frag tank conversion

[scubasteve]

So after having a 65 gal stand and sump sitting around waiting to sell i aquired a 90gal tall tank made with 3/4" glass. After many hours pondering i decided to not use it instead i am going to separate the panes and place them with the large front pane becoming the bottom will still use the sides as sides and front and back will be old back pane after i get it cut in half (thank god tri county glass is a 5min drive). This will make a very large frag tank and really allow me to start beaing able to frag and grow with my larger colonies especially that dang fuzzy green birdsnest... grows like a weed but that all i have for now will add in more details as it comes along and take photos as i go...... will be stripping apart glass this weekend

 

[EricTMah]

Nice!

Following! I'd like to see how this turns out. I've thought many times about doing the exact same thing with a 90gal. Should give ya a nice 48X24 foot print.

 

[reefgeek]

Will you be getting the glass cutters to drill some holes at the same time? I would assume you would be connecting this to your existing system? Holes drilled by glass cutters are usually fairly cheap and much easier when not assembled as well.

 

[jeffopentax]

Always cheaper to drill holes yourself. Bits only cost about $15, and are supposed to be good for 6-10 holes depending on thickness.

 

[scubasteve]

Its a 90 gal tall so footprint is 40"x30" and is 18" deep im actually debating just using the full peice on back wall as its thick enough to support a couple light and if i paint back of it black ii can use the top exposed half as a blackboard with window markers to list whats in there.... and i got someone who will surely loan a bit for the glass with a little persuasion..... also gotta build a stand to suit my needs yay wifes gonna kill me lol

 

[scubasteve]

So heres where im at so far got the front off alot of scraping done still a bit more scraping to do old bottom rim coming off then get to clean everything with acetone and prep for silicone. But laid it on its new bottom and threw a smoke pack to give an idea of size...... amazing how well these things are built sure can be a pain in the you know what but heres some pics to gawk over till i get going some more. Oh by the way found etchings in 2of 4 corners on all peices and from what i have read indicates it has most likely been heat treated will still see what the pros say but think my dreams of drilling are over... good thing i still got some plexi and guess im probably doin the blackboard idea as well
[attachment=4696][attachment=4697][attachment=4698][attachment=4699][attachment=4700]

 

[Jewel]

You've got more nerve than I, I've always been told that it's a nightmare to take a tank apart. Good luck.

 

[TORX]

I have taken dozens apart. My trick, dollar store straight blades and heat the silicone with a blow dryer. Still very un-nerving, but the blowdryer makes the silicone very warm and pliable. Start by removing the stuff in the tank, then start heating the glass seem evenly. I start at the top and wiggle the blade in and slowly slide it down (angled so that the fat end of the blade is not in the seam) as the silicone warms and lets go. Oh...and patience....LOTS of patience.

 

[scubasteve]

lmao actually its not hard at all i skipped the torch tho torx re heating tempered can cause unwanted stress and you know what happens then lol.... but yes a cheap dollar store scraper a putty knife and a couple scores between panes with ezacto took longer to get top rim off than anything front pane was off in 2 minutes

 

[scubasteve]

let me know i think i need to readd the pics

 

[TORX]

Blowdryer...like my wifes for her hair...not blow torch. LoL. Reheating that much would just burn the silicone away lol.

 

[scubasteve]

Blowdryer...like my wifes for her hair...not blow torch. LoL. Reheating that much would just burn the silicone away lol.

ya i know what you meant but my wifes portuguese and has thick hair tho her blow dryer is practically a torch lmao never thaught of trying that tho but ezacto made easy work glides like hot butter then razoredge scraper peeled rest final sos and acetone to remove last bits and residue

 

[scubasteve]

well tried to get pics of the whole process but my phone died concidering the silicone i used starts to skin in 8 minutes i couldnt stop lol but heres how it turned out and what a pig of a frag tank. Next of to buy some lumber and build the stand

 

[scubasteve]

and heres the rim i re-used the old and trimmed a couple extra peices from the leftover side to make up the difference had to put it so the lil guy dont cut himself looking in... helikes the view boxes alot

 

[scubasteve]

wood baught and cut time to start assembling my feat of 2"x4" engineering

 

[EricTMah]

That's one hell of a frag tank! Looks heavy

 

[Poseidon]

Looks good!
I'm curious as to why you did not just cut the other side down?

 

[Sewerat]

I think he wants to use it as a glass chalk board to list what's inside. From what I gather in previous posts anyways

 

[scubasteve]

Looks good!
I'm curious as to why you did not just cut the other side down?

its tempered so i couldnt cut or drill but improvised as a black board and yes it is heavy tmah being 3/8" im sure it is close to 200lbs... took me 12- 8' 2x4's for the stand and built it strong but convenient with a large front door.still got to get plywood and will fancy it up with trim eventually but some other things to ponder about for a bit first so i dont ding my nice cabinet lol for now it will be stud only cutting plywood top tomorrow

 

[scubasteve]

well here is how it looks just studs still gotta get 1/4" plywood for the sides and the door got some 1/2" for the top already and dow just gotta get some time to cut it then i cant get my tank on top and free up some room