New house (sorta), new tank!

apex_seeking

apex_seeking

Cleaner Shrimp
#42
#42
Long story short, I solved the logo issue with sandblasting it. I had never sandblasted glass before but turns out it’s just like blasting anything else. And it looks pretty cool.
View attachment 20374 View attachment 20375 View attachment 20376
I added about 4 coats of white enamel to the bottom (etched side down).
View attachment 20377
I started the process of cleaning and standing up the glass tonight. I need to get some tape tomorrow and I’ll mask and shoot it.
View attachment 20379
Yesterday I cut the overflow panel. That was a pain. But it should work out perfectly if my math is right.
View attachment 20378


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flagg37

flagg37

Anthias
M.A.S.C Club Member
#44
#44
apex_seeking said:
Tempered is “stronger”. I say it in quotes because there’s more to it than that, science stuff. I don’t know all the numbers but I know what I’ve seen at work and while glass is pretty fragile, tempered is pretty tough. Going bare bottom, I want the added security that it won’t crack if a rock tips over.

Plus it wasn’t that much more, my cost.


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Click to expand...
It’s the typical debate; it’s stronger and will thus be less likely to fail but if it does fail it’s instantaneous and catastrophic. Annealed is weaker but will usually give you some notice that it is failing (cracking before total failure). I’ve been considering oldcastle’s low iron, tempered, and laminated (with a sentry interlayer instead of the normal PVB interlayer), although it’s about as expensive an option as you can get.

I was just curious what your reasoning was.
 
apex_seeking

apex_seeking

Cleaner Shrimp
#45
#45
That would be by far the safest bet. Tempered lami is crazy strong and would probably hold water after both layers blow. To add starfire…wow, that would be some coin. How thick total would you go? 3/8 over 1/4 would be stout.


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flagg37

flagg37

Anthias
M.A.S.C Club Member
#46
#46
I’ve done glass rail systems with both the 13/16 (two 3/8” layers with the 1/16” interlayer) and 9/16” (two 1/4” layers with the 1/16” interlayer) as well as tempered monolithic. The only type I’ve had fail has been the 9/16”.

View attachment 20383
View attachment 20384
These were some massive panels. 10’x4-1/2’ with the 13/16” laminated tempered Starphire. There is much more than what is pictured here but the cost for all of it was almost $25k.

View attachment 20386

This one I did with the 9/16” and had two of the pieces shatter. It takes oldcastle so long to make them (especially these days) but I’ve found they are the best for lami.
 
apex_seeking

apex_seeking

Cleaner Shrimp
#47
#47
That’s some nice work there. Stair work is the hardest. Would like to sit and have a beer and pick your brain sometime.


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apex_seeking

apex_seeking

Cleaner Shrimp
#48
#48
Glued up the glass. I was very disappointed with the quality off Rtv I was supplied. I won’t be using momentive again. Full of bubbles and shot like $h!!. Ugh. Oh well. I’m not cutting it apart to redo it. But I will be testing it in the workshop before it relocated to my living room.

I also got the overflow assembled and installed. I need to let it all cure and I can fill test it. View attachment 20406

Spent the last few days working on the Apex. Got a solenoid setup to flush my rodi system when the RODI reservoir auto fills or when the saltwater barrel is low. Automation is amazing.

I was thinking about plumbing my refugium to the sump and filling them up just so I don’t run out of water when it comes time to fill the tank and to get the sand and bio block started. It needs to get plumbed anyway.

I’m hoping next week this thing will see some saltwater.


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flagg37

flagg37

Anthias
M.A.S.C Club Member
#49
#49
apex_seeking said:
Glued up the glass. I was very disappointed with the quality off Rtv I was supplied. I won’t be using momentive again. Full of bubbles and shot like $h!!. Ugh. Oh well. I’m not cutting it apart to redo it. But I will be testing it in the workshop before it relocated to my living room.

I also got the overflow assembled and installed. I need to let it all cure and I can fill test it. View attachment 20406

Spent the last few days working on the Apex. Got a solenoid setup to flush my rodi system when the RODI reservoir auto fills or when the saltwater barrel is low. Automation is amazing.

I was thinking about plumbing my refugium to the sump and filling them up just so I don’t run out of water when it comes time to fill the tank and to get the sand and bio block started. It needs to get plumbed anyway.

I’m hoping next week this thing will see some saltwater.


