This is the start of what is envisaged to be a long drawn out project. I will attempt to both share and show the membership my personal ideas on how to go about building a Saltwater Reef based aquarium from scratch. It may not be unorthodox at times and some folks may do things a little differently and get better results, but this and subsequent threads in the series is purely intended to portray how to go about taking some sheets of glass and turning them into a small slice of tropical ocean.
Before I begin I would like to fill you in on some background information on how I have arrived at this juncture and the yearn to build an aquarium from scratch. Initially my inspiration was gleaned from visiting The Great Barrier Reef (http
/www.ladyelliot.com.au/). Upon my return from Australia I embarked upon a small Nano tank and catalogued it's build (Dawn on the Reef) This was fine for a couple of years, but I eventually wanted something that I could really get my teeth into (not to mention my wallet) 
A short while back , my wife and I visited my sister-in-law in Ipswich (essentially a maritime town). We were in a pub one evening, the internal doors of the pub were festooned with circular windows and were framed with brass portholes. The nucleus was born.
So with the idea firmly planted in my noggin I find myself back home with one thing on my mind.
Portholes!!! Large Portholes!!!
The actual tank I would be building would sort of fit into the middle bracket range of home aquariums (100-200ltrs)
The proposed statistics for the finished article are
Tank Size - 4' x 2' x 2' ( 1219 x 610 x 610)
Main Tank Volumes before displacement
Volume in litres: 453.069545
Volume in imperial gallons: 99.674303
Volume in US gallons: 119.701336
These are a nice size of porthole mirror. (I will remove the glass) They are a Bronze colour and are quite heavy and robust. The colour fits well with the rest of the decor.
The first things first as they say was to get the raw material cut to size, as I work in a glass factory and a glasscutter by trade this was not a problem. For neatness I also had all the edges polished
The next job in hand was to have the base of the aquarium milled by CNC machine to accept the bulkheads for the overflows and returns in a corner weir.
A series of three holes were milled in the left rear corner of the base (the holes have to be cut larger than the actual bulkhead stated sizes)
These holes would accept the Bulkheads (2x 40mm & 1x 25mm)
Two larger drains at the rear and a smaller return to the fore
Finally made a start on building the tank.
Due to the Garage still being full of crap, I have taken up residence in the sitting room with my old Banjo and Piano.
Anyway please excuse odd picture angles and suchlike due to space limitations.
The front is already in situ on this shot, I'm now working on the end panels. (I would normally start with the ends, but this stuffs bloomin heavy)
Notice the small tacking bead of silicone on the base section the same is applied to one edge of the end panel where it meets the front.
All squared up and taped and support given due to lack of help (all family at work)
End adhered to the front panel, squared and taped
Wider angled shot
Both end panes and the front is now tacked, awaiting the back panel.
I got the last panel (back pane) tacked, levelled and squared.
The whole thing is now banded and waiting to cure. All went smoothly with no hiccups.
Well the banding tapes are all off now and I have been throwing this tank around somewhat this morning. No creeks or cracks to be heard.
I've moved on to taping the inside of the tank in preparation for the eventual sealing.
I am going with a 10mm bead width on this tank as it's the biggest one in regards to width and depth that I have built thus far.
I have built six footers before for which I only used 8mm bead width.
Some of the tools employed to make the 10mm bead runs.
A picture showing the 10mm bead channels
All done!
All I have to do now is clean the channels with some thinners and were good to go.
I've just finished tacking, squaring, taping and sealing the Weir Box. I didn't want to waste a silicone nozzle as the tank itself requires a larger fillet.
The aquarium is now fully sealed and all the tapes have been removed
The Weir Box has been placed in situ and checked for squareness.
PART II of BigC's Pictorial Reef Build Adventure
Part II
Before I begin I would like to fill you in on some background information on how I have arrived at this juncture and the yearn to build an aquarium from scratch. Initially my inspiration was gleaned from visiting The Great Barrier Reef (http
/www.ladyelliot.com.au/). Upon my return from Australia I embarked upon a small Nano tank and catalogued it's build (Dawn on the Reef) This was fine for a couple of years, but I eventually wanted something that I could really get my teeth into (not to mention my wallet) A short while back , my wife and I visited my sister-in-law in Ipswich (essentially a maritime town). We were in a pub one evening, the internal doors of the pub were festooned with circular windows and were framed with brass portholes. The nucleus was born.So with the idea firmly planted in my noggin I find myself back home with one thing on my mind.
Portholes!!! Large Portholes!!!
The actual tank I would be building would sort of fit into the middle bracket range of home aquariums (100-200ltrs)
The proposed statistics for the finished article are
Tank Size - 4' x 2' x 2' ( 1219 x 610 x 610)
Main Tank Volumes before displacement
Volume in litres: 453.069545
Volume in imperial gallons: 99.674303
Volume in US gallons: 119.701336
These are a nice size of porthole mirror. (I will remove the glass) They are a Bronze colour and are quite heavy and robust. The colour fits well with the rest of the decor.
The first things first as they say was to get the raw material cut to size, as I work in a glass factory and a glasscutter by trade this was not a problem. For neatness I also had all the edges polished
The next job in hand was to have the base of the aquarium milled by CNC machine to accept the bulkheads for the overflows and returns in a corner weir.
A series of three holes were milled in the left rear corner of the base (the holes have to be cut larger than the actual bulkhead stated sizes)
These holes would accept the Bulkheads (2x 40mm & 1x 25mm)
Two larger drains at the rear and a smaller return to the fore
Finally made a start on building the tank.
Due to the Garage still being full of crap, I have taken up residence in the sitting room with my old Banjo and Piano.
Anyway please excuse odd picture angles and suchlike due to space limitations.
The front is already in situ on this shot, I'm now working on the end panels. (I would normally start with the ends, but this stuffs bloomin heavy)
Notice the small tacking bead of silicone on the base section the same is applied to one edge of the end panel where it meets the front.
All squared up and taped and support given due to lack of help (all family at work)
End adhered to the front panel, squared and taped
Wider angled shot
Both end panes and the front is now tacked, awaiting the back panel.
I got the last panel (back pane) tacked, levelled and squared.
The whole thing is now banded and waiting to cure. All went smoothly with no hiccups.
Well the banding tapes are all off now and I have been throwing this tank around somewhat this morning. No creeks or cracks to be heard.
I've moved on to taping the inside of the tank in preparation for the eventual sealing.
I am going with a 10mm bead width on this tank as it's the biggest one in regards to width and depth that I have built thus far.
I have built six footers before for which I only used 8mm bead width.
Some of the tools employed to make the 10mm bead runs.
A picture showing the 10mm bead channels
All done!
All I have to do now is clean the channels with some thinners and were good to go.
I've just finished tacking, squaring, taping and sealing the Weir Box. I didn't want to waste a silicone nozzle as the tank itself requires a larger fillet.
The aquarium is now fully sealed and all the tapes have been removed
The Weir Box has been placed in situ and checked for squareness.
PART II of BigC's Pictorial Reef Build Adventure
Part II
