For those of you following this project, I have now constructed the full-sized tank and will be leak testing it over the weekend. below are some pics of the construction to the finished build.
Silicon cures much quicker than it used to! The tank is now undergoing leak testing already! I have set it up in the bath and filled it the way it's going to be used, the right way up. When I thought about testing, it occurred to me that normal water testing wouldn't give me the right pressures on the seams, since this tank doesn't have to support the weight of the water the way normal tanks do, so the pump and bath worked well.
I knew it was going too well! Got everything ready, painted the back of the tank, and left it in the sun to dry.
NEVER LEAVE A TANK IN THE SUN WHEN YOU PAINT IT!!!!!!!
the back panel which I painted got hot, while the front panel didn't. Now it's a cracked tank! there was a tiny flaw where the glazier cut the corners, and it ran from there. (it's strange, but in all the time I worked with windows and glazing, I never drilled the glass to cut an internal corner. This glazier insisted that this was the only way to do it, and that is what caused the weakness.)
Oh well, we all make mistakes, and this was a big one. Now it's back to square one, ordering the glass all over again. once these things are siliconed, there is no way to get them apart again, so the whole thing is ready for the bin.
Lessons learned:
Paint the back panel BEFORE assembling
Never put the tank in the sun with paint on any of the panels
Double check the cutting for weaknesses
Maybe cut the glass myself. (No-one else to blame then!)
Tomorrow I start again. I suppose it's better that it went while it was empty, not full. Would have made a terrible mess on the carpet! Lol.
managed to save most of the glass from the original tank, so just had to replace the front and top panels, along with some re-designed pieces of glass.
Cut the front panel square, and designed a new flute. This was made up and joined to the front with an overlapping piece of glass. Doesn't look so good, but is stronger.
Also put in a stress bar across the front panel, just above the neck of the flute, to add more strength.
Stuck everything together and left overnight to cure.
Next morning, set it up in the bath again to leak test. Found a leak. drained it down again and let it dry, and then sealed the leak. Another night of curing.
back into the bath again, another leak test. This time it worked perfectly and filled to 1 inch from the top without any problem.
left it there all day and night, just to be sure. All well, water level stayed exactly where I left it.
made the stand and fitted it over the 4' tank, ensuring that it was strong enough to supplort the weight. No problem there.
Drained the tank down, rinsed it out and put it onto the stand. Great, the flute was perfect, fitted the stand well and all looked good.
started to fill it up. watched it constantly to make sure that nothing untoward happened. got the tank halfway filled and then heard a strange noise. stopped the fill and checked all round. couldn't see anything wrong until my partner noticed the shelf was out of line. it had dropped by 6mm on one end!
The added weight of water had overstressed my shelf, causing the joint to move. Oops!
Third time lucky, so they say! I have repaired the crack in the bottom panel, and am waiting for the silicon again. Will leak test again tomorrow!
And here it is, the finished setup, with the lighting and everything in place! All I need now is the 8' to continue the run along and the light box on the LHS, which I can't do until the new tank arrives.
I have chosen to not have an airstream in the tank, simply because I was having problems with moisture getting into the pump. I can take time to find a good pump to do this now, instead of making one up.
I finally bought a car tyre inflator to evacuate the top, which was dropped into an airtight box to turn it into a vacuum pump. It works much better and a lot quicker!
Thank you all for the compliments and praise. Now you all know how it's done, let's see who can make it happen for them! (I would love to start a business building these babies, but I ain't going to!)
Half the battle with DIY is finding the reason to start something. The other half is the fun part, or the heartache, or the disappointment when it doesn't go according to plan. But at the end of the day, when you can sit down and admire the end result, nothing can better that feeling! Picture your living room with an awsome display that NO-ONE ELSE in the world has got, because YOU built it yourself. That feeling makes it all worthwhile!
I want to see more ideas and projects coming along. Mine are still in progress, with the 8' tank still not arrived, with the fry tanks made out of acrylic, and plans for a completely way out tank still under the design stages. Come on all, get into the garage, shed or whatever and make a start. Don't be put off by failure, keep trying and you can do it, I know you can!
I realize this is an old thread, but i was wondering if it gets enough water circulation to keep it clean after its been set up for a while now...if its still set up.
You don't really need a pump for this to work. Take a clear plastic cup and submerge it in your tank so that it is completely full of water(no bubbles etc). Now begin to pull it out with the bottom facing up. You can keep pulling with the water still inside until the rim of the cup reaches the water line. So it is much simpler than you think. =)
Now you just have to have a deep enough tank to submerge another tank completely in it. =). Would be a neat idea for a pond. With random tanks sticking up so fish can come out and you can see them.
