A new tank build

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
OMG what a morning, everything I've touched has turned to crap. I started cutting the glass today and I ruined three of the pieces. It's almost like there is a grain in it and it cuts to length fine but when I try to do the second for the width it breaks wrong.

So I gave up on that mess for a bit and decided to work on the canopy lights. First I had to cut a hole to install the light switch. Of course I cut it a little to small and when I went to tweak it with the dremal I put a big nick in my trim.

So screw it all for the rest of the day I'm going to the beach.
 
Just read this thread for the first time, truely inspirational! In each picture it just looks better and better and is putting my slow progress on mine to shame. Hope all goes well with the rest of it and looking forward to seeing it full of water.

Also, where did you find your glass calculator? (stuck on how thick mine needs to be.)
 
tthanatoss;3448007; said:
OMG what a morning, everything I've touched has turned to crap. I started cutting the glass today and I ruined three of the pieces. It's almost like there is a grain in it and it cuts to length fine but when I try to do the second for the width it breaks wrong.

So I gave up on that mess for a bit and decided to work on the canopy lights. First I had to cut a hole to install the light switch. Of course I cut it a little to small and when I went to tweak it with the dremal I put a big nick in my trim.

So screw it all for the rest of the day I'm going to the beach.

Don't you hate days like this. Sometimes better to walk away and have a break. Enjoy yourself at the beach:)
 
I give up on the glass cutting. :WHOA: I played around cutting some glass before I started this build and it seemed really easy but for some reason now that I'm attempting it for real it just won't work. No big deal I'll just order it precut next week.

I finished wiring the canopy this morning and that came out really well. I didn't electrocute myself or burn down the garage. What I did was pick up 2 of those 48" shop light from the Home Depot. Cut the cords off and spliced them together thru a wall switch that I mounted and siliconed into place in the end of the canopy. For lights I picked up 4 40watt aquarium bulbs. The switch box is one of those plastic exterior jobbies and I'll put a little silicone on it to seal it tight when i do the glass.

Also had a little black Krylon laying around so I painted the RGF. This is probably going to come back and bite me in the ass if the substrate rubs off the paint but I just don't want all that white pipe in the bottom.

octangonal tank build 059.jpg

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tthanatoss;3450342; said:
Also had a little black Krylon laying around so I painted the RGF. This is probably going to come back and bite me in the ass if the substrate rubs off the paint but I just don't want all that white pipe in the bottom.

Just a thought but if you already have your substrate, why dont' you run a thin layer of silicone over the top of your RGF tubes and poor some of your substrate over the top. This would make it vurtually invisible once in your tank. You would have to be careful not to plug the holes in the pipe but toothpicks, pencils what ever you have lying around to plug it with temporarily would help.

Either way, that is a sick tank and I'm looking forward to seeing it full of water. :headbang2
 
That's a pretty good idea. I have about 20lbs of balck silica sand here I could coat the pipes with.

Don't feel bad about your slow progress Satan I've been laid off most of the summer so I've had oodles of time. There is literally hundreds of hours in this build already.
 
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