Hi
I've not been on here in years and it is kind of a continuation from my very first post about 9 years ago - https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/diy-optiwhite-tank-build.18651/#post-189892
In the heady days of 2011 I made an optiwhite aquarium but never used it, largely down to cost of doing a tank properly and I pushed my luck on the glass thickness, or lack of... dimensions were 50x50square x 40cm tall and 4mm glass. it was at the limit of the safety factor I think of 4?
fast forward to 2020 and my circumstances are different, I can afford to do this properly and always intended to do a nice planted tank. So I filled the tank up with water to check for leaks with the intention of using it and remembered why I stopped. there was a bit of a bulge in the glass. back then I would have risked it but not now. This tank has been sitting in my spare room for ages but now is the time to do something with it. I did the sensible thing and took a razor blade to the silicone and pulled it apart. I used rtv108 silicone and that stuff is strong! even with a razorblade it was hard to split it apart.
Now I have 5 panes of 4mm glass and have cut these down to 31cm in height, which should be fine. I still have the jig I made for this so it will be dusted off again, I am yet to rebuild the tank though. as I have been working on everything else.
So that is where I was and this is the plan going forward... I have some criteria and I am kind of tight so I will be building almost all of it myself and using stuff I already have or reclaiming/recycling where possible for the sake of being good on the environment. but I will be building it as what I want doesn't necessarily exist in the shops. I have this tendency to want to design everything and build it myself and this thing is no-exception. despite me being a tight wad this is probably the most expensive way of going about it.......
with that in mind, I will be doing more than just the scape, the only thing I won't be building myself is the filter as I already have one and an external heater.
I don't want this to look messy, I want it to be purposeful and efficient. I will be loosely following the dieter rams principles of design which I try to use with such things (https://ifworlddesignguide.com/design-specials/dieter-rams-10-principles-for-good-design for reference) and the golden ratio is employed everywhere.
One of the big things about this is I don't want anything to touch the tank and I definitely don't want any suction cups, cables or visible hardware beyond the inflow/outflow pipes. it will just be the stand, the tank, the light and the pipes on show. if it can be hidden, then it will. Nothing will be an after thought, so no cable tied power cables, silicone hoses, suction cups, etc. It has been a lot of work to get it all sorted but I think I've cracked it.
This will be a bit of a slow burn build as I'm being pretty ambitious with certain aspects and only have a few hours a week I can dedicate to fabrication due to other crazy projects and work getting in the way. it will probably be a bit like a grand designs project; the build will look like a glass box, it will go over budget, my girlfriend will get pregnant at the worst time possible, Kevin Mcloud will ask if it was worth it and I'll say I'm never going to do a thing like this again etc
I don't have a lot to post other than the skeleton of the stand so far and some bits of glass. I have been working on something I have not seen anyone else do and hope to post that up soon, it's been a lot of work with various revisions but I'm nearly there.
I have been working on this since April and figured out almost all of it and bought most of the parts I need, so hopefully I can do updates with something tangible to show. up until now most of this has been stuck in my head and scribbled on bits of paper when I should have been working.
by doing this waffly first post I hope to keep up some momentum by posting on here
the photos of the tank are before and after when stripped and cut to size.
up to this stage, the wood was reclaimed, stainless steel feet were £4, screws I already had and £5 to trim the glass at the glazers.
if you got this far, thanks!
I've not been on here in years and it is kind of a continuation from my very first post about 9 years ago - https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/diy-optiwhite-tank-build.18651/#post-189892
In the heady days of 2011 I made an optiwhite aquarium but never used it, largely down to cost of doing a tank properly and I pushed my luck on the glass thickness, or lack of... dimensions were 50x50square x 40cm tall and 4mm glass. it was at the limit of the safety factor I think of 4?
fast forward to 2020 and my circumstances are different, I can afford to do this properly and always intended to do a nice planted tank. So I filled the tank up with water to check for leaks with the intention of using it and remembered why I stopped. there was a bit of a bulge in the glass. back then I would have risked it but not now. This tank has been sitting in my spare room for ages but now is the time to do something with it. I did the sensible thing and took a razor blade to the silicone and pulled it apart. I used rtv108 silicone and that stuff is strong! even with a razorblade it was hard to split it apart.
Now I have 5 panes of 4mm glass and have cut these down to 31cm in height, which should be fine. I still have the jig I made for this so it will be dusted off again, I am yet to rebuild the tank though. as I have been working on everything else.
So that is where I was and this is the plan going forward... I have some criteria and I am kind of tight so I will be building almost all of it myself and using stuff I already have or reclaiming/recycling where possible for the sake of being good on the environment. but I will be building it as what I want doesn't necessarily exist in the shops. I have this tendency to want to design everything and build it myself and this thing is no-exception. despite me being a tight wad this is probably the most expensive way of going about it.......
with that in mind, I will be doing more than just the scape, the only thing I won't be building myself is the filter as I already have one and an external heater.
I don't want this to look messy, I want it to be purposeful and efficient. I will be loosely following the dieter rams principles of design which I try to use with such things (https://ifworlddesignguide.com/design-specials/dieter-rams-10-principles-for-good-design for reference) and the golden ratio is employed everywhere.
One of the big things about this is I don't want anything to touch the tank and I definitely don't want any suction cups, cables or visible hardware beyond the inflow/outflow pipes. it will just be the stand, the tank, the light and the pipes on show. if it can be hidden, then it will. Nothing will be an after thought, so no cable tied power cables, silicone hoses, suction cups, etc. It has been a lot of work to get it all sorted but I think I've cracked it.
This will be a bit of a slow burn build as I'm being pretty ambitious with certain aspects and only have a few hours a week I can dedicate to fabrication due to other crazy projects and work getting in the way. it will probably be a bit like a grand designs project; the build will look like a glass box, it will go over budget, my girlfriend will get pregnant at the worst time possible, Kevin Mcloud will ask if it was worth it and I'll say I'm never going to do a thing like this again etc
I don't have a lot to post other than the skeleton of the stand so far and some bits of glass. I have been working on something I have not seen anyone else do and hope to post that up soon, it's been a lot of work with various revisions but I'm nearly there.
I have been working on this since April and figured out almost all of it and bought most of the parts I need, so hopefully I can do updates with something tangible to show. up until now most of this has been stuck in my head and scribbled on bits of paper when I should have been working.
by doing this waffly first post I hope to keep up some momentum by posting on here
the photos of the tank are before and after when stripped and cut to size.
up to this stage, the wood was reclaimed, stainless steel feet were £4, screws I already had and £5 to trim the glass at the glazers.
if you got this far, thanks!