# turn a 55 on it's side?



## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

Has anyone taken a broken 55 and turned it on its side, gotten a piece the same size as the bottom and built a 48Lx21Wx12H tank instead? The reason I'm asking is I picked up a 55 at a garage sale for $5 and I have some glass panels from an old 33L that the end was cracked. I don't like 55's because of how narrow and tall they are and I thought this would give the fish a lot more floor space. I'd have to build a ring frame for the top and bottom but that's easy. Just wondered if anyone had tried this. After all the tank only cost me $5.

Thanks in advance


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## Steve C (Oct 9, 2011)

I have not, but I gotta say that's a cool idea I never thought of. Interested to see if you follow up on it for sure. Would you make your own trim for it to sit on or just leave it trimless?


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

I didn't know trimless is an option...I'd most likely trim the top at least and probably trim the bottom for continuity of appearance.


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## dlj76us (Aug 9, 2012)

Great idea! Though i do have one concern, aren't the bottoms of most tanks tempered glass while the sides are made of plate? There must be a reason that they are constructed that way. I think it may be something about the stresses and types of stresses put on it. Someone else will know the reason i'm sure. DLJ


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

Not all tank bottoms are tempered but yeah the stresses may be something to consider. The weight of the water column at less than 12 inches shouldn't be that great. I suppose I'll go run a glass thickness calculator for a homemade tank with those dimensions and see if the glass on my 55 is considered thick enough. Says I only need 5mm glass which is less than a 1/4" so I should be fine in that aspect.


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

Just measured the glass on my 55 and it's 5/16" so in theory it should be strong enough. The other concern I had was glass plate placement. Typically the tanks are siliconed on top of the bottom plate, the front and back plate this way would be outside the bottom plate. I realize it's the silicone that holds the tank together, I just wondered if that could also be an issue. is it just convention or should I be fine as long as I build a trim that will support a large enough portion of the bottom glass


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## dlj76us (Aug 9, 2012)

not sure about the plate placement but since you plan on building new top and bottom supports not sure why it would matter since they will have a 2nd way to hold it together. Hoping you give it a try as i'm interested in the outcome.


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

alright, unless someone tells me not to, I'm going to do this. It'll probably be a few weeks though as I have other projects to do first. I'll update with pics once it's done.


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## fusion (Jun 21, 2012)

opcorn:


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

Forgot my wife is away for the weekend with her girlfriends so once the kids are in bed I've got some time to work on this. I'm going to go rimless and put some styrofoam over well supported plywood for a stand. I may still put a trim piece on the top for supporting a lid and hiding the fact that the top of the short sides will be 3/8" lower than the front and back.


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

So I started cleaning the old panels from the 33Long and it's nice an clear, and scratch free. I'm using a putty knife and a razor blade to remove the old silicone. I have a few questions:

1. Is there a solvent I can wipe it with after I've scraped as much as I can to ensure I have it all off?
2. In order to silicone the panel onto the existing other 4 panels, What is the best way to go about siliconing in the new panel, namely where the new silicone will meet old silicone holding the other panels together...or do I have to remove the silicone filet on the other panels too and redo the whole tank's filet?


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## fusion (Jun 21, 2012)

lilscoots said:


> So I started cleaning the old panels from the 33Long and it's nice an clear, and scratch free. I'm using a putty knife and a razor blade to remove the old silicone. I have a few questions:
> 
> 1. Is there a solvent I can wipe it with after I've scraped as much as I can to ensure I have it all off?
> 2. In order to silicone the panel onto the existing other 4 panels, What is the best way to go about siliconing in the new panel, namely where the new silicone will meet old silicone holding the other panels together...or do I have to remove the silicone filet on the other panels too and redo the whole tank's filet?


On your first queation, i just had to remove some from the sump im building, like you i scraped it all off but there was still a slight residue, i used rubbing alcohol to get it off as it evaporates, i will give it a good wash also.
Cant really help on the second question


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

School got really busy there for a bit, I just finished cutting the front panel off and removing the filet. I've got to scrape some more residue but it's coming along. I have some pics I can post later. I was going to use glass bracing along the sides and one in the center to make the sides the same height as the front and back and to have something to set lids on


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## bibbs68 (Dec 1, 2006)

How is this project coming along?

A coworker and I were discussing doing the same thing, actually his idea, and wondered what would be involved.

Any updates would be appreciated.


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

School's still busy, but I find time to scrape silicone here and there, I've got just the long seam to scrape then I'll be able to silicone on the panel from the 33L and reseal the inside. removing silicone is pretty terrible (boring and tedious), so I'm making sure I've got it all off before I go ahead, I really don't want to have to redo this step. I have pics of the whole process, it's not that hard to do and with the bracing I'm planning it should in theory work fine.

College and two small children sometimes keep me from doing other things...


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## bibbs68 (Dec 1, 2006)

No worries, just checking in.

Sounds like it is coming along, perhaps slower than you wished, but that's life.

