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Aquarium to Vivarium Mod Project

Aquarium to Vivarium Modification Project

Before: 37 gallon cube aquarium (20 L x 18" W x 24" H)
viv1.jpg


After: Sliding front European style vivarium
tankmod14.jpg


Building a custom stand from the ground up

You need:

2x 24” x 48” Melamine boards cut in half to give you four 24” x 24” pieces (called “Size 1“)

1x 24” x 48” Melamine board cut into two 21” x 24” pieces (called “Size 2“)

4x L brackets

2x 3 ½” door hinges

Power Drill (best $30 ever spent)

1 ½” & 5/8” screws

4” Hole Saw (optional)

1) I plan to have a misting system hidden in this base that will service all my various plant setups. So I will start by drilling a power access hole in a Size 1 board which will be the back wall.

base4.jpg



2) Using your 5/8” screws attach an L bracket to the top and bottom of the 24” edge of both “size 2”. I have inset mine from the top and bottom edges by about 1”.

base5.jpg


3) Attach the two Size 2 boards with L brackets to the Size 1 board with the hole. Now you have a U.

base6.jpg



4) Take another Size 1 board and set it ontop, get the edges flush (the front edge should stick out a bit over the shorter side boards). Attach with 1 ½” screws.



base7.jpg


5) Now flip the structure over and repeat the previous step on the other side. Finish by tipping the structure on it's back wall.

base8.jpg


6) With the base on it’s back so the opening is facing up, place your last Size 1 piece over the space and secure the hinges to the side using 5/8” screws.

base9.jpg


7) Place your stand in the upright position and put your tank on it. Viola!

base10.jpg



Next:

Prepping the standard aquarium for sliding front glass modification...

You'll Need:

Heat gun

sturdy knife

very sharp knife like a box cutter



1) Using a heat gun set on High run it back and forth against the edge of the tank to heat it up evenly then pick one corner to concentrate the heat on and leave it there until the plastic gets a glossy soft wax look.



tankmod1.jpg


2) Using your sharp knife on the softened plastic make a cut in the glossy soft plastic.

tankmod2.jpg


3) With the heavy duty knife stick it between the rail and the glass and lift up all along the rail. You'll hear the silicone popping as it gives, don't be alarmed, the glass isn't breaking.


tankmod3.jpg



4) Once you've loosened the rail get your fingers under it and tear it off.

tankmod4.jpg


5) You'll have to remove each rail the same way. To the aquarium peoples credit, they are some sturdy structures! lol

tankmod5.jpg


6) If you just want an all glass/no rails tank then i suppose you're done, it really looks very nice without them.
tankmod6.jpg


7) Now you run the heat gun up and down the siliconed edge of the glass and using your heavy duty knife scrape and work at it until you get in between the front pane and the side pane, once you get the blade in it is very easy to seperate. But getting the blade in is not easy! Do not use a folding knife for this step.

tankmod7.jpg


8) After cutting both sides of the front pane lift it and bend it over the bottom and the silicone should come right off, if not use your box cutter to slice right through it.

tankmod8.jpg


Next time:

Installing the new glass panes & sliding glass door track...
 
Wow lookin great swords! Cant wait to see it finished with everything inside. What do you plan to have in there btw?
 
damn man!! You are resourceful and patient enough to do all that. I just end up going for the more expensive ready to buy sort of things. lol!
 
i'm watching , plaese, dont make me wait too long LOL , this is great stuff, thanks for the close up look.
I'm redoing my doors as soon as i see how you do yours, I need a better sliding feature, cant see in as well as i would like
 
Thanks guys, I've always wanted a European style vivarium with the sliding/removable front glass and nobody in the US seems to make them unless you wanna PAY. There's the Exo Terra overpriced tiny vivariums with the hinged doors but I want sliding glass and more room. It's pretty fun doing these modifications and DIY stuff too. The stand only took me two episodes of Premium Blend stand up comedy so that was only an hour and I did it slow cos i was taking pics. It took the longest to figure out how to pull the rims off the tank! The heat gun is essential to loosening the rails and softening the silicone but only just slightly. Silicone is very heat resistant - they even make oven gloves out of silicone now. But the heat gun goes to 1000*F so after running it on the glass seam a while it will loosen the silicone but only to an almost imperceptible degree! Make sure you use a sturdy knife. A "sturdy" steak knife collapsed on me so I used one of my collectible daggers who withstood the pressure on the tip no problem. A sturdy non-folding boot knife would work fine.

For now this tank will just be home to mosses and creeping plants, maybe a waterfall and some misting system experimentation. It will also act as temporary home for my Anole as I want to redo her 56 gallon cube vivarium with a sliding front. In spring it will get more interesting miniature specimens planted naturally on branches climbing the walls, etc. I'm converting all my plant setups to the naturalistic planted style. I've done the greenhouse terrariums with plants in pots or mounted on cork I want to do something different and more artistic for a while.


Next:

Sliding Door Track

You need:

Glass for bottom brace and top one if you want a top one.

L shaped plastic Profile (part #1933 you must order min of 12 ft sections in white, brown or black)
http://www.outwatercatalogs.com/lg_display.cfm/catalog/2009_master/page/57


E shaped sliding glass track kit. You get both top and bottom sections you don't order seperately (part #180 is for 1/8" thick sliding glass panes. You must order min of 12 ft sections in white, brown or black)
http://www.outwatercatalogs.com/lg_display.cfm/catalog/2009_master/page/27


1) After you get the front pane off get a fresh new razor blade and start scraping where the pane was attached and get all the silicone off. Once it's off use rubbing alcohol or some other solvent to clean it as well as possible.


