glass tank

[alexander]

I'm wanting to make a glass tank with sliding doors. I've got everything except the top ansd the front and i need some advice on how to put this together. I will have a wooden frame on the top with ventilation and the front there will be like a glass frame with the sliding grooves on top and below, and something on the sides to stop the sliding doors damaging the edges. is this possible? Can i just glue the grooves to the glass edges ? where can i get these grooves? Any segestions or ideas are welcome.
Thanks

[Leos r gr8]

I know you can get the grooves from most hardware stores

[jka]

I got my grooves from Timbercity/Penny Pinchers. I glued mine to the wood with Contact adhesive but I think silicone would also work for you.

[alexander]

thanks I've got silicone, but how do i get the sliding doors onto the grooves?

[Leos r gr8]

I don't know how to explain it but I could send you some pics of my setup wich has sliding doors

[jka]

Glue the grooves to the tank then put the glass in and put the top on.

[alexander]

thanks

[jka]

If its not to much trouble I would like to see a pic when the tank is finish.

[SarkkaS]

www.lootajapompeli.com

I have built several vivariums out of wood, with sliding glass doors. Over here, the special glass stores can make a pair of sliding glass doors with the aluminum or plastic E-profiles (=grooves) just from knowing the measurements of the opening.

The text on the site is in Finnish, but the pics are self-explanatory.

For glass systems, I recommend an L-profile underneath the lower E-profile to connect and support it to the small piece of glass that makes the lower "lip" of the vivarium, to hold the substrate inside.

A small dab of silicone on the edge of the glass door will cushion the contact between the frame and the edge of the glass door nicely.

EDIT: Here's a picture of a side-view of the assembly:



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[alexander]

thanks for this Sarkka, i will take pics, but getting the glass cut can take a while.

[SarkkaS]

Cut the glass yourself, it's not that difficult

If you can get your hands on old window glass, etc., you can make your own vivs for pretty cheap..


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[Rob]

If youre talking of the brown or white cabinet sliders usually available from hardwares, remember that the top slider is deeper than the bottom. This means if you calculate correctly you can simply push the glass in the top and drop it down into the bottom slider.
This seems rather obvious or have i missed the point?

[BushSnake]

Alexander: I'm not sure whether this applies to reptiles as much as it does for fish, but make sure the silicone you use is safe. I built a saltwater aquarium filter a few years back and found it quite difficult to get silicone that is NOT "mould resistant" and "bacteria resistant", etc and suitable for salt water. Try and get one that is specifically for aquariums (Den Braven makes a very good one but I can't remember the exact name). You don't want to regret having used ordinary clear bathroom silicone a year down the line. As I said, it might not affect reptiles as badly as fish but then again, maybe it does!

I got the glass sliders for my cage at builders warehouse (I live in Gauteng) but only some branches seem to keep stock! I also had the glass cut at a Builders Warehouse but they don't polish the edges and that makes life really unpleasant. Rather have it done at a PG glass or similar place.

Looking forward to pics!

[alexander]

Rob: ok, i haven't worked with sliding cages at all, so i may be a bit thick on the subject.

I have aqua-silicone bought from the aquarium next to me, thats where i will also get my glass cut if they do the edges, otherwise i will go elswhere.
Thanks for pointing that out.

[SarkkaS]

You can sand the edges yourself as well. Regular sandpaper that is designed to be used when wet with grain around P240..320 should be fine. Get a few sheets, attach to a piece of flat wood and go.


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