they value the car.....So it is not really my decision after all. I randomly decided to visit another dealership on the way home.....The answer? Buy a newer car for the wife, and inherit the 1998 caddie.
So we got her a Jeep liberty thing. Guess what my selfish side says outloud to the salesman....."It will hold a fish tank"...She (the salesman) did not understand, and at that moment I did not want her to. It will be part of my enigma that may haunt her for the rest of her days.
So, no more renting vehicles for fish tanks.....Ill be the proud owner in 2-4 years when ever I pay it off. It is nice of the bank to loan me money. This is the first car I have bought on credit since 2000. Ugggghh. Its a fair trade off....I have had a wacky year with having my savings account drained.....New home ownership is an easy way to spend every last cent you can find.
It may be the best or worst split second decision I have ever made, but when you realize that your car is about to throw rods and leave you stranded on a snow bank on the highway it is the right one at the time....
Wait till they get my 2000 caddie on trade in lol. I am expecting the bare minimum, and I don't care. It will be off my driveway, and Ill never have to think about it again.
Ill have my fish tank tomorrow. BOOOYA!
Squatch XXL
Well-Known Member
SUCCESS!!!!!
Tank is located in my home finally. I had more "things" at the other house than I remembered. However, the house is now empty, thanks to the random chance that the vehicle we needed was randomly presented at the right moment in time. Good things including photographs will follow in the next few days. My day has wore me out. What a wonderful thing. I feel so relieved to have that house unloaded.
Back to the regular scheduled program tomorrow sometime:
Tank is located in my home finally. I had more "things" at the other house than I remembered. However, the house is now empty, thanks to the random chance that the vehicle we needed was randomly presented at the right moment in time. Good things including photographs will follow in the next few days. My day has wore me out. What a wonderful thing. I feel so relieved to have that house unloaded.
Back to the regular scheduled program tomorrow sometime:
Squatch XXL
Well-Known Member
It fit in the car width. I trusted the wife to drive it home, and she did it without incident.
In position and waiting for a few free hours. I have test fit the eurobraces, and they were cut very well. I had to file a small lip from one of them, but overall they are very precise to my exact measurement.
3 feet long, 2 feet tall, and 2 feet deep.
The bottom frame is still cracked up, and after I reseal it will be removed. I have plenty of closed cell foam to "borrow" from work for the base. After sealing it, and curing etc it will spend a month + in the garage with a few filter pumps to circulate. This will be the leak/flex test time. If all goes as planned, I may be able to get salty with it by April.
Squatch XXL
Well-Known Member
I put the caulk to it today. I did not install the euro-brace....mainly because I couldn't find my 6th clamp. Thankfully it is snowing, so I went to dig in my trunk for my ice scraper, and found the lost clamp....However, the ice scraper was in the tool box at home.
I used masking tape around all the joints. I offset 3/8" from the corner in all of the vertical joints, and 1/2" from the corner on all the horizontal joints. I used plenty of painters tape to mask off my work areas. I followed a few online tutorials, However I hated how every one involves getting your gloved fingers into the wet silicone. I figured out that a 1/2" PVC 45 degree fitting has a great outside diameter for doing the vertical joints, and a 3/4" 90 degree works great for the thicker bead in the bottom of the tank. This made for some really smooth looking finishing.
The bottom corners look like....well, they look as good or better than any mass produced tank I ever bought....Not the best, but this was my first time. How good were you your first time? If she told you you were perfect, it was just to make you feel better.
I masked the top of the bead off so that when I put in the euro brace there will be a bit of gap that will fill with caulk. I won't be filling this to the top ever, and will stay down at least an inch below the current "High caulk spots". I feel comfortable that this won't leak.
Here is some newly uploaded photos.
I don't have any photos of the masking of the corners. I was very very particular about distance. I used a perfectly sized "spacer" that was found in a box of old electronics. It was a 4 pin computer motherboard speaker...the ones that beep at you. It was perfect for my purpose and was rectangular. One way was 1/2" and the other 3/8".
Before all this process started, I test fit and committed my euro brace pieces to their locations. That took over an hour to make sure that it looks the way I want.
Prep work took hours. Had to clean it out with water. Then I scrubbed the corners with water and a stainless steel scrubber..... Then 100% acetone. Then masking. Then more acetone cleaning.
