Lost thread? Re: Tank building workshop

[jgolden]

Forgive my memory, but I could have sworn there was a discussion thread (about 2-3 pages long) regarding interest from some of the members here in participating in a (glass) tank-building  workshop. I was wondering if this interst was still on; whether the workshop is still in the planning stage, whether it has already been held, or was I mistaken?

TIA

J

[squeeker]

I was also wondering what ever happened with that.  I just didn't want to be the first to bring it up...

[rockgarden]

Lost but not forgotten.  

DarkDep (Chris) raised the question quietly last night.  The missing ingredient from the start was cheap glass. My sources didn't come up with any and none of the members got back to me after the last thread to say that they had secured some. AND I took delivery of my new camera since then .

That's my excuses

Chris (DarkDep) tells me that he secured some glass for a small number of tanks so that is one excuse I no longer have .

I know I can't do anything until the latter part of March due to a variety of family commitments but should be able to free up some time the last week of March.

Ron

[jgolden]

Cool. That'll work... I'm trying to see if any of my contacts can secure 3/8" or thicker glass... If he can, I'd definitely be interested in trying to build a larger tank.... And if he can secure enough for me, there may be extra for anyone else.

But let's see if he can secure it first......

[oenology]

me too I was wondering. I have some old pierson window glass that I keep "cutting" for tank lids. How you're ever supposed to make perfectly straight edges is beyond my capabilities at the moment. So I'm looking forward to this session.

[squeeker]

I really just want to watch, I can't physically squeeze in another tank...

[babblefish1960]

I really just want to watch, I can't physically squeeze in another tank...

Do you mean to say that you can't get another tank into your space, or that you can't actually fit into any tank that you have?

There is a funny story about a three-hundred gallon tank I was modifying that I got stuck in about three years ago. I'm really not THAT big, I was removing a 3/4" piece of glass 30" x 28" from a bulkhead position out of the tank completely.

I had to be inside the tank to get it out, and as I could only lift with one arm and guide with the other, I dislocated my elbow. Silly man, I was halfway out with it anyway, so in spite of the discomfort, I forced myself to complete the lift, as I knew I couldn't do it again now that I had hurt my arm. Stupid man.

Once the glass was resting on the centre brace behind me, I decided to take a break.

I'm a short man, and the tank walls were 30" high, and the tank was 18" off of the floor, so I settled in, as it was in the living room, the television was on, I had the remote in hand, my cigarettes were right there with me, and my trusty bottle of diet coke was also full and handy. (preparation, planning, and common sense, other than what I was trying to do).

It was some hours before I tried to climb out, as the telephone kept ringing, (I couldn't reach that), and the pain had subsided somewhat, I had run out of diet coke, and cigarettes, and I didn't really want to spend the night in the tank, as they're not that comfortable. Besides, television gets boring after a long while in the wee hours.

The even funnier part, is that I needed to put that glass back into the tank later on to repair a crack that occured in shipping. That was a hoot in itself, but was accomplished without any further incident.

Though I do have a nice picture of the pretty one in the tank, without the water.

Bringing the aquarium into my building was an event in itself, drawing onlookers from allover the downtown area, including the then ovas president, who commented that it looked like something "babble" would do, and sure enough it was me. Strange man.

I too would be very interested in a glass thingy workshop, as I am so not finished with ridiculous situations and "HUGE tracts of glass"

[squeeker]

Hahah, actually, I did squeeze into a tank once...

We recieved an oceanic shipment of  108G long.  We set up the stand and tank and my coworker and I looked at each other and said, "it looks like bunkbeds!" So he boosted me into the tank and he climbed under the stand!  Got a few laughs for that one!

Since I'm so short, the guys at work like to tease me, saying I could live in some of the tanks we have in stock.  I can fit in the stand for a 30G oceanic cube...

[babblefish1960]

Hahah, actually, I did squeeze into a tank once...

We recieved an oceanic shipment of  108G long.  We set up the stand and tank and my coworker and I looked at each other and said, "it looks like bunkbeds!" So he boosted me into the tank and he climbed under the stand!  Got a few laughs for that one!

