# Suggestions for very slim tank/glass box



## aec34 (4 Apr 2022)

I’m trying to find a very slim tank or glass box for a window sill for wabi kusa/emersed growth.

The absolute max depth of the window sill is only 14 cm, but realistically that’ll mean something only about 10 cm front to back. I’ve plenty of width and height to play with.

Can anyone suggest brands who might do something this slim? Or someone who might make one bespoke this small? 

DOOA neo don’t go small enough. I’m peering at eBay but suitable vases so far are very thick and chunky, and ideally not what I’m after.


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## Simon Cole (4 Apr 2022)

Don't you want to make it yourself? That is a pretty close size to tempered glass shelving. You can get 12cm depths as standard.  EBay item number: 393147200840 for instance.


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## seedoubleyou (4 Apr 2022)

As above, have a crack at a DIY setup mate. If you’re not confident with glass then go with Acrylic.


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## aec34 (4 Apr 2022)

Thanks both, it hadn’t even occurred to me to do it myself. I did have a play with small acrylic tanks last year, but from YouTube it looks like silicon is much more forgiving on getting a decent finish.
Think I’ve got some greenhouse window glass outside.


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## seedoubleyou (4 Apr 2022)

aec34 said:


> Thanks both, it hadn’t even occurred to me to do it myself. I did have a play with small acrylic tanks last year, but from YouTube it looks like silicon is much more forgiving on getting a decent finish.
> Think I’ve got some greenhouse window glass outside.


Yeah I’d agree that silicone is better. I made a small pico tank from acrylic and it’s really nice but you can see the welding.


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## Simon Cole (4 Apr 2022)

Greenhouse window glass is certainly not as strong as tempered glass, and this could make all the difference if you need to move it safely, stack books on top, or if it gets hit by like a chair or ladder or something. In the event of a fire, you can stand on a tempered glass tank in order to climb out of a window. It also has a bevelled edge which is essential so that you don't cut yourself. But I'm not going to put you off because greenhouse gas might well be strong enough since the rectangle is quite small. My experience is that silicone is very demanding because it is easy to get bubbles and missed contact, and if you get it on the glass sides it can leave a smear mark that is rather hard to remove. Saying that, it is a skill that is hugely beneficial. You can design custom tank sizes to go on every window in your house, you can reseal old tanks, you can design sumps, specific stacked systems for invertebrates, planted trickle filters etc. If you done acrylic, then it's another challenge. Either sounds good to me.


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## aec34 (4 Apr 2022)

I did wonder if greenhouse glass (which is 3mm) would be strong enough, but one of those online calculators suggests it would be ok - and I’m only planning to keep a small depth of water in it. 
I’m also all in favour of reusing materials, and I reckon there’s about 12 big panes in the garden, so plenty of scope for practice. 👍


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## zozo (7 Apr 2022)

I'm afraid 3mm might not make the cut... You need some proper thickness to get a sufficiently strong bond (glass to glass) at the seams. Aquarium calculators only regard a static water pressure force and neglect other unforeseen additional forces.

Such as plant roots and while they grow and have nowhere else to go can rip a silicone seam apart.








						Where The Jungle  "Destroys" Red Rock Creek..
					

What species is this lily? :)   This one...   But then a very small cutting from its rhizome... That way it stays very small for a few years depending on fertilization and light cycle... This actually goes for any lily sp. with a Marliac or Tuberosa rhizome. Cut off a small young plantlet from...



					www.ukaps.org
				




In my case, the calculator came up with 4mm and I made it as such. As you can see in the above-posted thread. The Cyperus ripped the tank apart with its roots pushing against the glass.  If I had to make it again I would use 6mm instead and still wouldn't plant such a Cyperus sp. again.

I solved it by glueing 30x30mm aluminium corner profiles to it to give the corners extra strength. 4mm glass to glass connections ain't that strong after all.


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## aec34 (7 Apr 2022)

Thanks @zozo - this is useful intel; I’ll still have a play with the 3mm before buying something thicker.


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## zozo (7 Apr 2022)

aec34 said:


> Thanks @zozo - this is useful intel; I’ll still have a play with the 3mm before buying something thicker.



Why not...  It's always best to practice with scraps... You can always reinforce it at the corners with for example wooden corner profiles and put the tank on a wooden base and give it a nice varnish and create a lovely looking piece of windowsill furniture.  At Aliexpress or eBay they offer small Jewellery box corner feet for a few quit to give a finishing touch.
www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002418783378.html?


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## OllieTY (7 Apr 2022)

OA Aquatics would make that for you, they're in Kidderminster


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## aec34 (7 Apr 2022)

zozo said:


> You can always reinforce it at the corners with for example wooden corner profiles and put the tank on a wooden base and give it a nice varnish


Ooo @zozo and then we’re most of the way to a Wardian Case 👀 That WOULD be a good project


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## ScareCrow (7 Apr 2022)

I'm going to be picking one of these up for holding plants, growing on small fry. Looks like it's 13cm deep but might be a smaller volume than you wanted.


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## aec34 (7 Apr 2022)

Ah let me know how you get on with it: 13cm is pushing the limits of my windowsill, but might be an option if I end up covered in silicone and disappointment! It’s only going to be for plants, so volume not a worry. Silicone should arrive soon. Exciting times.