Caulking and finishing work took less than 20 minutes. Used about 1 and a half tubes. WAY less than the 3-4 I imagined. Thanks be to the higher power that I discovered the pipe fittings make the perfect shape. I still managed to get it all over my hands. Gloves will get covered in this stuff pretty quick when you start tearing the painters tape off.
In a few days OR tomorrow I will get the euro brace glued in. I feel I have a better than 80% chance of this actually working. It may get leak tested in the garage....Either way I need to make a stand for this, and since my floor in the fish room is uneven, the stand for testing will need to be modified (legs removed and re-cut to account for floor slope.)
This stuff STINKS. OH man SAFETY MESSAGE:
Wear Safety glasses and have plenty of rubber gloves. Do this in a place with good air flow. The smell can get unbearable. There should be a MR Yuck stamp on the side of every tube of caulk.
*EDIT*
On a side note, my work room looks like a bomb went off. We have only lived here a few months, and I am still trying to sort out my stuff. As my wife finds boxes of my junk, it comes to my junk room....where it will sit for months. God bless my mess, but I know where everything is.
I used masking tape around all the joints. I offset 3/8" from the corner in all of the vertical joints, and 1/2" from the corner on all the horizontal joints. I used plenty of painters tape to mask off my work areas. I followed a few online tutorials, However I hated how every one involves getting your gloved fingers into the wet silicone. I figured out that a 1/2" PVC 45 degree fitting has a great outside diameter for doing the vertical joints, and a 3/4" 90 degree works great for the thicker bead in the bottom of the tank. This made for some really smooth looking finishing.
The bottom corners look like....well, they look as good or better than any mass produced tank I ever bought....Not the best, but this was my first time. How good were you your first time? If she told you you were perfect, it was just to make you feel better.
I masked the top of the bead off so that when I put in the euro brace there will be a bit of gap that will fill with caulk. I won't be filling this to the top ever, and will stay down at least an inch below the current "High caulk spots". I feel comfortable that this won't leak.
Here is some newly uploaded photos.
I don't have any photos of the masking of the corners. I was very very particular about distance. I used a perfectly sized "spacer" that was found in a box of old electronics. It was a 4 pin computer motherboard speaker...the ones that beep at you. It was perfect for my purpose and was rectangular. One way was 1/2" and the other 3/8".
Before all this process started, I test fit and committed my euro brace pieces to their locations. That took over an hour to make sure that it looks the way I want.
Prep work took hours. Had to clean it out with water. Then I scrubbed the corners with water and a stainless steel scrubber..... Then 100% acetone. Then masking. Then more acetone cleaning.
Caulking and finishing work took less than 20 minutes. Used about 1 and a half tubes. WAY less than the 3-4 I imagined. Thanks be to the higher power that I discovered the pipe fittings make the perfect shape. I still managed to get it all over my hands. Gloves will get covered in this stuff pretty quick when you start tearing the painters tape off.
In a few days OR tomorrow I will get the euro brace glued in. I feel I have a better than 80% chance of this actually working. It may get leak tested in the garage....Either way I need to make a stand for this, and since my floor in the fish room is uneven, the stand for testing will need to be modified (legs removed and re-cut to account for floor slope.)
This stuff STINKS. OH man SAFETY MESSAGE:
Wear Safety glasses and have plenty of rubber gloves. Do this in a place with good air flow. The smell can get unbearable. There should be a MR Yuck stamp on the side of every tube of caulk.
*EDIT*
On a side note, my work room looks like a bomb went off. We have only lived here a few months, and I am still trying to sort out my stuff. As my wife finds boxes of my junk, it comes to my junk room....where it will sit for months. God bless my mess, but I know where everything is.
Squatch XXL
Well-Known Member
Today I got the front and back braces glued on. I spent well over 2 hours cleaning edges and masking off the glass. Actually putting a bead of caulk around the top section of the tank and setting the brace in place took a better part of 3 minutes. Than the masking tape came off.
These photos show my lack of planning on using downward force to put pressure on the pieces. I walked no farther than 3 steps around my room, and this is what I came up with. A box with fish supplies, a few guns and some work clothes. I sure as heck was not going to stand there for hours holding them down
I have since removed the box and the junk...which I now need to find a place for. There is no bubbles in the mix, and I somehow managed to keep all the silicone in between the glass only. Tommorrow I will get the cross-braces installed. I am feeling that these will peeve me off. If I get any air bubbles, it is going to be where the cross braces meet each other in the corners.....where one can look down and plainly see them from the top.
