My DIY 40 breeder external overlow

[new2saltyfish]

Hi everyone. I am in the process of downgrading from my 125 to a 40 breeder mostly because of a foreseen time constraint. It is going to be basically a 1/4 rimless 40 breeder with a section cut out of the top back of the glass which is used as an overflow to an overflow box on the back outside of the tank as to not lose any room. Also, it will have a custom build L.E.D setup by yours truly. Here is what i have so far.

Trying to find a picture of the stand when i bought it from another member so i could show the difference but i can't...BUT trust me difference is huge...it wasn't soo pretty when i bought it, but it did have a good frame which saved me some time.



ImageShack.us

Front of the DIY led light


tank ready to be cut


Cutting guide


Tank all rough cut

 

[new2saltyfish]

Everything right before i made the stand look as is now...

Blue's and Whites


underneath


whites...NOT yellow at all as most people said they might be


Blue's


The lights will obviously not be that low. I intend on hanging them from the ceiling about 1.5-2 feet above the tank...just wanted to see how they looked and they are BRIGHT!!! way brighter then my halides.

 

[littlefish09]

looking good. what did you use to cut out the section of glass?

 

[new2saltyfish]

i actually just very carefully used a tile dremel circular blade. Just went really slow and kept pooring water all over the glass and it barely chipped...the chips i sanded down pretty good to where you can't see them at all anyway.

 

[Ray]

Looks great!!! You going to build the overflow box out of glass or acrylic?

 

[new2saltyfish]

definitely acrylic. This way i won't have to worry about it cracking as much.

 

[mchartier]

I would not do an external acrylic overflow on a glass tank. The structural bond is not what it would be if it was glass to glass or acrylic to acrylic. If it was an internal overflow, no problem because the pressure is pretty much neutral but on an external it will be pushing it out and off the tank and will only be a matter of time before it lets go.

 

[JohnK]

Second that, Definately use glass not acrylic.

 

[jamesdong009]

Great job so far. Any concerns with the structural integrity with some of the trim gone?

Yeah, unfortunately it's a bad idea to try to bond an acrylic external overflow box to glass.

Check around for local glass shops or try HD.

 

[new2saltyfish]

See...that's why i'm glad i post the process lol. Thanks for letting me know everyone...will definitely use glass. No, i'm not really worry about structural integrity. I left 6 inches of bracing on each of the back top sides, and i may put a glass piece in the middle over the top as well. Also, i'm going to do the external overflow across the whole back of the tank both the same L and H of the tank itself so that should add some extra bracing if need be as well.

 

[new2saltyfish]

p.s. What thickness of glass does everyone think i should use for the overflow? I know it should probably be thicker then the glass on the 40B itself...

 

[JohnK]

Personally I would feel safer going with something thicker than 1/4", but that will cost a lot more. Also not all glass shops are going to be all that excited about ordering such small pieces of thicker glass, but I'm sure you could find someone.

1/4" would probably work, but 3/8" would sure take being banged into a lot better....

 

[new2saltyfish]

alright i'll have to shoot for 3/8ths. I saw at home depot and lowes that they cut glass, just not sure if it's that thick or not/ who knows if i have to buy a huge piece just to get cuts. I'll have to check it and a local glass shop out.

 

[JohnK]

I don't think you need 3/8", but it would be safer. You definately won't find 3/8" at HD lowes (as least as far as I've ever seen).

Also keep in mind that you will want the edges ground and polished, or you will need to sand off the sharp edges (which I don't know how much or little of a PITA it would be).

Also, I forgot to mention before, I do think it would be a good idea to add some sort of bracing to the back where the trim is cut away. I'm not sure of the best way to do it, but anything would be better than nothing. (IMO 40Bs are pretty big tanks for that thin glass....)

 

[new2saltyfish]

i think what i'm going to do is use the original plastic piece that i cut off, and fiberglass it back to the top rim but cutting away the bottom of it so the water can flow underneath. This way the tops will be connected and you won't even tell it's missing.

 

[new2saltyfish]

what if i got a piece of glass the same size of the back panel on the tank itself and clear epoxied it to the back glass on the tank itself...would making the glass that much thicker help keep bending to a minimum?

 

[willray]

what if i got a piece of glass the same size of the back panel on the tank itself and clear epoxied it to the back glass on the tank itself...would making the glass that much thicker help keep bending to a minimum?

I think thats a great idea and increase it substantially. Sanding glass edges is rather easy, just requires patience.Use a wet stone to smooth and round(beware chips, the stone can snag on them) and move on to sandpaper... coarse than fine and finer.For glass..what about glass from an old tank...I have a 20 gal for example thats broke on one end.

 

[gweston]

yeah 1/4" glass is a lot easier to come by.. I am using that for my overflow for a 125. But, if you can get 3/8" go for it. I just got my glass from the local glass shop. They cut it right to spec and even smooth the edges out. Glass for an internal weir plus an external box for the 125, ran around $70 if I remember right. Either way it wasn't too bad. Oh, and the glass was smoked (dark colored). Not clear. A bit of an up-charge for that.

Following along.. I'd like to see pics of the finished overflow. I am thinking to set up a 40B along side the 125.. looking at various overflow ideas myself.

 

[new2saltyfish]

I think thats a great idea and increase it substantially. Sanding glass edges is rather easy, just requires patience.Use a wet stone to smooth and round(beware chips, the stone can snag on them) and move on to sandpaper... coarse than fine and finer.For glass..what about glass from an old tank...I have a 20 gal for example thats broke on one end.

I'm gonna try and go that route. I do not have a spare tank...that is broken anyway.

yeah 1/4" glass is a lot easier to come by.. I am using that for my overflow for a 125. But, if you can get 3/8" go for it. I just got my glass from the local glass shop. They cut it right to spec and even smooth the edges out. Glass for an internal weir plus an external box for the 125, ran around $70 if I remember right. Either way it wasn't too bad. Oh, and the glass was smoked (dark colored). Not clear. A bit of an up-charge for that.

Following along.. I'd like to see pics of the finished overflow. I am thinking to set up a 40B along side the 125.. looking at various overflow ideas myself.

still buttoning up the lights, but will keep everyone posted as stuff progresses. Should be starting the overflow in a week or so.

 

[new2saltyfish]

I plan on adding the piece of glass to the back pane of the tank tomorrow. Because it'll be double thickness anyway, i think i'm going to use the 1/4 inch glass. I plan on using the clear GE type I silicone to attach the piece but i have a few questions maybe everyone could help me out with...

1.) do you think that silicone would be the right choice? I read up from previous posts and some people were saying get an industrial strength one instead not sold at HD.

2.) do you think the clear silicone would be just that...truly clear? I am not going to paint the back, i want a full see through tank. I am worried about the silicone not being completely clear and the back pane looking blurry.