Cali Kid Corals

My new tank just broke

Thank's for the helpful advice....Every bit helps. Thank god it wasn't full of water with all my babies in it, I have four months to get this thing fix til' D-DAY, so I will still need help getting it out of my truck and onto solid ground, then I can come up with a game plan. After I cleaned the tank I stood back and though this is souch a beautiful tank, I am so lucky to have it. I will make this tank whole again.
 
because you can't just slide it in. It will mess up the silicone. When I help my friend redo his tank, it was extremely hard to put the bottom in with only 3 sides. We were lazy and didn't remove all the sides.

It sound easy but trust me it's not.
 
There is a guy in MARS that do tank work. I think his name is Keith Grandt, if I am not wrong, that do custom glass tank. Maybe you can pick his brain a bit. I met him at MARS swap and he is a nice guy. I will see tonight if I can find his biz card.
 
It has been mentioned numerous times on this forum and on RC that Keith is no longer doing glass. While I can't vouch for it, it has been stated by people I trust.
 
[quote author=tuberider link=topic=3781.msg44041#msg44041 date=1211944971]
Too bad Artistic Aquariums is gone it's a long shot but you could see if their master builder is still there (Old County Rd in Belmont) he could help you even though he can be an a-hole at times.....
[/quote]

Nope, won't touch anything that holds water he said. Lost all his insurance on doing such work :( Can you tell I tried him..
 
[quote author=GreshamH link=topic=3781.msg44071#msg44071 date=1211998330]
It has been mentioned numerous times on this forum and on RC that Keith is no longer doing glass. While I can't vouch for it, it has been stated by people I trust.
[/quote]
Uups ... Sorry I was not aware of that. Thanks.
 
[quote author=GreshamH link=topic=3781.msg44072#msg44072 date=1211998538]
[quote author=tuberider link=topic=3781.msg44041#msg44041 date=1211944971]
Too bad Artistic Aquariums is gone it's a long shot but you could see if their master builder is still there (Old County Rd in Belmont) he could help you even though he can be an a-hole at times.....
[/quote]
Nope, won't touch anything that holds water he said. Lost all his insurance on doing such work :( Can you tell I tried him..
[/quote]That's the same thing I heard as well, maybe he could walk Mark through a rebuild, maybe not. One thing is for sure they need to take the damn sign down, I drive past it and grumble once a week at least, did today in fact.
 
Our warehouse was right around the corner so I know what you mean. It was nearly a daily affair for me :(
 
Iv'e got it figured out!

Here's my plan;

Construct a tweezer type of device out of metal (the inside end wider to go around the Euro bracing) that has rubber balls at the ends, Iv'e seen these before somewhere, the balls will meet exactly on each side of the glass, when a bolt is tightened at the apex of the tweezers it will hold the glass firmly in place. Then a cable or nylon strap will meet in the center after cross members holding the straps away from pinching the glass at all sides. once this is raised I can lower it onto some 4x6 blocks to remove the old silicone. Before I start the replacement part of the tank I will weld the stand, lay wax paper on top of it so the silicone wont stick to the stand. Once the damaged pain is left on the ground I will lay paper underneath it and trace out the pattern of the glass, this is just in case the glass breaks in transit to the glass company to have a new panel cut. After I bring the new panel home I will place it on the stand, push the stand directly under the tank which will be raised to a height to hover over the stand about three inches. When everything is in place I will start by siliconeing the sides of the new bottom glass, then I will jump inside the tank and silicone the the lower 1/2" of the inside panes, once complete I will lower the tank onto the stand where the bottom and sides meet perfectly because it will match the stand as it dries, now the tank and stand will not have to be moved from this space for several months, once the silicone cures I can fill it and watch for leaks.
 
This will work I am sure of it, yea there are nay sayers but know this is 70 percent thought and 30 percent action, I have the space, the time and I can cut, weld, sweat, stress, cry, and persevere more then most...............Hey I drove 800+ mile for it I can't just throw it away, and besides when this happens to you I will be there with the skill and knowledge to pull you through, the only thing in my way of mental success is my wife....."Lets just spend the $1,000 to get it fixed, or we'll throw this one away, buy another one for $2,000 and we'll have a new $3,200 tank worth $2,000.

I can do this, I'm feel'n the force or what my wife would say "The desperate need to build something".
 
Here are some pictures of the metal 1/8" x2x2 square tube and rectangle pieces I bought for the stand, BTW my stand will be contructed during the week as not to impose on family time. ;D
 
Mark would you care if I moved this to members tank journals? You could post all the info about your tank build as well so we can follow along.
 
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