monkiboy June 19, 2013 Author Share June 19, 2013 (edited) ordered my external over glass. did it all in 3/8" non-tempered plate glass with polished edges. ordered from laurel glass (they had the best pricing by $40). banner, dulles etc wanted around $104-175 and laurel quoted me $59. friendly service and hopefully they get the measurements right and polish the edges nicely. i went with a 30" x 5.5" x 12" external overflow. i wanted the 3/8" for rigidity on the bottom with the bulkheads and for the strength on the larger 30" glass in case i accidentally lean on it or put pressure on it, basically for peace of mind. 5.5" depth allows over an 1" on each end of the 2.5" bulkhead openings for drains of the bean animal. 30" give me plenty of room for acclimation, time-out space, etc and to water to dial in the bean animal. will be using the same dow 795 black silicone i used on the internal overflow as it has proven VERY strong. i think even without bulkheads holding the internal to external boxes together the ~9g (70lbs) will hold nicely with just the dow product and thicker glass. evan or anyone else, should i be putting the silicone between the glass edge that will touch the rear of the tank and the inside and outside corner seams or do i push the flat edge up against the back pane of the tank and then do the corner seams inside and outside? Edited June 19, 2013 by monkiboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy June 20, 2013 Author Share June 20, 2013 glass was done early...beautiful and my exact measurements... evan or anyone else, should i be putting the silicone between the glass edge that will touch the rear of the tank and the inside and outside corner seams or do i push the flat edge up against the back pane of the tank and then do the corner seams inside and outside? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM June 21, 2013 Share June 21, 2013 I believe you'd do both. Silicone along the edge, smoosh the pieces together, and then put a cover bead in the corner after assembly to protect the edge silicone. At least that's how glass tanks are built. I'm not in any way a tank builder, so maybe Jeff the PimpedOut Naga can answer. 8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy June 21, 2013 Author Share June 21, 2013 (edited) I believe you'd do both. Silicone along the edge, smoosh the pieces together, and then put a cover bead in the corner after assembly to protect the edge silicone. At least that's how glass tanks are built. I'm not in any way a tank builder, so maybe Jeff the PimpedOut Naga can answer. 8) i agree. thanks! so i got 3/8" for all sides but boy are the pieces heavy. i know evan and i went on about how strong the bond can be but coming off 6" from the back pane with a 30" x 12" pane i think requires some reinforcement, a stand, or something to hold it up. i can't image all that weight with the glass and water being held up safely on it's own. anyone have any thoughts? Edited June 21, 2013 by monkiboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der ABT June 26, 2013 Share June 26, 2013 get some glass triangles and make some braces for it, 2 or three would do if it makes you feel better, just like a book shelf anchor. i made the box first and just made sure it was clean glass where it woudl go to the tank. ..used painters tape to make the lines look nice. with the 3/8 because the surface area the silicon will have to bond to ill bet it would have no issues....seriously its amazing how strong these things are. hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy June 26, 2013 Author Share June 26, 2013 thank you, sir - i appreciate the reply. that's the exact ideas my buddy had for mounting when we tackled the drilling this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM June 26, 2013 Share June 26, 2013 Ooh, you drilled it? How many holes between inner and outer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy June 26, 2013 Author Share June 26, 2013 Ooh, you drilled it? How many holes between inner and outer? not the tank but the bottom pane of the external box. the back pane of the tank will get three or four 1.5" holes seeing how the external is only 32" long. don't really know how to keep the tank wet while i drill the tank now that you mention it. a spray bottle enough you think? hose with a slow trickle and a bucket catching it all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM June 26, 2013 Share June 26, 2013 Maybe use canola oil instead of water for lubricant? More viscous and maybe less messy? Ooh, or fish oil, then you dont even have to worry about cleaning it, heh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy June 27, 2013 Author Share June 27, 2013 i'm worried about heat and getting the fines out of the hole being drilled. i guess i can't really experiment with my tank. maybe i'll try with the cracked 40b i have laying around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami June 27, 2013 Share June 27, 2013 A spray bottle works fine. The water helps dissipate the heat and carries away the dust from grinding. Just keep the area wet and proceed at a moderate pace. I drilled 4 holes in my tank while it was upright in the house using a similar technique, squirting water onto the area every 5 or 10 seconds using a water bottle with several holes punched in the cap. I probably only used a half liter if water per hole. (Sent from my phone) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Puckstable June 27, 2013 Share June 27, 2013 I used a sports water bottle (the squeeze kind). I had a helper slowly squeeze water over the glass and bit while I drilled. In the past I've also used a pitcher. w Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy June 27, 2013 Author Share June 27, 2013 thanks guys for the encouragement. that's what i'll do. let's hope no problems! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy June 28, 2013 Author Share June 28, 2013 (edited) all these livestock updates have got me really eager to expand my QT system and get some fish treated and ready for the tank when it's cycled... Edited June 28, 2013 by monkiboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy June 30, 2013 Author Share June 30, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveoutlaw June 30, 2013 Share June 30, 2013 Looking good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime June 30, 2013 Share June 30, 2013 Great job! Looks like it was done flawlessly! Didn't expect anything less! