# Homemade Masterpiece Glass Shrimp Tank!



## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

So I'm a custom framer at Michael's Arts & Crafts. We use this glass known as "Masterpiece" glass. It's specially treated to not reflect light. Here I am holding a piece:









Pretty cool, huh? I was thinking to myself, it would be pretty cool to make a small aquarium out of this...

Today I collected some scratched or otherwise too-small-to-use scraps and cut then down to the biggest size I could get without having scratches. My pieces measure 16" x 7 3/4" x 7 11/16", which according to fishlore's aquarium volume calculator will be about 4 gallons. 

I currently have three pieces, the end pieces and one side. In the next week or so, I should get enough scraps to put the tank together. I have some Aquarium Silicone from Petco lying around, I'll probably use that. I'll wait a few days to let it cure, I don't want to take any chances. The glass is 1/8" thick, think that'll be okay for a small tank?

The tank is long, not very tall, so I think I'm going to go with some red cherry shrimp. I've read they are prolific breeders, so I will feed some fry to my dwarf puffer that I'm picking up on Monday, and possibly working out a deal with a LFS to trade them for store credit and/or cash.

I'll be updating this thread as I start construction on the tank


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## Guest (Aug 17, 2008)

Sounds good! Once I have the money saved for a new set of tires for my car (stupid michigan winters), I'm gonna build a 10 inch cube for some shrimps for my night stand. 

I'm not sure if that glass will be strong enough...Normally, glass is 1/4 inches thick, so I'm not sure what half of that would do. Put it all together, then let it cure, and fill it outside and let it sit for a couple of weeks or so, just to be sure. Depending on how long the tank is going to be, it may be wise to somehow put a center brace on it. Just another piece of glass or something siliconed across the top. I think you should do this regardless, just because of the thinness of the glass to begin with.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

A center brace does sound like a good idea, fishbguy. Thanks!


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## Guest (Aug 18, 2008)

no problem 

I'm just worried about the thinness of the glass and the weight of the water pressure pressing on it. I wouldn't want the glass to bend and crack or the silicone to come loose...lol


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Haha yeah, I'll definitely test it for a while before I put it to use.


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## Sea-Agg2009 (Aug 2, 2008)

Did you check to make sure the special coating on the glass isn't going to react with water? I don't know anything about glass, and you probably do, so that is probably a dumb question. 
What are you using as a base for the tank? 
I really enjoyed building my beardie his tank (44"x20"x16"), after I remembered to wear my gloves.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I would put a strip of glass across both sides of the top. That gives you 8 strong corners to help keep it in shape. If you were using a standard size base, you could buy a frame from the tank companies.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

That actually occurred to me just a minute or two ago, Sea-Agg....

I googled furiously but there's no notes on whether or not it will. I guess I can try putting a piece in water and seeing what happens.

As far as frame goes, well, crap. I didn't even think of that. I was just going to silicone the whole mess together with no rim or anything. I guess that would be handy. Shoot.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

You could also make your own frame for it perhaps using lattice type wood. You could probably get it cut in half down the length of it, for a nice equal frame job that will not be overwhelming to the look of the tank. OR you might want to look at the frames there at your work  You might find something that you could use that would look nice. I know sometimes they can do custom cuts. 

Personally I would want to calculate water pressure in that volume on the glass, which is all math, which I hate. Once you know the pressure you can probably look up the max pressure for that type of glass. (Jones would probably be able to answer this Q for you if you asked him). If it looks plausible but needing of help, then I would consider framing it all the way around including the 4 corners. That might be just enough to help 

I bet that if it ends up being doable then the tank will look awesome.


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## Sea-Agg2009 (Aug 2, 2008)

I doubt the glass will react. You may want to see what the coating is. I know shrimp are sensitive to reactive metals like copper, though I doubt a metallic coat would make something less luminous. 

I guess the question is... how "pretty" do you want this tank? I used plastic wall corners to help reinforce the corners. It seemed shaky when I only had 2 sides up, but once the 4th was going into place, it suddenly became very stable. As for a top, you shouldn't have to do much. I used plastic paper sleeve edges on the walls, then just made a metal screen from a window screen kit. This was for a reptile tank, so it didn't need quite the precision of an aquarium tank. If you want, I can put up pictures if it gives you ideas.



