fishtank glue

Cydrome Leader fired this volley in news:m5kud9 $qjb$ snipped-for-privacy@reader1.panix.com:

The old ones with the metal frames were 'glued' with bituminous pitch originally, and later with a sticky rubber tape.

The newer "frameless" variety are glued with silicone sealant. Sticks to glass just fine, lasts a long time, and is strong enough to keep the glass from skewing away from the joint under water pressure.

LLoyd

Is it just plain silicone for the frameless ones? Any special prep of the edges?

It's specific silicones that do not release substances toxic to fish after they have cured. The regular window caulk type silicones will tend to kill your fish.

NOT hardware/home store stuff. It's different chemistry so it doesn't kill the fish. There is also a tape that you can use as well.

Cydrome Leader fired this volley in news:m5l4oq$547$ snipped-for-privacy@reader1.panix.com:

I've made dozens of them. I used to raise Betas in a quest for a perfect black.

Just plain 'clear' Silicone I (the version that evolves acetic acid) is what they all used once -- because it was the only version.

I don't know if there are any advantages to using Silicone II, but the methanol that evolves from it would be highly toxic; so it would require to cure quite a while to avoid that problem.

Except for "seaming" the edges of the glass (slightly grinding the sharp edges), no special prep except cleaning is required. I used to wash the panels well, then clean with isopropyl alcohol, then dry thoroughly.

Lloyd

"Pete C." fired this volley in news:XFofw.222276 $ snipped-for-privacy@fx07.iad:

Horse puckey. It's ordinary Silicone I.

They ALL release toxic substances. Silicone I releases acetic acid, and silicone II releases methanol. Curing time is the key to eliminating that.

I've made dozens of aquariums for breeding. It's simple and cheap, and I've NEVER had a fish succumb to the evolved by-products of curing.

LLoyd

"Steve W." fired this volley in news:m5l65m$jv6$1 @dont-email.me:

again... read the rest of the thread. It IS just the regular hardware store stuff... you just don't want anything that has a mildewcide added.

Lloyd

That's not necessarily true , Pete ... I built an acquarium for my wife in like 1987-88 , I used over the counter silicone from the hardware store . Whatcha gotta do is let it fully cure before you put fish in it . We've had fish live 2-3 years , one in particular was a pleco that got over 8" long ...

I had a couple pacu that were over 12"... at least until my idiot mother who was supposed to be watching them while I was out of town managed to kill them :( The two plecos that are about 8" and 10" survived.

How big is your tank ? The one I built was a 30 gallon unit . It's still in Memphis at the house , my son and DIL are using it .

"Terry Coombs" fired this volley in news:D9sfw.830582$ snipped-for-privacy@fx04.iad:

Terry, I've made up to 60-gallon high-boy show tanks with just glass and silicone glue.

With taller tanks (not bigger volume, just bigger height) you have to use thicker glass, and sometimes a narrow metal bottom frame to help resist the pressure at the bottom... the glue is a good seal, but not strong enough to stay in tension forever.

The same is true for long dimensions sideways. Thicker glass and sometimes a bottom frame is necessary to handle the total water thrust across a long length.

I've made 10-gallon 'breeders' (almost cubical) from standard double- thickness window glass (that's not two layers, that's a 'glass term'), and with no bracing; just glue.

Lloyd

Wouldn't hurt to sand away sharp edges. Never raised any fish, But I'd go with aquarium silicone to be safe. It's available locally and online. I would wet all edges with silicone, by working the tip into the edges to make sure the silicone is sticking to the glass, ie. don't press a dry edge into a bead.

Mikek

amdx fired this volley in news:m5lo5v$n8k$1@dont- email.me:

If you've got several tanks to do, it's an unnecessary expense.

Just make sure the tube you get does NOT list biocides or "GE Bioseal" in the nomenclature.

Remember, GE type I silicone was ALL that was available for decades. We used it from about 1964 on for making our own aquaria.

Lloyd

into an L for corners , rails are dowelled to the legs . It has a 3/4" plywood bottom under the glass , used 3/8" glass . The frame extends to make the unit 48" tall with 2 adjustable shelves below the tank . IIRC the tank is 12 x 16 x 48" , but I could be off . And it's never leaked a drop .

Did you just cut the glass with a glass cutter and knock the corners off? I've never had acceptable results cutting glass before, so I'm going to practice. Man at the hardware store said cut with streak of kerosene on the glass. I'm not 100% what that does though.

Cydrome Leader fired this volley in news:m5nibc$ft0$ snipped-for-privacy@reader1.panix.com:

I had the privilege of being a paint salesman in a paint and glass store, back in the 1970s. I learnt a lot of the 'basics' from the glass cutters downstairs.

