Can I do this as a DIY "cube"?

[Alto]

I have two spare 29 gallon tanks. If I buy a piece of 30"x30" glass can I deconstruct the two tanks and make a 30x30x18 "cube"? It seems like this should work but wanted to get some feed back before I attempted.

[customcolor]

one side will be longer by 2 pains of glass.

[wea747]

Or all all sides will be one pain of glass over 30" ahah

[NanoReefWanabe]

plus they are only 5mil glass and very hard to pull apart without breaking panels...if you smash out the bottom you may be able to fold the tank over and get the sides apart...

isnt "glass pain" spelled pane? ;)

[Alto]

I've never taken a tank apart, is it that hard to get them apart? I dont particularly want to break the panes, though I suppose the sides will be "waste" so I could break those worst case.

I am assuming that thin of glass will need some kind of bracing correct?

[customcolor]

pain---pane

heck at least they sound the same lol :D

[NanoReefWanabe]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12381435#post12381435 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Alto
I've never taken a tank apart, is it that hard to get them apart? I dont particularly want to break the panes, though I suppose the sides will be "waste" so I could break those worst case.

i tried to take a 15g apart once...because the back blew out of it...only piece of glass i had after the whole i can fix this was the front...

the glass should be thick enough since the tank isnt that tall, and you wont realy need bracing but it would be a good idea..

what makes them so hard to take apart is that there isnt really any silicone between the panes...and cutting it apart is very difficult...you either scratch the glass or break it or break your razor blade...you maay be able to use piano wire or something though...i am not sure if they sell any products that will break down the silicone and still remain reef safe after the fact.

[spleify]

Along the lines of the piano wire, how about the small E string from a guitar? Wrap it abaound a couple of sticka nd runn it down along the seam.

HTH

Spleify

[dnahas]

With a seam in the sides also or new bottom and two sides. At That point why not a new bottom and 4 sides, also known as a custom tank. Save your deconstruction time and hassle + risk of waisting two 29g aquariums. why not use one 29g for a sump and one for a fuge. two 29g would fit nice below. I just bought a 24"x24"x3/8" sapphire glass for 50$, all 5 sides couldn't cost that much

[coralnut99]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12382746#post12382746 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spleify
Along the lines of the piano wire, how about the small E string from a guitar? Wrap it abaound a couple of sticka nd runn it down along the seam.

HTH

Spleify

Too thick. Much too thick.

I dismantled 4 or 5 29's when I consolidated stuff in the fish room years ago. There is a silicone bead between all the panes, but it's extremely thin. That doesn't make it any less tough. You have to remove all of the inner corner bead first. Just run a single-edge razor down each side of the corner. Then take a clean single-edge razor blade an jam it between the panes starting at the very top. It's not easy. Don't twist the blade or you'll chip the glass corners. Once you have about two inches separated, insert a utility knife blade above the single edge. Move the two down the bead in order, the utlity knife blade first, then the single edge.

The idea is the utility knife blade is twice as thick, and opens the bead for the single-edge blade. Wire is still too thick to get in the bead. I tried, and snapped countless pieces.

Don't discount the amount of elbow grease this all will take, as you've got a lot of cured silicone to remove from the now dismantled panels. The edges are a bear to clean up.

[coralfragger101]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12459407#post12459407 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by coralnut99


Don't discount the amount of elbow grease this all will take, as you've got a lot of cured silicone to remove from the now dismantled panels. The edges are a bear to clean up.

The silicone is easily removed. Use a wire brush that attaches to a drill. Works great and does not scratch the glass.

[dthelen]

I just finished taking a 29 gal apart. Once I removed the top and bottom plastic trim I cut away all the silicone in the corners and then took a sewing needle and ran it along the corner to get an much silicone out as possible. Then I took two wood blocks put one on the back panel and the other I put it on the other and slowly pulled the panel away. It kind of sounds like the glass is cracking, but it was just the silicone coming off the glass.