Can You Take A Tank Apart

[demonmagus]

Hi, just wondering if it is possible to take a tank apart, and then rebuild it somewhere else?


thanks

 

[spikeyboy]

Yes.You can do it.If you look above you will see a pinned topic "How to repair a tank seam" It will give you an idea how to do it.

 

[demonmagus]

Yes.You can do it.If you look above you will see a pinned topic "How to repair a tank seam" It will give you an idea how to do it.

thanks, I checked it out but I still can't understand how you would get the silicone off between the panes of glass

 

[odannyboy]

demangus i can say this is one thing i know loads about.got given a 36x18x15 tank and the bottom was cracked.i had no use for it and was going to bin it but thought could i cut it apart,have the glass cut and make a nice cube tank?
in short yes!
but you will need ;
1) lots of time.i mean lots .one think it did teach me is actually how stong silicone is.i think "sealant" is a poor description as really its an adhesive and sealant in one.
2) pack of brand new single edged razor blades and preferably some kind of holder( otherwise your finger tips get bruised)
3) care. glass and razor blades are a bad mix.i only cut myself a little bit and not badly( amazingly)

the way to do it is start inside and remove all the big bead of sili.all this really does is help hold the glass solidly whilst it cures.the 1 mm bead between the panes is the actual seal of water.
when this is gone start sliding the blade between the panes.this takes lots and lots and lots of passes.plus glass actually is rough and blunts the blades quickly! dont skimp.bin them regualy.once you get a pane to come away from another you can use it to "lever open the other seals and that makes cutting easier and faster.
plus this is IMPORTANT - if you press the edge of the blade against another flat edge of the glass it scratches a line on it.this was important at the top where the braces were as i wanted to have a deeper tank and the scratch would show( that pane became the back)
when its apart you must remove all traces of silicone.every last bit, then clean it with acetone or thinners.
SILICONE DOES NOT STICK TO SILICONE, no matter what people tell you.

but anyway seperating is the easy part as building is harder.do small ones before big, and think twice(or more ) about really big tanks! thats a lot of water to come bursting out into you home if it goes wrong!
i woud recommend getting some cheap glass of any sort plus some sili and practising first .silicone skins over in approx 5 mins so you need to work very quickly and confidently to get a good reasult! plus it cant be "touched up later" you get one
shot
best of luck!

 

[demonmagus]

thanks for the advice - that was awesome

I'm not gonna do it myself - it's a 180gallon tank, I just wanted to know if it was possible, because I know someone who builds tanks - anyway thanks so much

 

[Rooster]

Razor blade, and a bit of confidence !