DIY-ing glass tank

Twins Guy · 09-09-2004, 11:13 PM

so...i'm looking into building a small (18x18x16H) euro-braced glass tank. it will be kind of a test tank (to see if i'm up to the task of building a larger tank) that i'll probably setup for freshwater plants. using garf's diy tank calculator i have determined the glass pieces i need but now i'm hoping to find a decent glass shop that'll do the cutting for me. not sure that i need any fancy grinding or polishing (opinions on this?) but depending on the price/necessity could maybe be convinced. gonna be 1/4" glass-untempered so i think (hope) the price should be reasonable.

thanks for any input/suggestions!
tg

trodder · 09-10-2004, 12:58 AM

Rich, have you tried harmon auto glass?? I called the one in St. Paul a year ago or so to have them cut me a piece for a lid on my 30. They would even drill a hole for in the lid for me if I wanted to. It would have cost about $30 for a 36" x 12" if I remember correctly. That price included the hole. No remember it was about a year ago so I could be mistaken on the price. I also believe it was for either 1/4" or 1/2" glass... I am not sure though.

aka_bigred · 09-10-2004, 07:29 AM

There's a glass & mirror shop in maplewoood that I got 1/4" pieces from for my lid.

I had called most the places in the cities, and they seemed to be the cheapest. The guy did a very nice job for me cutting & he even polished the edges so they weren't razorblades for me at no charge. He was really nice and i think it only took him a day or so to make them.

I'll post their phone & address when I get into work.

aka_bigred · 09-10-2004, 09:37 AM

Here's the place:

Glass And Mirror Inc 651-774-9505
1627 White Bear Ave N
SAINT PAUL, MN 55106
(between WhiteCaslte & Carwash)

Here's what he charged me (for 1/4" thick glass)
$5 - 5" x 23 7/16"
$6.50 - 9.75" x 23 7/16"

HTH!

Twins Guy · 09-10-2004, 11:01 AM

thanks-that's exactly what i was looking for!

tg

civil · 09-10-2004, 01:28 PM

I would absolutely get the edges ground. I don't think it would be a big deal if the edge isn't as nice as a glass top table but they should be smooth. I just imagine a really sharp edge, where you would cut your hand every time you clean it. So what is this scheme you are coming up with. Come on Rich we like to hear some crazy ideas, the crazier the better.

David Grigor · 09-10-2004, 02:23 PM

Back when I did research on Glass companies for my 320g tank front glass panel. I went with these people.

Brin Northwestern Glass Co
2300 N. 2nd Street
Minneapolis, MN 55411
(612) 529-9671

While it may not apply on a smaller scale but these guys do everything in house. Just about all the other glass companies I inquired outsourced glass this large and took several weeks vs. just a couple of days.

Price was very competitive but not the cheapest ( I think less than $20 difference ).

I felt more comfortable going with them vs. someone who just outsources the work.......

This place is huge and very happenin'. I bet there were 50 contractors etc. coming in/out at the time I went to pick it up.....

Twins Guy · 09-11-2004, 04:41 PM

i really want to have a taller tank with the same base dimensions as my current tank. i like (as put alot of work into) the current stand, sump and filtration but i really wish the bottom of my tank were drilled and that i had some more height. then i could fire up both of the tunze powerheads (blasting over the top of the critters). next summer i'll have a couple months off and building the tank to my specs would be a fun project. most of the custom glass tank builders get mixed reviews, cost a bundle and do certain things with their tanks i don't like. so i figure a smaller "demo" tank would be a good place to start. thanks for the input
-tg

AnemicOak · 09-11-2004, 04:48 PM

Sounds like an exciting project to me. Are you going to use Starfire glass or something similar to that for your big tank?

Twins Guy · 09-11-2004, 05:13 PM

big is a relative thing...consider that my current tank is 30ish gallons so i'm thinking in the 50 gallon ballpark eventually. starphire would be nice but i'm not all that interested in the added expense-and don't know that i really need low iron-i've never been displeased with the std stuff so...

tg

Twins Guy · 10-13-2004, 08:00 PM

**project update-in honor of casey picking up glass for his new clam tank (round of applause). rather than 18x18x16H i went with a more nano sized tank. i decided that was larger than necessary for a test run and if i want a tank that size i'll just go with one of the oceanic 30 cubes. anyways...the tank i'm building is 16x16x12H euro-braced and made of plain 1/4" glass. i had everything cut to size at glass and mirror inc on white bear ave (info above) for about $50 (edges ground smooth but not "polished"). picked up some GE Silicone I at the local hardware store. the sides of the tank sit around the bottom (which was supported (raised up a smidge) during siliconing by nickels). all seams were masked off, tooled immediately and then quickly unmasked. a little extra masking tape on the outside corners to hold everything upright and voila. i've got the box put together-i'll let her cure up for awhile then i'll throw in the bracing. hopefully she'll hold water!

vertical · 10-13-2004, 08:43 PM

Well that looks slick hope mine goes together that good (NOT). I figure glass weight should be close to 400lbs. BTW I had all exposed edges polished and all glued surfaces flat ground. The flat ground is smooth but still has texture for silicone adhesion. I just saw the top last night was cut on a 1.5 million dollar CNC glass machine. Most people wont believe its not acrylic if they see it. Looks very similar to the top Greg made for his old 180 just no cross brace in the center. I will post some pics after I get them home. Heres a pic of the work drawing. drawing was before revisions but you get the idea.

Sorry to hijack
Casey

Twins Guy · 10-13-2004, 11:35 PM

wow that's gonna be a killer tank casey! hijack away dude...
tg

David Grigor · 10-15-2004, 11:24 AM

TG, Having never attempted glass, Is it typical for sides to be on support the weight vs. the bottom. I know acrylic you attach the sides to the bottom but never gave it much thought for glass.....?

Twins Guy · 10-15-2004, 11:56 AM

hey dave-
depends who you talk to...although the concensus seems to be if you set the sides on the bottom then the supporting surface must also be perfectly flat. most of the commercially available tanks have the sides set on the bottom but they also have a weight bearing trim. it makes sense that the glass on end could bear more weight than a 1/4" pane on its side. any amount of pressure pushing up on the bottom glass (at any point) could cause it to break...hence garf's (and many others) recommendation to inset the bottom. they recommend raising the bottom up a 1/4" on wood dowels. i used nickels...i think that answers the question?
tg