In specialized stores, it is easy to find beautiful and high-quality aquariums for every taste. But choosing a container of certain exact dimensions, for example, under a niche in a furniture wall, seems to be quite difficult. Not everyone can afford to order such an aquarium, and making it yourself is not so difficult.
It is necessary
- - metal corner;
- - sheets of glass;
- - silicone adhesive sealant.
Instructions
Step 1
Before you start making a frame aquarium, first do the calculations. Having decided on the size, calculate the volume of water that will fit in such a container, based on this, using the tables in the aquarium reference books (there are more than enough of them), determine what size you need a corner, the thickness of the glass. You cannot do without these calculations, because the larger the aquarium, the more water pressure the walls and seams experience.
So, after you have decided on the parameters of the materials and purchased them, for ease of understanding the workflow, draw a drawing, draw up a step-by-step work plan. When there is a well-thought-out instruction in front of your eyes, it is easy to do without errors, therefore, without alterations and accidents.
Step 2
Let's start with the frame: the design features of the aquarium exclude welding of the corners with each other "overlapping", because due to the thickness of the metal, plane differences will appear, as a result, the glass will not lie down over the entire bonding surface. In view of this, all ends of the corners should be cut at 45 °. This geometry is required for butt welding. Sawing corners, and then welding the frame should be very precise and accurate, no curvature is allowed here.
The welded frame should be processed along the outer seams with a file and emery paper, and the inside should be cleaned of scale and metal drops from welding. Then paint the entire metal structure with a waterproof paint and leave to dry. Now we can do glass.
Step 3
If you have chosen glass with a thickness of up to 6 mm, then it is better to entrust its cutting to craftsmen in a regular glass workshop, give a thicker sheet to a specialized company, this is both easier and safer. Due to the fact that now there are a lot of inexpensive and high-quality silicone sealants on sale, in no case order or do the matting of those places of glass sheets on which the glue will be applied. Oddly enough, but silicone adheres much better on a polished surface!
Grind the ends to avoid the appearance of new chips and the growth of cracks from them. For a small aquarium, when grinding, observe a right angle between the end and the plane, if the container is large, you can grind at a slight slope, this will increase the amount of glue and the bonding area.
Step 4
Many experienced aquarists advise the following assembly method: the facade and back glass are glued first, as the largest (they are given the largest gluing surface with the frame), then the bottom, then the sides. Others prefer the following order: bottom - facade and rear - sidewalls. If the aquarium is small, up to 70L displacement, there is not much difference.
Step 5
It is worth saying a few words about the glue: when choosing a silicone sealant, pay attention to the annotation to it. If you've read the mention of antifungal action, or a sanitary effect, this is not your option. We saw the inscription "suitable for gluing aquariums" - feel free to buy.
Step 6
But no matter how wonderful the glue you choose, after it has completely dried, you should fill the aquarium with water for 2-3 weeks, drain it, rinse it with running water and refill it already for settling. Only after this can the ground be laid, plants and snails can be settled and, in case of normal health of the latter, fish can be launched.