Since I'm so short, the guys at work like to tease me, saying I could live in some of the tanks we have in stock.  I can fit in the stand for a 30G oceanic cube...

Too funny...at least you have greast taste in acommodations, the oceanic I mean. Fitting into the stand must be quite the feat for the creatively sized, as I'm pretty sure I'd get my big head stuck in the door. :shock:

It is amusing to know that you could fit into a five-foot tank, Alexander the Great would have been proud.

[babblefish1960]

It would appear that the tank building workshop? is turning into a lost thread yet again.

Where oh where has it all gone? I'm sure that there is a kit and kaboodle of interested aquariphiles out there just itching to cut their fingers and get silicone stuck in their eyes.

I saw exactly what I wanted on Sunday, heading out the door prior to the sale, as some impatient soul found a tank he wanted and talked the seller into letting him have it out front.

My indignance reminded me that if I wanted that size tank, I could perhaps construct it, should there be a source for good glass without going through the normal channels.

Everytime I'm downtown I think what a wonderful aquarium I could make with the glass from the building on Queen and O'Connor, but then I remember that it is longer than my place entirely, (minor detail).

Has anyone found an affordable glass source as yet?

[oenology]

I'm waiting for a quote from a friend of mine who deals with glass all the time... but still waiting:)

[artw]

I actually have pictures somewhere of the ill fated 300 gallon. I think it ended up somewhere in Vanier as an outdoor christmas decoration gawd-awful looking setup.

Jody you'll be happy to know that your old tenament is now a nice fancy Independant Grocer, complete with free underground parking, which I visit frequently. I live over on Maclaren and Metcalfe

[jgolden]

I'm trying to see if any of my contacts can secure 3/8" or thicker glass... If he can, I'd definitely be interested in trying to build a larger tank.... And if he can secure enough for me, there may be extra for anyone else.

But let's see if he can secure it first......

Dang. He can only get 1/4" or thinner..... Anyone else manage to secure any?

[babblefish1960]

I actually have pictures somewhere of the ill fated 300 gallon. I think it ended up somewhere in Vanier as an outdoor christmas decoration gawd-awful looking setup.

Jody you'll be happy to know that your old tenament is now a nice fancy Independant Grocer, complete with free underground parking, which I visit frequently. I live over on Maclaren and Metcalfe

I'd love to see it, whereabouts is it now?

My nice apartment, as near as I can figure, is where the flowers are next to the customer service, oh well.


Looking forward to hearing a larger thickness of glass showing up, this could prove to be a worthwhile endeavour should something pan out.

Either that, or I wonder of the Heritage buildng on O'Connor and Queen would mind one or two of their 25 foot panes being donated for a perfectly good cause? :lol:

[redbelly1]

i too am interested in building a tank. think it might be cheaper than buying????if someone can give me an estimate on glass price than if cheaper than i must try it out!!!!!

[rockgarden]

Cheaper is not usually the reason that a person builds their own tank. As I said in the earlier thread (the dormant one), the biggest cost is glass and unless you have a source of salvage glass of 1/4" or thicker, it is very difficult to save money by building a tank.

Competing at a buck a gallon at the 10 gallon size is a nice activity but not cheap. To give an example of the retail cost of glass, I just paid $50 for the glass to replace the front of a 45 gallon tank. Part of this cost was taxes and part was the raw glass and the third variable was the cost of the beveling that was required to fit the specific dimensions and style of the tank.

The primary benefit of knowing how to build a tank yourself is when you accidently break a pane (like I did) of a specialized tank or a larger tank or you want to build a custom sized tank that is hard to find or impossible to find through LFS channels.

I'm still interested in hosting the workshop and Chris (Darkdep) had agreed to give some instruction on building stands. Based on the response, we have enough people interested to make it an interesting event but I won't be available for at least 2 to 3 weeks (other commitments).

Ron
http://www.nikonians-images.com/galleries/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=80297

[oenology]

I just got a quote from a friend of mine from her employer's supplier:6mm glass is $6/sq ft includes cutting, 10mm $12/sq ft, edge polishing if we need it it 10 to 20 cents/inch