A well-designed aquarium can create a unique atmosphere of comfort in your home or office. Its silent inhabitants will surely please the eye. But in order for fish and aquarium plants to feel at home in the water, you need a solid aquarium.
Instructions
Step 1
Today there is a very rich selection of different aquariums, they can be chosen ready-made or ordered by an experienced specialist. But if you really want to, you can easily try to make an aquarium out of glass yourself.
Step 2
It is not recommended for a novice master to try aquariums with a volume of more than 200 liters. First, too large structures are much more difficult to make. Secondly, having made an aquarium of 500 liters, you, in case of any errors in the work and failure of the aquarium, can flood all the neighbors in your entrance.
Step 3
There are two ways to assemble rectangular aquariums. The first design assumes that the walls of the aquarium are at the bottom. In the second case, the walls are glued around the bottom of the aquarium. The latter method can only be used for aquariums with a volume of more than 50 liters, it is much simpler.
Step 4
Decide on the thickness of the glass you will use to build your aquarium. In this case, one should take into account not the displacement of the future creation, but the height of the water column and the length of the glass on which the column exerts pressure. The so-called "Baltic" aquarium with a volume of 200 liters, 1000 mm long, 400 mm wide and 500 mm high, which is in high demand today, is best made of glass with a thickness of 8 mm.
Step 5
We proceed to cutting the glass you have purchased. Cut the front walls to the overall dimensions of the aquarium. The bottom should be reduced in length and width by two glass thicknesses and by the thickness of the adhesive layer, taking it equal to 2-3 mm. Cut the ends to the same width as the bottom. The height of the ends is equal to the height of the front webs.
Step 6
Cut out the stiffeners as well. They will be attached to the upper edge of the front glasses, prevent them from bending outward and bursting. The ribs should be made slightly shorter than the bottom.
Step 7
The glass you intend to use when setting up your aquarium must be clean, dry, free of bubbles and foreign matter. When marking the glass, consider the size of the cutter from the edge to the middle of the roller. When cutting, do not push hard on the glass cutter handle. Before cutting the glass, soak the glass cutter head in liquid oil or turpentine. After marking the cutting line, place the glass on the table so that the line runs along the edge of the table. Break off the piece of glass you want to cut with one firm motion.
Step 8
Now is the time for glass processing. The surfaces to be bonded must not be sanded. After grinding, they simply do not stick together, because the silicone sealant does not stick to the ground surfaces. It is only necessary to remove the chamfers so as not to cut yourself during installation. Compare the cut and processed glasses and match them in pairs.
Step 9
You need to assemble the aquarium on a flat surface, for example, on a table. Degrease the glasses with acetone and wipe dry. Apply adhesive to mating surfaces. The adhesive is applied along the vertical edges and along the bottom edge. Take the smeared front wall with both hands, place it against the back of the bottom and press down along its entire length. Perform a similar operation sequentially with all the elements mated with each other. Glue the stiffeners after the aquarium has dried. The ribs are glued to the inner sides of the front walls perpendicularly.
Step 10
Most sealants allow further work on the aquarium the next day after gluing. And you can pour water into the aquarium only 5-7 days after the sealant has dried.