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## PARAGUAY (7 Apr 2022)

I got the Disney Princess tank from Pets at Home afew years back for the granddaughter  barely  8" wide so fits any windowsill. It's been in every room of the house . Ideal for little planted set ups. Took the stickers off OC disposed of lid and if needed put small nano light on.


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## Dogtemple (8 Apr 2022)

I made one of these to similar dimensions for a window sill years ago. It’s still sat in my bathroom with plants.  Go for it. Really satisfying to make and gets lots of comments from visitors


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## mort (8 Apr 2022)

I used to make lots of these randomly sized tanks with glazier glass. You can go to a local glazier and they will cut it to size and smooth the edges for you. I had a friend who fitted windows and we used the old glass, which I think was 6mm from memory. It's easy to cut but the thinner width you go the harder it is to get neat silicon work.


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## aec34 (20 Apr 2022)

Well, it’s not beautiful and in places is mostly silicon - but for the sake of completeness I’ve made a thing. And it is watertight. It was an absolute swine breaking the glass neatly. Bit of scavenged mahogany underneath tarts it up well!


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## Simon Cole (21 Apr 2022)

It's majestic. I prefer the imperfections. I wish I owned it. Congratulations.


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## Kerrycarp (21 Apr 2022)

It looks great, you should be proud!


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## zozo (21 Apr 2022)

aec34 said:


> it’s not beautiful



It is, and if Picasso would have made it, it would be worth millions...

In its own right, it is actually a stunning and exciting little object. It has a kind of organic look to it.  And once scaped and planted it will soften the edges it will look even better...

Wabi-Kusa, comes from Wabi-Sabi... Kusa stands for Grass figuratively for plants. Wabi is among others the beauty of simplicity and imperfection.

And working with silicone sealant looks easy but actually is rather difficult and requires a lot of practice and developed skills. Some people make a profession out of it, sealing bathrooms and windows etc. and urn a good sandwich with it when you become really good at it.

The most important property of Silicone you need to respect is its skin over time. You'll find this data on the label, it could be type-specific between 5 and 12 minutes. The skin over time is the time you have to apply it before it starts to cure and develop a top skin layer. You should be done and not touch the sealant again when this time is over. If you touch it after the skinning starts you'll mess up the seam beyond repair.

So this means for a novice that you have to work rather extremely fast with no room for error and keep your cool at the same time. Making a small mistake, panicking and or hesitating for a minute or 2 is disastrous for the desired perfect end result. Thus looking at your seams overall you did a pretty nice job...

For a starter or somebody that doesn't do it day in and day out you be better off properly preparing and using masking tape.
Also this you have to do in one go, without long brakes. First, put 25mm wide masking tape on the glass edges. Then take a ruler and a Stanley knife and cut strips off the tape where the glass connects + the desired corner seam thickness, which could be 4mm + 2mm is 6mm strips, and remove it. Then properly clean the glass edges with acetone and don't touch them again with bare hands. Hands are greasy, grease and silicone are the worst enemis.
Then after all panels are taped, strips are cut and removed and edges are perfectly clean. You take the silicone and then you have "Look at the label and the skin-over time" for example 12 minutes to get the entire job done... Apply the sealant, place the panels, strike the seams, remove the tape and done, and let it be and wait 24 hours. Then keep in mind when you start removing the tape, with the excess sealant to it after the sealant is applied, always start with the first strip you have put on, because the 2d strip overlaps the 1t and the 3t overlaps the 2t, then you will pull off all 3 in one pull. Start at the opposite side you have to peal 3 times. And it all about not wasting time. And never apply the tape a day before, because if the glue on the tape cures too much you could have trouble getting it off messing up the seams again. Do all on the same day... Even to get perfect at this takes more than 1 tank to make. You can find youtube videos about this silicone and masking tape workaround.


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## aec34 (21 Apr 2022)

Thanks - I am really pleased with it for a first go! I grew up around genuinely skilled craftspeople and artisans, so I guess I set very high standards for anything handmade. 

This has DEFINITELY made me appreciate the precise siliconing of high quality tanks. I did masking tape some of it which helped, but the whole thing was made harder by the tank being so narrow. Note to anyone else trying to make their first tank - wider would make the internal corners easier. And I had no idea how much pressure you need to work a silicon gun - it is not just like icing a cake (not that I’ve iced a cake for 20 years, but you know what I mean). 

Found some bits of root and rock today so am starting to plan what is going in it 🙂


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## zozo (22 Apr 2022)

aec34 said:


> And I had no idea how much pressure you need to work a silicon gun - it is not just like icing a cake (not that I’ve iced a cake for 20 years, but you know what I mean).



Depends a lot on the type and quality of gun you use... If it's springloaded it will be more difficult but if you take a hydraulic gun then it kinda feels like icing on a cake and you'd be able to apply tiny amounts if needed. The best comparison between it I could give is for operating hydraulic brakes then you still can use one gentle finger squeeze to stop and with cable drum brakes you need to squeeze your complete hand with quite some force to get some effective result.

I happen to have a hydraulic gun, they are expensive but for home use a once in a lifetime-buy. 
Amazon product


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## ScareCrow (22 Apr 2022)

The tank looks great and the stand underneath completes it


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