kevreh

Yeah, I heard about those spacers too. Only problem is that those sections aren't "bonded", and are structuraly weak. Was thinking of using 90° clamps to hold the panes in place. Planning a rimless nano, about 15" cubed. I have the silicone mentioned above, apparently using stuff from Home Depot is not advised.

Anyone built their own glass tank, rimless? Been gleaming insight from discussions on reefcentral. Here's what I learned; Use a professional grade Silicone, like the RTV100 line. Make sure its FDA approved. Use online calculators to figure the right glass thickness. Best to have the glass cut pro. and edges straight buffed. For a smaller tank, use 1/16" seam. Tape everywhere you don't want silicone Use a tool to treat the inside corners Let silicone that oozes on the outside dry, then cut off with a razor Use clamps and angle brackets to hold everything in place while drying Let everything dry at least a week before test filling Anything else? Thanks!

Colonial Hardwoods in Springfield VA is another good place to go for veneer work. Hey John! Just wondering, when I've done veneer work I used rubber cement (spread on both pieces). I suspect the glue you mentioned is better? Thanks, Kevin

Jig saws are a little difficult for cutting plexi. They tend to wander and the blade doesn't always stay at 90 degrees. Do you have or can get a circular saw or table saw? Both are a lot easier. With a circular saw you can build a jig (sled) for the saw to ride on. No matter what you use the key is more teeth (aka fine tooth blade) with minimal to no kerf (haw much the blade is bent either way).

Having had about 4 different reef setups over the years I would say that a Biocube is a good way to start. You get to cut your teeth on a smaller and simpler setup. Some day when your familiar and comfortable with the concepts mentioned above you'll probably have a better idea of what you want for the longer run. Bigger tanks can get a lot more complex than BCs due to sumps and plumbing. This is good and fun, but the simplicity of the BC means you get to focus on learning the most important things. Once you upgrade you could always use the BC as a nice display tank for whatever interests you. OTOH, if your the kind of person that wants to setup a tank and stick with the same one for years than you may outgrow the BC. But even then you could still setup an additional tank. Hope this helps.... Kevin