Jestersix

150G tank build

Knucklehead

Knucklehead

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so im gonna jump in and try and build my own tank

48L X 30D X 25H approx 150 gallons...

i found these plans, everything looks pretty straight foward except the wooden dowels, maybe someone can make me understand this better.. thanks

Lay bottom, front, back and side pieces out on a large flat surface.

Cut the 1/4 inch dowels slightly shorter than the length of the bottom. Place the dowels under the bottom piece of glass. It is important that the weight of the aquarium is supported by the front, back and sides. There should never be any support under the bottom glass as this could fracture it.

Run a bead of silicone along all edges of the bottom glass. (these are the edges that will seal with the front, back, and side glass)

Carefully place all pieces in place surrounding the bottom piece. All contacting surfaces should have a bead of silicone.

Use tape or clamps to hold the pieces in the correct position. When using silicone you will have plenty of time to make adjustments. Silicone can become a gooy sticky mess so you should keep the material and work area as clean as possible.

Once all pieces are correctly positioned, let the aquarium set for 24 hours.

After the silicone has cured, it is time to add the glass to the top. This piece of glass makes the sides stronger so the glass does not bow when the tank is filled.

Let the tank cure in a warm room for 72 hours before you fill it with fresh water. If there are any leaks you can apply an additional bead of silicone to the inside seam.
 
That's what it sounds like they're saying, although a quarter inch seems awfully big, I'm guessing this is a tank without the bottom trim to take the weight?
 
My issue with doing that is you'll have the entirety of the tank's internal weight (water, rocks, corals) being held up by the silicone job you do. I thought laying down the squishy insulation board was supposed to fix any bottom tank issues.
 
Sounds like the dowels are to support the bottom piece of glass off the ground while siliconing the front and sides on. They tell you this because they say that you don't want to support the glass from the center as it may cause it to crack. Therefore you don't want to lay the glass down flat on the ground or a table.
 
Well here's what I saw when I took the bottom of my leemar tank (basically same thing, eurobraced, no trim.

The bottom piece was inside of the sides, however it was flush with the bottom, BUT what they had was black piece of plastic(??) along the whole bottom, so the glass (even the sides) wasn't on the bottom.
 
Don't leave the dowel's there! Those alone would add pressure points. As I mentioned earlier, a sheet of insulating foam under it... R-3(??) it's the thin stuff, 1/4 to 1/2" thick I think.
 
How come I didn't see this threadbefore?? :D

Craig, did you finish making the tank? Love to see some pics. What kind of silicone did you use? How thick are the glass? I'm planning to make my own tank also and would love to get some feedback from you...
 
yes im finished making it, i used a g&e stc construction 100% silicone FDA approved. i used all 1/2" glass with a tempered bottom and has dual overflows centered in the bottom back..
tank dims are 48L x 30D x 25H comes out be 156 gallons.. i lost my camera so i havent been able to take some pics of it yet..
 
I wonder if a rimless tank will hold up to an earthquake as well as a braced tank.
Holding water and not bowing out are not the only issues.
In 1989 my 29 gallon lost 1/4 of it's water but did not fail. It had a plastic rim like most tanks.
Just a thought...
Wow.... that was almost 20 years ago....
 
im talking as far as construction. i cant control mother nature.. and im pretty sure all the tank builders in the world who warranty there tanks dont warranty for earth quakes. or natural disasters lol. and for a braceless tank it would be on a smaller scale
 
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