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Click to expand...
How many tubes did you end up using? I’ve been planning on using black to help hide some of the bubbles. How did you go about siliconing it? I’ve heard of some people applying a liberal amount to the piece and then pressing it together. When I’ve talked to tank builders they will put small spacers about 1/16” thick and then force the silicone into the gap.
 
scmountain

scmountain

Registered Users
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ex-officio
#50
#50
@flagg37 posting pics of my house again...... I wish haha
@apex_seeking , was the logo on the outside of the glass or internal? think it is external, but my brain is whirring about what "etched" glass could do internally... would it be easier to propagate coralline algae?
 
apex_seeking

apex_seeking

Cleaner Shrimp
#51
#51
flagg37 said:
How many tubes did you end up using? I’ve been planning on using black to help hide some of the bubbles. How did you go about siliconing it? I’ve heard of some people applying a liberal amount to the piece and then pressing it together. When I’ve talked to tank builders they will put small spacers about 1/16” thick and then force the silicone into the gap.
Click to expand...
I used 3 tubes but that’s because the first tube failed and the last tube I used about an 1/8 of the tube.

I taped, clamped and injected it in the gaps. The gaps were 1/16 so shooting it was a pain. I got good penetration but the bubbles were awful. Black would hide all of it but I personally like clear. I’ll try some other silicones before I do this again. View attachment 20408


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apex_seeking

apex_seeking

Cleaner Shrimp
#52
#52
scmountain said:
@flagg37 posting pics of my house again...... I wish haha
@apex_seeking , was the logo on the outside of the glass or internal? think it is external, but my brain is whirring about what "etched" glass could do internally... would it be easier to propagate coralline algae?
Click to expand...
It was on whatever side I wanted, because it wasn’t a specific top or bottom. But I made it the bottom side. Easy to hide my imperfections with sandblasting and paint that way.

If you etched the inside of the tank, coral and coralline would grow like crazy, but getting it clean would be a nightmare. I guess a dobe scrubbing sponge would get it clean, if needed but that would be a chore.


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apex_seeking

apex_seeking

Cleaner Shrimp
#53
#53
I had a couple of set backs over the last few days. Nothing major, but it did mean that I didn’t have time to get the display wet yet.

I filled up the sump and plumbed in the refugium. Once it was running I noticed a small leak on my fuge. It is an old tank that has been dry for about 10 years so it wasn’t a big surprise but it meant I had to drain it, empty out the sand and dry everything up.

Got it all patched up and restarted the sump and fuge only to have a baffle come loose. That one was my fault. I got lazy when I put it in and it wasn’t as snug as it should have been.

So I emptied the sump, dried it out and cut a new piece to install. It’s all curing and should get back to running tomorrow or Monday.

I’m getting a buddy to help with putting the display on the stand in my workshop to test the tank before I install it in the living room.


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apex_seeking

apex_seeking

Cleaner Shrimp
#54
#54
Got it all setup in the workshop and realized I had gotten mad at the hose earlier this spring and out of frustration, threw it away.

*face palm*

But today is another day.

I picked a hose up on my way home from work and filled it up.

View attachment 20509 View attachment 20510 View attachment 20511

Only a couple of small leaks at the fittings under the tank and those are an easy fix. Actually, kind of expected. But the tank has zero deflection. And I’ll leave it over the week but I feel pretty good about the strength of everything at this point. Let’s just make sure nothing develops in the next few days.


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SynDen

SynDen

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#55
#55
Lol those damm hoses, always messing everything up
 
apex_seeking

apex_seeking

Cleaner Shrimp
#56
#56
Some progress. Having family in town made it hard to commit substantial amounts of time to the build but I did manage to get some things done.

I got the tank drained down and moved into the house.
View attachment 20525
It is going to be a center piece for sure!

I reworked the fittings into the bulkheads that were leaking and got them sealed up.

I also started the monumental task of plumbing this thing into the basement. View attachment 20526
The scariest part of this whole build so far wasn’t the assembly of the tank, or testing the tank but drilling holes into the brand new hardwood floors…that hurt.

Hoping to get the upstairs portion of the plumbing complete today and measure for the stand’s glass wrap so I can get that ordered up tomorrow.

A few more pics. View attachment 20527 View attachment 20528


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apex_seeking

apex_seeking

Cleaner Shrimp
#60
#60
I planned on having this thing running by now but my jeeps rear end decided that Monday it was going to grenade. That’s kept me busy.

But tonight I got the plumbing 99% finished. I need a unibit but I left it at work.
View attachment 20570 View attachment 20571
I’m hoping I can fire it all up tomorrow.


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