P.S. I looked up a site for building a glass aquarium. Granted I haven't actually read the whole thing, so after the first few paragraphs, he may burst into pure insanity. 

Aquarium Plans

Building Tips

Links are above, and are pretty self explanatory.


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

I doubt that there is any coating on the glass. I used to do some stuff with a big glass company and I got a bit familiar with the product specs. Generally glass products don't have coatings but rather have "cooked in" additives to drive the desired result.

I'd be primarily concerned about the thinness of the glass. If possible, I guess you could brace both top and bottom; that should be okay.


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## Guest (Aug 18, 2008)

I would prolly skip on the frame. If the glass is strong enough to hold, I would skip on the frame, mostly because rimless tanks are pretty sweet, and it would detract from the beauty.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

The reason for trim is because thin glass bends. Its strong enough, but it tend to bend and pop the seams without reinforcement. There should be a tank small enough to work with no trim, but I don't what that size is. Good luck.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

The size is going to be about 16 x 7 3/4 x 7 11/16, and around 4 gallons.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Another idea may be to use strips of the glass to support the frame, making it double thick at the seams, while retaining some of the clear seamless look.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

ok...you can stop worrying about the glass being too thin..most 10 gallon tanks are made from 1/8" glass.and i have built all kinds of tank up to 18 gallons using regular 1/8" window glass.i have been building tanks for a long time and it is surprising just how strong glass is.either this winter or next spring i plan on building a 390 gallon tank using only 1 sheet of 1/2" glass.the main body of the tank will be plywood.. 
since your tank will only less than 8 inches tall there will be almost no strain on it.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i would love to get ahold of some of that to build a couple of photographing tanks..


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Thanks for the vote of confidence, loha 

You can buy it in sheets from 11x14 to 40x60 at Michael's Arts & Crafts, but it's INCREDIBLY expensive (overpriced..) a 36x40 will easily cost you well over a hundred...


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## gil_ong (Apr 15, 2008)

i would mind swatching out my front pane with one of these.


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## gil_ong (Apr 15, 2008)

lohachata said:


> oeither this winter or next spring i plan on building a 390 gallon tank using only 1 sheet of 1/2" glass.the main body of the tank will be plywood..


sorry to jack this, but i've always wondering how that works? how do you keep it from leaking?


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

keeping a tank from leaking is easy.just make sure you have a clean surface and a good smooth bead of sealer.but you have to make sure that the glass is super clean.i have made a couple hundred tanks and have never had a problem with them leaking.


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## gil_ong (Apr 15, 2008)

water is not gonna soak through the plywood?


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

You paint it with epoxy, gil_ong, to make it waterprooof.


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## gil_ong (Apr 15, 2008)

LOL. that's makes so much more sense now.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

when making plywood tanks there are 2 paints that i like to use..which ever one i use the color is always black.both are made by sherwin williams...first choice is their "polane"(sp)..a 2 part epoxy paint developed as an anti-fouling marine paint.it has a special property that i really like for wood tanks.
the other is "tileclad 2" another 2 part epoxy safety paint.while a little expensive,they are great paints.tough and durable..
years ago (in the 60's and 70's) we used pratt & lambert palguard epoxy.the popular color was an aqua blue.the Cleveland Aquarium Society built a 3000 gallon saltwater tank out of plywood for one of their annual shows back then.i think 1973 or 74.
i plan on photographing all of the steps when i build this tank..some parts of it will take 4 people to do..


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

lohachata said:


> ... A couple hundred tanks ...


??????????

Tr


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## Guest (Aug 22, 2008)

jones57742 said:


> ??????????
> 
> Tr


?????????????????????????????????????????????????????


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i used to collect broken tanks for the good glass and frames.take them apart and clean up the pieces and build new tanks.also;cutting glass was part of my job.would use scrap pieces to make all kinds of smaller tanks.made 50 killie tanks and lids for a friend of mine..8x8x8 cubes.space saving 2 gallon tanks...also designed and made lots of freestanding brineshrimp hatcheries;and tank lids.


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## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

trashion:

Since you work in the framing department, considering make a something out of scrap framing.

The family friend who has a framing shot and handles all of my work has lots of nice pieces that are cut in a way that will probably fit around the rim of the tank easily and hold.

Edit:

Or, some normal floor/ceiling molding. Should be able to cut it just like you cut your frame pieces.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I like the look of frameless, it just means you have to be neat with your sealing job.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

one thing that i am sure of..with the clarity of masterglass,it will make a perfect photo tank..