After the cross-braces dry, I will be putting a 3/8" sealing caulk around the inside of the braces. Tentative plan is to turn the tank upside down onto a rack made from saw horses and 2x4s so that I can work right-side-up.....If that makes sense. If it does not, there will be photos.
These photos show my lack of planning on using downward force to put pressure on the pieces. I walked no farther than 3 steps around my room, and this is what I came up with. A box with fish supplies, a few guns and some work clothes. I sure as heck was not going to stand there for hours holding them down
I have since removed the box and the junk...which I now need to find a place for. There is no bubbles in the mix, and I somehow managed to keep all the silicone in between the glass only. Tommorrow I will get the cross-braces installed. I am feeling that these will peeve me off. If I get any air bubbles, it is going to be where the cross braces meet each other in the corners.....where one can look down and plainly see them from the top.
After the cross-braces dry, I will be putting a 3/8" sealing caulk around the inside of the braces. Tentative plan is to turn the tank upside down onto a rack made from saw horses and 2x4s so that I can work right-side-up.....If that makes sense. If it does not, there will be photos.
Squatch XXL
Well-Known Member
This is how I did the center brace. I did it this way so that I could un-do clamps to remove my masking tape. Some clamps stayed on, while I switched back and forth to rip the tape off.
Mostly good news. I had a clamp on the side too tight, and it caused some chips to break out. What sucks is that it happened when I was not here. It wasn't like that when I put the clamp on. I don't think this is a game breaker, but it will put a LESS than 5 year life on this IF it holds water. Ill post the photos.
Any opinions, or has anyone seen this before?
Obviously common sense would say don't use it now....but 100% of this project was doomed from the start. This should have been tossed in the garbage at a total loss....but.... Already I have learned more than I knew before, and wasted more than a few snowy days. The wisdom I have gained will guarantee me a place in some sort of DIY graveyard when I die...Right? I could build my own glass coffin at this point.....It works for Lennin and Kim Jung-Il right?
Here is how it will sit for at least 24 hours while all that mess cures. It took ALL day to mask and place just 3 pieces of glass. Masking took the better part of time.
In the future, I would do this a bit different....but would certainly do this again.....Not to this tank, oh hell no. If this thing leaks, its getting cut apart, cut down and turned into a smaller fish tank.
I would do ALL of the euro-brace pieces in one sitting, and probably have to engineer a custom work top that I could flip the thing upside down onto the pieces so that I could work with gravity instead of against it.
Now we wait a few days. I am going to build a very short table top to test out the tank. It will be short because I don't feel like wasting lumber on something that may not work. If it does, I will have to re-do the legs anyway because the spot where it may go is uneven.
Current emotional rollercoaster is: Blah. I couldn't care less.
Mostly good news. I had a clamp on the side too tight, and it caused some chips to break out. What sucks is that it happened when I was not here. It wasn't like that when I put the clamp on. I don't think this is a game breaker, but it will put a LESS than 5 year life on this IF it holds water. Ill post the photos.
Any opinions, or has anyone seen this before?
Obviously common sense would say don't use it now....but 100% of this project was doomed from the start. This should have been tossed in the garbage at a total loss....but.... Already I have learned more than I knew before, and wasted more than a few snowy days. The wisdom I have gained will guarantee me a place in some sort of DIY graveyard when I die...Right? I could build my own glass coffin at this point.....It works for Lennin and Kim Jung-Il right?
Here is how it will sit for at least 24 hours while all that mess cures. It took ALL day to mask and place just 3 pieces of glass. Masking took the better part of time.
In the future, I would do this a bit different....but would certainly do this again.....Not to this tank, oh hell no. If this thing leaks, its getting cut apart, cut down and turned into a smaller fish tank.
I would do ALL of the euro-brace pieces in one sitting, and probably have to engineer a custom work top that I could flip the thing upside down onto the pieces so that I could work with gravity instead of against it.
Now we wait a few days. I am going to build a very short table top to test out the tank. It will be short because I don't feel like wasting lumber on something that may not work. If it does, I will have to re-do the legs anyway because the spot where it may go is uneven.
Current emotional rollercoaster is: Blah. I couldn't care less.
StirCrayzy
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure I'd worry much about the chips in that piece. If you are , you can polish the divots a bit so there's no sharp points that can start a crack.
That tank would probably hold up fine even just with the side bracing and center. No sweat.