First -- yes. I just bought standard panes of double-thick window glass and cut them myself. I seamed the edges with wet Carborundum paper on a carpeted sanding block. The pros use a narrow-belt belt sander with a water drip.

Although it doesn't seem like it, glass isn't a crystalline solid, but a super-cooled fluid. It will (actually) 'heal' after a score line has been made in it. The line won't go away, but the stresses created when rolling the line will eventually dissipate (although, rarely, the glass will break all by itself while sitting on the table -- and usually on the line!)

Kerosene both lubricates the cutting wheel, and helps slow down that healing, somehow. Normally, one should snap the line within just seconds of making it, but with kerosene, you can often wait up to a minute or two without mishap. Still, you should proceed as quickly as possible. Just paint a very wet wide line of kerosene along the line you intend to cut, with a paintbrush.

Some professionals use a diamond-tipped scriber to 'cut' glass, but our guys back then used the common Fletcher-Terry rolling cutters.

Supporting the glass on a very level cushioned cutting surface (again, carpeted with very low-loop flush carpet), you put quite a bit of steady pressure on the wheel, and just roll it smoothly with uniform speed (say, about 100-200 ipm) along a straightedge. It should "hiss" distinctly and very evenly as you roll along. If you hear skips and starts in the hissing noise, you've got skips and starts in the depth of your groove. DO NOT roll back over a bad line... you'll just wreck the cutter, and maybe shatter the glass trying.

Pick up the glass a little, and place a thick straightedge (like a yardstick) under the glass, right along-side the cut. Then just gently press down on both sides of the line starting at one end of the score, and proceeding gently along the line as you see the crack grow. It'll usually zip right apart at the first pressure, all the way along the line. But I've also seen it go progressively, with thin glass.

It's not a 'super skill'; just takes a little practice.

In my opinion, Red Devil cutters are not as smooth-running or as reliable as the Fletcher-Terry ones.

Lloyd

weird, and interesting. Hardware store man said cutting old glass is harder as it's more brittle. Ever hear of this?

I can get the hiss and the crushing level of sound where more chips of glass fly away from the score. Is #2 too hard?

I noticed the fletcher cutter (brand new) has a slightly smaller wheel then the red devil one I had in the tool pile, that only appeared after I bought the fletcher one. Go figure.

One person I spoke to says he cut glass through a layer of scotch tape to catch more of the sharp stuff. Anybody hear of this?

Cydrome Leader fired this volley in news:m5nol7$2em$ snipped-for-privacy@reader1.panix.com:

I've _heard_ it, but in practice, our shop cut all sorts of 'salvage glass'; some of it many decades old before being removed from storefronts.

I've personally cut glass that I've had lying around the shop more than ten years with no more difficulty than 'new'.

I suspect it's a 'wives tale' based upon the fact that glass alloys and casting methods have changed over time. For reasons I don't understand, "float" glass cuts more easily than bed-cast glass -- maybe because of the asymmetrical strains set up between one face and the other. Despite the fact that it can relieve minor strains, major ones are relieved very slowly, if ever. Take a Prince Rupert's Drop as an example. Versions of that have functioned properly after a hundred years (or more).

Some older glass was literally "blown", cut from the bubble, then laid on a hot platen to flatten out. That's the wavy stuff you see in very old structures. That's a bitch to cut well (or at least repeatably), because of the varying thicknesses and uneven strain levels across the sheet.

I'm not sure I get that... do you mean two pounds pressure?

I don't really know the exact force I use... like I said, it's sort of a 'knack' to get that nice clean hiss out of the wheel. When you hear it, you know you've got it. And only a little practice on scrap glass will get you there in a short time.

It's more the precision of the score than the depth. A good, clean score line that snaps easily and cleanly is quite shallow. A lot of spalling and chips from the surface being scored indicate a dull wheel. ANY wheel that's been run again down an already-scored line is screwed. And Cheap Chinese cutters are a false economy. A good one is inexpensive, and lasts a long time if lubricated and used carefully.

Never noticed that, but that might explain why the F-T cutters seem to cut easier. More pressure per square inch of contact area.

There's no "sharp stuff" of any consequence coming off the wheel when it's working right (i.e. 'sharp'). It is 'ground glass', to be sure, and I'm sure you wouldn't want to eat it. But it's a fine dust, done right. I've never been cut on the leavings of scoring -- have been on the items below, though.

Some sharp shards and needle-like slivvers can come off a snap line if the scoring isn't perfectly even, or if you move the two panes, and crush the edges together slightly just after snapping. The edges are exquisitely sharp, and therefore also delicate. Maybe tape over the score would help, but most of the shards come off the bottom side... I don't think cutting through tape would be productive (but never tried).

LLoyd