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Putting this project on hold...as now I have this to put back together:








Yep. 2 weeks with a license, and I've already crashed my mom's car. I'm in a pretty deep financial hole, and I'm going to be rather busy salvaging parts and rebuilding the front end :\


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## Guest (Aug 22, 2008)

Wow...how did you manage that?


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## ivwarrior (Jul 27, 2008)

That's a bit more than just "scrounging for some parts". That needs professional attention to fix and is the reason for car insurance.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

ivwarrior: Actually, that's not an option. The car doesn't have collision insurance. I got a quote from a body shop for $3000, but we can in fact get all the parts for around 800 and rebuild it.

ScubaKid: I was following a BIG pickup too closely, and they stopped short. I stopped short, but my foot slipped onto the gas, and I plowed into their back end  I'll tell you, I learned my lesson and I feel awful about it. Fortunately, I veered to the right when I realized I was going to hit them, and the hitch plowed into the headlight and into the battery instead of through the radiator into the engine. 

The only damaged part under the hood is the battery, and the rest is just cosmetic. Replacing the bumper, hood, driver's fender, and headlight. Not very cool. I'll be pretty busy until September, when I go back to school :\


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

Sorry to hear about your automotive woes.

The interesting thing to learn is that from a small accident, your body shop bill would be (probably) about 25% of the cost of that car brand new. Shows you how crazy body work can get...

FYI... you might want to blur out license plate numbers on pics posted on the web.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Good call, COM. Thanks.

And yeah, I'm not going to go to the "pros" to fix this when I'm just going to get ripped off.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I don't blame you for DIYing this. I busted a taillight and got a part off eBay rather than pay the dealer. You were lucky to miss the radiator. My ford's plastic one got cracked in half when I rear-ended a Saturn so slowly the Saturn didn't even take any damage.


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## ivwarrior (Jul 27, 2008)

As you try this, and realize how much work's REALLY going to be involved with fixing it where it looks even semi-decent, you'll understand the body shop's price. While it's a little difficult to tell from just a picture, that looks like it's going to be a lot more involved than just unbolting the bent pieces and bolting in new ones.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I can't blame her for not spending more on a cosmetic fix than a running used car would cost. Body work is tedious, highly specialized labor and I can't blame people for charging for it. But I don't understand why we still do it. Modern cars are assembled in hours from supposedly interchangeable parts. If nothing is bent, why not just get matching pieces from a junk yard and swap them out?


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

ivwarrior: Don't think I'm going into this blind. My dad is a general science technician, and has done MANY repairs, including body work, on his and relatives' cars. He knows what he's doing. 

The only big cost is that all the pieces we got were raw and need to be painted :\ Fortunately, I might be able to get a sweet deal with a friend of mine that works in a body shop.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Awww, here ya go  I hope this is at least somewhat helpful. 


















Hope the repairs are just as easy


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## mesapod (Aug 18, 2007)

it would be nice if everything was that easy


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## CaysE (May 21, 2006)

That'll buff right out... throw some wax on it.


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## CaysE (May 21, 2006)

But seriously, you should at least check the upper rails before you go a-bolting (the part that the fenders bolt to up top). If those are bent, you're going to need a frame straightener or a new car.

I do like the idea of that Masterpiece glass as a tank, though, to get back on topic. Shrimp sounds like a good idea, but I've really wanted to try a long shallow tank for a male betta... possibly two.

And blue hair FTW.


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## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

If the frame cam out in one piece, it won't be bad.

Paint can make up the majority of repairs. Especially when they are trying to match paint.

If you can find a rear end wreck the same color as your you could salvage the front end. Some body shops will let you bring in the parts and will bolt them on for you for the labor cost.

That's what I did with my old car. Narrow road, had to squeeze buy a larger truck, wheel went off the shoulder, steep shoulder, wheel wouldn't hop back onto the road, hit a bump that caused the car to pull farther off the the road, hit a mile marker, car goes off into the ditch. 

I had to replace the hood, bumper, passenger door and front fender.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

The upper rail above the fender IS bent, but the body shop says they can straighten that out for us (the come-along isn't going to fix that)

Pulled all the bad parts off the other day, found out we also need to replace the radiator support. Bother.


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