That tank would probably hold up fine even just with the side bracing and center. No sweat.
chipmunkofdoom2
Well-Known Member
Wow, gotta complement you on your seams, Squatch. Very neat and tidy. Much better than when I attempted a few years ago 
Squatch XXL
Well-Known Member
You have no idea how much masking tape I used. After removing all of the silicone in the tank, I had enough of that crap. I was very very critical on where my tape was. When/If I ever do this again, I will mask the entire tank except the places I want it. I bet 95% of my time on this project was prep time.Wow, gotta complement you on your seams, Squatch. Very neat and tidy. Much better than when I attempted a few years ago
Thanks for seeing that. I was pretty proud of the seams.
Squatch XXL
Well-Known Member
I moved some things around today.
I kept it basic. I wasn't going to build a full stand out if this bugger is going to leak. So I built the shelf it will fit on, and made it level on the floor. Used 2x6" pine, and for something different I made all the cuts with a circular saw. All of my previous stands were made with 2x4, and cut with a hacksaw. I am particular about square and straight cuts, so as I made them, each Stand got more and more perfect. (my 40b is in the background....Made in the USA by hand). This stand will be 100% perfect. I refuse to be able to slide a piece of paper into any joints. Top of the deck is 3/4" plywood. The rest will be made with 2x6".
bottom of the tank is supported by 1/2" closed cell foam that is used for some sort of insulation. Polystrylene if I can remember correctly. I don't trust the bottom frame to hold glass, and Id rather it rest on something that I know will support it.
If the tank holds water without leaks, I will continue. Tomorrow Ill get it filled.
It will be a peninsula setup in our downstairs family room. At 2 feet wide, I can make a nice setup with viewing on both sides. Overflow will be diy....Still looking at options for material....but will be coast to coast....Unless I find some dirt cheap DIY overflow setup. Some of these commercial things are more expensive than what I have invested TOTAL into this project.
Right now WITHOUT counting time, I have approx $270 invested. This is the tank, all the glue and materials for that process, 7x 8' lengths of 2x6" and the plywood top (I overestimated for the lumber). Tools like clamps & screws I already had, but I did buy a circular saw on clearance for $34 today. I will have to buy a drill bit for the overflow. Im leaning toward a 2", but I have no experience in this.
Any advice on what size overflows for a 90g tank? I want ONLY 1, and it will be a durso. However....I am not abject to setting up a 3 pipe bean-animal setup, which would be a slightly smaller hole for each I would imagine.
I kept it basic. I wasn't going to build a full stand out if this bugger is going to leak. So I built the shelf it will fit on, and made it level on the floor. Used 2x6" pine, and for something different I made all the cuts with a circular saw. All of my previous stands were made with 2x4, and cut with a hacksaw. I am particular about square and straight cuts, so as I made them, each Stand got more and more perfect. (my 40b is in the background....Made in the USA by hand). This stand will be 100% perfect. I refuse to be able to slide a piece of paper into any joints. Top of the deck is 3/4" plywood. The rest will be made with 2x6".
bottom of the tank is supported by 1/2" closed cell foam that is used for some sort of insulation. Polystrylene if I can remember correctly. I don't trust the bottom frame to hold glass, and Id rather it rest on something that I know will support it.
If the tank holds water without leaks, I will continue. Tomorrow Ill get it filled.
It will be a peninsula setup in our downstairs family room. At 2 feet wide, I can make a nice setup with viewing on both sides. Overflow will be diy....Still looking at options for material....but will be coast to coast....Unless I find some dirt cheap DIY overflow setup. Some of these commercial things are more expensive than what I have invested TOTAL into this project.
Right now WITHOUT counting time, I have approx $270 invested. This is the tank, all the glue and materials for that process, 7x 8' lengths of 2x6" and the plywood top (I overestimated for the lumber). Tools like clamps & screws I already had, but I did buy a circular saw on clearance for $34 today. I will have to buy a drill bit for the overflow. Im leaning toward a 2", but I have no experience in this.
Any advice on what size overflows for a 90g tank? I want ONLY 1, and it will be a durso. However....I am not abject to setting up a 3 pipe bean-animal setup, which would be a slightly smaller hole for each I would imagine.
StirCrayzy
Well-Known Member
Size of drains is directly related to pump flow. How much flow are you planning? If you have a plastic frame bottom, the foam is pointless.
