Here is the brand new tank I got today for my Aquarium to Sliding Front Vivarium modification project:
It's a 37 gallon cube which measures 26" H, 20" W and 18" D not as big as I wanted (twice that size really) but I think it's respectable in size. At least for a first shot at this kind of thing.
I know I said I was going to use a 10 Gallon in the other post as the experiment with this modification but I was driving by the Saltwater shop who I secretly knew always has oddly shaped tanks priced cheap cos nobody wants them. So I had to stop in and look on the pretense I was "just gonna look"...
But for my purposes this was just the ticket. Big enough to bother modifying but cheap enough to loose the $50 on if I screw it up.
So the plan is I will keep adding photos and descriptions to this same post until the project is done so all of you can use these ideas as a springboard and build one of your own if you want to. Or avoid doing it if it all goes kablooey on me.
What you will be seeing here in the next few weeks:
1) Removing the plastic rims and the front pane of glass.
2) Replacing the front pane with two 1/2" thick horizontal bracing panes of glass at the top and on the bottom
3) Mount 1/8" sliding glass track on the top/bottom front panes
4) Mount side guards on the vertical edges of the open front
5) Installing the 1/8" thick front glass panes
6) Creating and installing the lid glass
7) Lighting canopy construction
8) Construction of a base/stand with front door
*This is meant to be both a show and a tell post so if you have questions about anything - feel free to ask anything other than when the next update is coming...
**I will post links to specific parts you will need to order or acquire somehow when I show them being used.
It's a 37 gallon cube which measures 26" H, 20" W and 18" D not as big as I wanted (twice that size really) but I think it's respectable in size. At least for a first shot at this kind of thing.
I know I said I was going to use a 10 Gallon in the other post as the experiment with this modification but I was driving by the Saltwater shop who I secretly knew always has oddly shaped tanks priced cheap cos nobody wants them. So I had to stop in and look on the pretense I was "just gonna look"...
But for my purposes this was just the ticket. Big enough to bother modifying but cheap enough to loose the $50 on if I screw it up.
So the plan is I will keep adding photos and descriptions to this same post until the project is done so all of you can use these ideas as a springboard and build one of your own if you want to. Or avoid doing it if it all goes kablooey on me.
What you will be seeing here in the next few weeks:
1) Removing the plastic rims and the front pane of glass.
2) Replacing the front pane with two 1/2" thick horizontal bracing panes of glass at the top and on the bottom
3) Mount 1/8" sliding glass track on the top/bottom front panes
4) Mount side guards on the vertical edges of the open front
5) Installing the 1/8" thick front glass panes
6) Creating and installing the lid glass
7) Lighting canopy construction
8) Construction of a base/stand with front door
*This is meant to be both a show and a tell post so if you have questions about anything - feel free to ask anything other than when the next update is coming...
**I will post links to specific parts you will need to order or acquire somehow when I show them being used.
