Dismantaling tank

[m000240]

Ok, funny question, but entertain me. Anyone know how to remove the brace around the bottom of a fish tank? It is all glass, and I assume bonded with Silicone. The clearances are too small to get a knife in there, is there any chemical that will dissolve the silicone? Thanks.
Alex
Honolulu, Hi

 

[thangbom]

not to my knowledge... it's just a cut,scrape,and putt thing....

 

[maeistero]

you could try extreme heat. a painter's heat gun resembles a hair dryer with much higher output that would burn your head. it wouldn't melt glass, but it may soften your silicone.

 

[maurice]

I used a razor knife,and NO it wasn't fun either.

 

[socal57che]

I've worked on cars since before I could drive and have used every silicone known to man. Most likely the silicone used on tanks was never meant to be subjected to petroleum based chemicals. You might go to your local parts store and buy a can of gasket remover. It comes in spray cans or a metal can with a dauber. It's only a couple bucks so if it doesn't work you aren't out much.....but if it does work it could save a lot of labor. Ask to see if it will harm your plastic base.....I'd hate to be the reason it melted. Good luck.

 

[thomas712]

Originally Posted by m000240
Ok, funny question, but entertain me. Anyone know how to remove the brace around the bottom of a fish tank? It is all glass, and I assume bonded with Silicone. The clearances are too small to get a knife in there, is there any chemical that will dissolve the silicone? Thanks.
Alex
Honolulu, Hi
Why do you want to do this?

 

[m000240]

Well I want to drill my tank. I despise the thought of a bunch of pipes and equipment hanging off the back of my tank, so I desire a drilled tank. The tank I have isn't drilled, and I have no way to determine if it is tempered or not. What I am going to do is try and drill the holes, and if the glass shatters, I'll remove the excess and get a new sheet (already drilled). Does this sound flat out crazy or what? I was thinking if it was somewhat simple to remove the bottom sheet of glass I could take it to a glass shop and have them try and drill it for me, at least that way if it broke the mess wouldn't be at my house.
I know, a lot of work for something that seems more easily and cheaply available at a quality LFS. However, I live in Hawaii, and there is only one reliable LFS, and they don't sell drilled tanks, and most online retailers won't ship tanks, and if they do, it is way, WAY too expensive for me.
Alex
Honolulu, HI

 

[maurice]

That is one huge task your getting into,but good luck!

 

[acrylic51]

Sounds like way to much work.....Did you buy the tank new or did you get it used????? What brand is the tank? Why not just drill the back or the side and you wouldn't have to worry about the bottom being tempered.......You might create a big headache for yourself by removing the bottom panel and then replacing it and then trying to reseal it....JMO though

 

[m000240]

Yeah, I love a challenge. Unless anyone has any other ideas, I'll be giving it a shot this weekend, I'll let you all know how it goes!!!

 

[m000240]

Originally Posted by acrylic51
Sounds like way to much work.....Did you buy the tank new or did you get it used????? What brand is the tank? Why not just drill the back or the side and you wouldn't have to worry about the bottom being tempered.......You might create a big headache for yourself by removing the bottom panel and then replacing it and then trying to reseal it....JMO though

I got it used, it is an AGA brand. I *strongly* desire no plumbing to run outside of the cabinet.....I know, I'm retarded....

 

[thomas712]

My advice would be to contact a glass specialist in your area, ask him about the special hole saw for glass that you would need, let them do it if possible. Your local LFS might have someone that comes in and does it.

 

[acrylic51]

The bottom line is have you determined if the bottom is tempered or not? If it's tempered you won't be able to drill it period!!!!!

 

[m000240]

The bottom isn't tempered!!!

So I am in the process of drilling 4 holes, two in each corner for two overflows. I chose 1" bulkheads all around. Sound good?

 

[acrylic51]

What size tank is it?

 

[tinmanny]

Couldn't you put a false back on and then you could drill the back and hide everything in there it would be a lot cheaper to do and less risky
Good Luck what ever you do

Manny

 

[aquapro_1]

Have you thought of ALL your options? There is a tape you can put on the edges of your tank. I got mine at a local hardware store. Buy some clamps and place along the top of the tank. Make a b-line to the corners, then tape the wires down the sides of your tank. I did that with both tanks.

 

[tinmanny]

Tip for checking for tempered glass
Hello all:
Reading the attached response I recalled a nice tip that I used when
drilling my own glass aquarium.
You can easily identify whether a piece of glass has been tempered or not by
using 2 polar lenses. I used a camera polar lens and a polarized lens from
a pair of cheap sunglasses.
Place a lens on each side of the glass and rotate one while looking through
it. If the glass is tempered you will notice a distinctive pattern that
shows as you rotate the lens that was formed when the glass was tempered. If
it isn't tempered, it will just look clear. Try it out on
an automobile window that is marked as safety glass to see what the pattern
is like that you are looking for. Works like a charm. On my 90 all glass,
none of the panels were tempered, I had the bottom drilled by a glass
company for $10 / Hole.
The glass company was even unaware of this little trick.
Just thought I'd share.
Have a good day!
Bill
<Thank you for this. Will post for all's edification. Bob Fenner>
Found this on line
Good luck

Manny

 

[m000240]

That is a great trick!!!!!!! Too late for me anyway. I already drilled the bottom. I have one hole drilled, takes a long time with the small diamond dremel bit I am using. I'll be taking pics along the way. It is a 75gallon tank that I picked up used. Hopefully by January I can have everything up and running!!! I'll post pics later this week.
Alex
Honolulu, HI