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldReefer June 30, 2013 Share June 30, 2013 Not sure if you have started building the overflow box up yet, but if you haven't here is a handy trick I picked up trying to silicone a big sit-to-coast overflow.... Cut up a bunch of little wood blocks out of 1" x 2"s. Use a hot glue gun to tack them to various places around the overflow where you need to hold the glass pieces in place. Silicone the overflow on one side and let it set up, pop off the blocks with a putty knife and the silicone the other side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy June 30, 2013 Author Share June 30, 2013 thanks guys - it was the least messy way i could figure of doing it. each hole in the tank took about 30 minutes to drill. i just knew a water bottle or similar was going to be more annoying then helpful and still create a bit of a mess. i cracked the bottom pane of the external overflow testing (it's almost the same thickness of the tank) and constant flowing water was really needed. so i ordered another pane for the bottom of the external overflow, drill those holes for the bean outside with a hose and got to figuring out how to do the back pane of the tank without having a flood of glass-water. the above was the best thing my father and i came up with and it worked out really well. there was still some spray from the bit shooting water out in a circular pattern but it was minimal and 95% of the water made it down our trash bag funnel and into the planter to be pumped back up. i only got through two holes, so i have two holes left to do on the back of the display tank to allow water to flow through the internal mailbox style overflow into the external overflow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy June 30, 2013 Author Share June 30, 2013 Not sure if you have started building the overflow box up yet, but if you haven't here is a handy trick I picked up trying to silicone a big sit-to-coast overflow.... Cut up a bunch of little wood blocks out of 1" x 2"s. Use a hot glue gun to tack them to various places around the overflow where you need to hold the glass pieces in place. Silicone the overflow on one side and let it set up, pop off the blocks with a putty knife and the silicone the other side. thanks bill, we made up a frame and jig last week out of 2x4s and plywood just for this reason as i wanted the seams to be perfect and as strong as they could be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy June 30, 2013 Author Share June 30, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM June 30, 2013 Share June 30, 2013 (edited) Isn't that the bottom of your external with the bulkheads? I thought you cracked it? Or are you taking them out the back? I thought most people who do externals take them out the bottom of the external box. One more question. What bulkheads are those? I'd got some sch80 1" ones from BRS via QR that came in with the flange side so tapered that no pipe I put in would actually seal. It just rattled around in there because of the gradual shoulder that went down into the fitting. Looks like those would have worked well for me. Edit: BTW, I just drilled the bottom of a 40B that I'm using as a sump. I'd planned the hole location all out measuring from above, then flipped the tank over on the floor and drilled with no template or anything using the tip-the-bit to get it started trick and a dam of putty. It worked fine, and I was through in like 5 minutes. It wasn't until I flipped it back up that I realized that I'd just drilled the wrong corner since I was working upside down. Doh! Should be fine though. Edited June 30, 2013 by AlanM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy June 30, 2013 Author Share June 30, 2013 Isn't that the bottom of your external with the bulkheads? I thought you cracked it? Or are you taking them out the back? I thought most people who do externals take them out the bottom of the external box. One more question. What bulkheads are those? I'd got some sch80 1" ones from BRS via QR that came in with the flange side so tapered that no pipe I put in would actually seal. It just rattled around in there because of the gradual shoulder that went down into the fitting. Looks like those would have worked well for me. Edit: BTW, I just drilled the bottom of a 40B that I'm using as a sump. I'd planned the hole location all out measuring from above, then flipped the tank over on the floor and drilled with no template or anything using the tip-the-bit to get it started trick and a dam of putty. It worked fine, and I was through in like 5 minutes. It wasn't until I flipped it back up that I realized that I'd just drilled the wrong corner since I was working upside down. Doh! Should be fine though. yes it is the bottom of my external. i cracked one in testing, yes. i ordered another sheet of glass for the bottom and redrilled and installed the bulkheads. they are going out the bottom. the bulkheads are BRS sch80 i ordered during the last groupbuy hosted. there's some good money to be saved in sch80 fittings and pipe at BRS. i'm hosting another GB for next week, if you need some things and don't have over $175, let me know what you want and i'll add it to my order. funny story but sounds like you'll be fine! i've tried just going with the edge first but always get a skip or two and seeing the nicks bothers me. i need a more steady drilling hand i suppose. good work for you, though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM June 30, 2013 Share June 30, 2013 Too weird that those are BRS bulkheads too. Wonder what they sent when I ordered my sch80 ones. I ended up replacing them with ABS ones because I just couldnt get them to hold a pipe, and they are sitting downstairs now waiting for a use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCReefer1964 July 4, 2013 Share July 4, 2013 Great job! Looks like it was done flawlessly! Didn't expect anything less! You know Marcos, Nothing less. Looking good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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