2) Lay the tank on it's back and glue the front braces on top and bottom of the opening. I used a 6" piece at the bottom so I can do a false bottom or some other sort of water feature. After the silicone dries stand the tank up (as shown) and add a thick runner of silicone inside the bottom brace, smooth it into the corners with your finger.

tankmod10.jpg


Glue the sliding glass E track to the top of an L track so it can be affixed to the glass brace

tankmod11.jpg



4) Here the top and bottom sliding glass E tracks have been installed. I have placed extra pieces of L Profile over the left and right hand edges so the glass can slide into a little "garage" and not stick off the end of the tank. Here you can see the packing tape I'm using to hold it in place as it cures.


tankmod12.jpg


We've got a blizzard howling through tonight and supposedly all day tomorrow so I probably won't be able to get to Ace and have the two glass panes cut for the sliding door and a thick piece of plexi for the lid (so it can be drilled for mister nozzles and ventilation). But that's all I need to do and the tank portion of the build will be done. After that it's onto the lighting canopy.
 
can you get the l profile at the same place as the e track .
lookin good swords thanks

---------- Post added at 09:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:19 PM ----------

can you do a close up of the corners where the e track meets the side maybe from a slight inside the tank angle?
 
Exciting! Nice pics too. Somehow I expected pictures of your apartment to have lots of things on the wall - maybe colored paint...
What's up with the hole in the stand? Will you have a false bottom to the terrarium that you'll plumb through?
~Joe
 
Cool, are you going to attempt any cp in there? I think D. adelae might do well in there.
 
lol, my exciting heavy metal posters are all rolled up in a a big box that I'm not yet ready to throw out or put on ebay most of 'em are collectors items these days!

The hole is for power and water hose access so I can hide a misting pump and water bin down there.

Links and product numbers to buying the two types of plastic track are in my last post above.
 
  • #10
Ah, the bin... I remember your earlier description now.
Hurry up and finish it so we can see pictures. :D
~Joe
 
  • #11
I'm going to get the glass for the doors and a thick plexiglass sheet (so it can easily be drilled) for the top on Saturday and probably assemble the lighting canopy and maybe the false bottom. But that's where it'll stop until I get some more driftwood I only have one piece and I want lots of branches that I can mount to the walls with the Good Stuff spray insulation foam. I know I'll come home from the orchid show in January needing someplace to put the new plants so it can serve as a waiting room til I get all the wood I need for the landscaping.
 
  • #12
"So it is done..."

Front

tankmod14.jpg


from the rear corner. Gap can be closed as needed with 1 " and 2" strips of plexiglass and mesh screen if the tank becomes a home to more than just plants. I haven't affixed the lid yet since I need to drill the holes for the misting system and I don't know what size they need to be so I'm gonna wait until I receive it to drill the holes and glue it down.

tankmod15.jpg



Since someone asked, here is a close up view of how the sliding glass track and the vertical "garage" track look where they meet. The "garage" is made from the excess lengths of the same L profile that the sliding track was glued to before being mounted to the top and bottom braces then the "garages" are mounted over those.

tankmod13.jpg


This was an easy project and gave me just what I've always wanted. It's a shame more people don't know about how easy this is to do. :D
 
  • #13
thanks for the last photo i can see how this would work very well for the sliding door , I'll be redoing my front doors after Christmas is over need more funds to buy a temporary, place for my plants, for a few days.
Thank you swords this has been most helpful to me hope everyone else gets as many ideas as i have .
 
  • #14
i was changing guitar strings recently and thought i'd try using the discarded strings as a method of breaking the seal between two sealed panes on an aquarium...i wrapped each end around a piece of wood and was able to cut the seal pretty easy, 'sawing' up and down, and pulling along the length of each glass panel. the e and b strings worked best.
 
  • #16
I'm impressed with how clean it works, I guess it just takes a little elbow grease. Have you made any terrariums with all custom cut pieces? I would think in some cases(depending on dimensions) it would be cheaper. Last time I tried making my own the outcome was very messy. I'm sure with some patience a custom tank could be awesome. Great tutorial. Woot!
 
  • #17
Quick question:

What did you use to glue the E and L tracks together? Aquarium silicone?

Same question for how you glued the tracks to the tank itself.

I'm looking to join two 4 foot x 2 foot tanks together using this method (one on top of the other, making one large glass chamber).
 
  • #18
Rob, I used silicone the first time, it does not hold well so with all future projects and in re-gluing the track in this one I glued the plastic sliding glass track to glass with a glue called "Amazing Household Goop" which is available in the glass & plexiglass section of Home Depot for about $5 a tube. This stuff glues just about anything to anything. It's like silicone but a lot stinkier and creates a permanent bond unlike silicone which can be separated.

I haven't glued two tanks together in the manner you're describing just thought about it, so if you do it please take pics I'd love to watch the project! :)
 
  • #19
I have used GOOP as well with "great success"

Used it to modifiy an ultrasonic humidifier and 2 years later it is still holding after being susceptible to constant passing humidity. Seems like strong stuff when properly cured.
 
  • #20
Rob, I used silicone the first time, it does not hold well so with all future projects and in re-gluing the track in this one I glued the plastic sliding glass track to glass with a glue called "Amazing Household Goop" which is available in the glass & plexiglass section of Home Depot for about $5 a tube. This stuff glues just about anything to anything. It's like silicone but a lot stinkier and creates a permanent bond unlike silicone which can be separated.

I haven't glued two tanks together in the manner you're describing just thought about it, so if you do it please take pics I'd love to watch the project! :)

I have used GOOP as well with "great success"

Used it to modifiy an ultrasonic humidifier and 2 years later it is still holding after being susceptible to constant passing humidity. Seems like strong stuff when properly cured.

Amazing Household Goop it is then :). thanks for the info. I'll definietly post pics of the project once I get it in the works. Thanks to both of you :)
 
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