Besides, kids are far more important than fish.


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

I am ready to put the panel on and reseal the tank and have decided to go with glass bracing on the top but I haven't decided on the orientation, I was hoping someone with some aquarium building experience could chime in on my options. I've drawn up a couple of ideas I had for how to brace it. Let me know which option would be sufficient or preferable.








I like D the best but I'm not sure if it will be strong enough without a center brace. If a center brace is needed, could I go with C? or would I need the additional lateral support along the long edges - B...the panels are 3/16" thick (not sure if it's tempered or not) with dimensions 48"L x 21"W x 12"H... the glass bracing would be 1/4" thick...
Thanks
Adam


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## bibbs68 (Dec 1, 2006)

I've been looking into building a tank as well, and everything I have seen and read about so far has either been done like C or D.

I'm not a pro nor have a built a tank, but I have poured over pages and pages of builds and the consensus is that most people overbuild everything, especially the stand.

Perhaps someone will come along that has built the same or very similar size tank, or can help to point you in the right direction.

There was a great thread about euro bracing that i found, but sadly I didn't bookmark it. If I run across it again I'll post it.


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

I finished cleaning up the glass. I used razor blades until I could no longer see any residue or scrape any more up with a new razor blade. I then used 0000 steel wool on all the places that would be receiving new silicone. After all that, I wiped everything down with denatured alcohol. and got set up for siliconing the panel in place and replacing the inner filet. I did these two steps at the same time. and here's some pics of the process so far.

Original 55 with trim removed









Cutting the seal with the razor bringing the putty knife behind to prevent binding of the blade from the panels trying to squeeze back together....it works, but must be very delicate....I'd also reccomend getting a little plastic handle for the razor.









Front panel removed









Butt seal applied and panel taped in place









Applying silicone for the inner filet









All caulked and curing









Still need to cut the glass bracing and silicone those in.....but, finals are coming next week so this may be all I have done for a bit.


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## metricliman (Sep 3, 2012)

Looks good!


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

Thanks,
Here's a couple more shots now that the silicone has set.

Front









Side









Top









Final interior dimensions are 47.5"l x 20"w x 11.75"h for a filled volume of ~46 gallons (water level .5" below rim.) not sure where the other 9 gallons went....I'm thinking 55's don't really contain 55 gallons...so i lost a few gallons and a lot of height turning it sideways but gained a ton of floor space (from 570 square inches to 950 square inches 2/3 more)


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## ratbones86 (Jun 29, 2012)

nice looking good cant wait to see it set up!!


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## 7mm-08 (Jan 12, 2012)

I'm really liking this idea.


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

Yeah, I'm just getting glass cut for the bracing, so as soon as I pick that up I can silicone those in place and leak/bow test it.


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

Well, I decided to go with option C for bracing as I had some old glass lids from a 90 gallon (B is still an option if as I'm filling it looks like it isn't going to hold). I cut one section in half for the two end braces and kept the other section intact just shortened to 20". I still have the other half of the lids to use on the other 55 I'm going to cut apart if this one works. I siliconed in the braces tonight. Very messy but I can cut the excess silicone off later. I was mainly concerned with having no air bubbles between the glass sections and a decently large filet. In the future I'd cut the glass a little shorter for the bracing so it's easier to get silicone between the panes. Testing will be done wednesday or thursday.
Here are some pictures.








Side braces cut









Testing the fit









Glass cleaned and tape ready to go.









Siliconed and taped (I'll cut the excess squeeze out on the outside off later)









Setting the height and location of the center brace.









Some textbooks to hold it in place while I silicone it in.


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

Couple more pics 








and


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## ratbones86 (Jun 29, 2012)

nice work man! That would make a killer planted tank o an awesome shellie tank!


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## bibbs68 (Dec 1, 2006)

Nicely done!


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## sweety (Jan 10, 2010)

If you find your getting any flex/bowing in the front/rear panels of glass just add a brace to run the full length under the front/rear panels braces :thumb: Thats how 90% of my tanks have been braced here in the UK


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

Merry Christmas to me, had some time before family stuff gets started so I decided to leak test this thing. It was around 60 hours after the braces were siliconed in and at least a week since the front panel and reseal. 
Before filling









Almost full









Filled (side view)









Full (no noticeable deflection)









Now to build a stand....


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## thatbb6 (May 3, 2012)

Wow the tank looks flawless. Fish tank companies should make tanks like these.


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## verbal (Aug 16, 2011)

looks great


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## halffrozen (Sep 24, 2011)

Was an idea I had along time ago when I had bought a 55 for cheap and damaged it on my way home like a smart person!

This was pulled off VERY nicely!

Would love to see it turn into a shellie tank or something... maybe a Crypt forrest!? lol


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## bibbs68 (Dec 1, 2006)

Simply awesome!

Thanks for showing it can be done.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

Looking good. The only concern, which you have already addressed, is the span of what is now the bottom. By supporting it completely with the stand and styro, there should be no issues.


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