I'm planning on building a 400+ gal tank eventually and my flowerhorn is outgrowing his 30 in a hurry. I figured why not start small first and make sure I can do it. My question is, can/should i silicone the corners before I seal it up? Will this be good or bad and why?
First attempt
- Thread starter specialized002
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What exactly is your question? Are you attempting to build a smaller tank to give it a try? There are tons of How-to's with complete instructions on the process, just search. Good luck!
First.... What are you building with?? Ply..glass..acrylic...
How big?
Need some info before answers can be given
How big?
Need some info before answers can be given
3/4" ply with acrylic view. Outer dimensions are 44x21.5x26 Just wondering if it's good or bad to silicone before sealing the inside and how to attach the acrylic to the wood
Many sealants will not adhere to the silicone. Plus it would not give any significant strength benefit. Better would be to paint the sealant then add fiberglass cloth to the seams and then do a second coat over the cloth. You can do this with most sealants.
As far as the acrylic panel that also depends on the sealant also.
Search the multitude of Plywood build threads and see what they are doing. There are many different products to use that may suit your needs. I too am in research for a plywood build and am ready to start. Find what works for you as well as meets your budget.
Bear
As far as the acrylic panel that also depends on the sealant also.
Search the multitude of Plywood build threads and see what they are doing. There are many different products to use that may suit your needs. I too am in research for a plywood build and am ready to start. Find what works for you as well as meets your budget.
Bear
Was just reading joey020283's thread. Kinda similar to my build only bigger. It sounds like the rubber sealant might be best and you can silicone right to it. When framing in the view window just use 1x1's or what would work best for this? Just screw it directly into the front face?
Couple pics of the progress so far. Might take a little while, all though it's a small build I only have time to work on it here and there. I will keep posting as I go along though. 
Outer dimensions are 46 x 21.5 x 26
Outer dimensions are 46 x 21.5 x 26
specialized002;3804569; said:
There is NO rubber sealant that you can apply silicone directly to. Silicone will NOT bond to rubber coatings. You can't apply rubber coatings to silicone either. As the silicone indicates, it's NOT paintable. This means nothing bonds to it.
Don't think that you can use some other type of caulk like acrylic caulk. Won't work either.
Dow 795 is a silicone type product that IMO and IME forms a better bond than regular silicone. It is designed for glazing applications.
Acrylic must be sanded on the contact area for silicone to adhere to it. It will never be as strong of a bond as silicone makes to glass.
Acrylic for aquariums must be CELL CAST acrylic not extruded i.e not plexiglas from Home Depot.
Why acrylic and not glass?
Looks Solid, Do your reasearch on the product you are going to use. Go to company websites and read data sheets, email questions, you will find it very enlightening as well as not dumping a lot of water in your house.