Tank Journal Archive
"These are the correct sizes for HANSEN water tank outlets. I purchased mine from Murray Goulburn Trading (Vic). The measurements of the diamond encrusted hole saws are: 41.89mm (sold as 42mm) is used for the 32mm bulkhead. 34.95mm (sold as 35mm) is used for the 25mm bulkhead. Note: Most Australian tank outlets (bulkheads) are similar in size BUT always buy your bulkheads (tank outlets) first, then get your hole saw to suit.
Applying Signwriters' Vinyl as a Tank Background.
As previously mentioned, I bought my vinyl online on the dreaded ebay. It was significantly cheaper to have it delivered from Singapore than to buy it here, and that's before calculating petrol costs & my time.
However I live in rural Vic. If you live in a significantly sized city, it may be worth seeing how much to get a local signwriter to supply & cut to size - if you trust yourself & the signwriter to get the measurements correct.
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The vinyl was delivered promptly but without instructions, no big deal as there's an ok video on their website and info on the web. Having said that - has anyone here applied self adhesive vinyl to their tank? Any Tips?Below: I've loosened off the roll & let it sit for a bit to make it easier to work with.
Here's a pic of the vinyl laid out over my tank, As you can see, the backing paper is a grid which really helps in marking out.
I'm marking my cutting lines. I've opted to cut it about 5mm over length & 5mm extra width, that way I can use a new razor knife to get exact edges cut into the edge trim. You could just cut to exact size (measure twice-cut once) if you like but I'm used to cutting in edges on rubber stereos back in my trade days. So that's what I feel comfortable with & it's only $8 a roll so if I stuff it up, I'll order a new one. I'm in no hurry,
Here are the tools you'll need for the job.
- A cutting board or some safe surface to cut on. You will be cutting right through the vinyl so don't do this on your brand new dining table.
- Utility Knife
- A straight edge or ruler. Preferably not wood because razor knives easily cut into a wooden ruler and your cut isn't straight & your ruler ruined. I was too lazy to go out in the rain & get my steel rule from my shed.
- A spray bottle with soapy water in it.
- You also need a rigid straight edge (but not sharp) too get the vinyl flat. Mine is in the shed so photo when it stops raining.
- Beers (optional).
When cutting through this material (or anything thicker) don't try to cut right through in one stroke. Using mild pressure, let the blade glide along to make a score on the first pass. Then repeat gently until it cuts through, usually three passes in all. Don't be in a hurry! This was a lesson learned the hard way when cutting rubber stereos back in the day of "real" printing machines.
Here's the vinyl cut to size with slight excess (my preference). When laid out it develops a few bulges (not creases) but these should smooth out on application. I'm leaving it to reduce the curling effect for a few hours then I'll apply it.
Tip: Measure & cut it in such a way that your longest cut edge goes to the bottom of the tank. Then any small mistakes will be hidden by substrate, or in a bare bottom tank, by the silicon.
Wetting down the surface - don't miss this step.
Squeezing out the bubbles took about 20 minutes. Do this part properly or the results will be poor.
I'm using a plastic paint edger for this job. The wide blade was best for initial application as seen here, then I used the smaller blade with lots of pressure for the detail work.
Final step, heating the vinyl as per manufacturer's video. I'm not sure if this is really needed, if you have time to let dry naturally. Better safe than sorry.
Pic coming when I recharge the camera.
Finished. Now I'll leave it to dry overnight. Fingers crossed.
I cut the holes out of the vinyl before it dried. If I did it again I would wait until the vinyl had dried out. Use a razor knife for the job, snapping off the blade to give a new cutting edge every few minutes to get a nice cut.
Summary
Applying vinyl is indeed a pain in the backside but not difficult, just fiddly, at least on a big area. On a small tank it would be far easier I think.
Would I do it again? I'll decide and adjust this summary when that time comes, but there's been nothing so far to put me off. DON'T cut oversize like I did. Trimming on the tank was a serious mistake & very difficult. Time to fit bulkheads...
So far so good. I expect to have the tank wet by next weekend (Dec 1). Although the plumbing may not be completed until I get some more funds, the bulkheads will be in with isolating valves. I've decided to put isolating valves on every bulkhead both in & out, that will add about $100 to the cost as I need 5 but I like the idea of being able to isolate any part for maintenance etc.
Having said that, I don't have my weir built yet (ordering glass on Thursday) so I'll just add the bommie bases I'm making and then substrate plus a cup of live sand from Donna's seed tank to get my substrate kicked off. Don't underestimate the usefulness of substrate in the natural filtration cycle but beware of building a Deep Sand Bed (DSB) in your display tank (DT), it can lead to disaster. I recommend 5cm (2") maximum.
HERE is an excerpt from another forum that demonstrates the danger. Rod is a VERY experienced aquarist.
Having said that, I don't have my weir built yet (ordering glass on Thursday) so I'll just add the bommie bases I'm making and then substrate plus a cup of live sand from Donna's seed tank to get my substrate kicked off. Don't underestimate the usefulness of substrate in the natural filtration cycle but beware of building a Deep Sand Bed (DSB) in your display tank (DT), it can lead to disaster. I recommend 5cm (2") maximum.
HERE is an excerpt from another forum that demonstrates the danger. Rod is a VERY experienced aquarist.
Building Bommies - The Mike Paletta Way
Original design by Dr. Sanjay Joshi (USA)
I've never built bommies before, in fact all my previous aquascaping was really just arranging & balancing rocks in a pleasing manner, usually using a marine putty like aquaknead to support rocks where needed to keep things stable. Marine putty is not really adhesive but can be used to change the shape of rocks so they are more stable. Unfortunately my rock work was never truly stable and I was lucky never to have had an accident or livestock fatality.
This time I'm creating as stable an aquascape as I can using pavers as a base, acrylic rods, cable ties, marine putty, silicon and whatever else ends up in the mix. I'll document as I go but the idea behind it can be seen in this youtube video with Mike Paletta, a well known american reef keeper.
Note though that I am using natural rock from the reefs.
I found a couple of pavers next door where the council had torn down and rebuilt an amenities block. They cleaned up every bit of stuff from the building site except these two pavers....fate I guess. Here's a couple of pics from my bommie manufacture. I decided to disguise the pavers covering the 3 visible sides with silicon then sand. Next day I glued bits and pieces on to break up the shape a bit until it all eventually get covered by corals, etc.
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Installing Bulkheads
Assuming you've checked your tank outlets in the holes and all fits ok:
First wash your bulkheads in warm water with a little biodegradable dish washing liquid, to remove anything on the surfaces. Then rinse thoroughly several times & allow to dry because you don't know how these have been handled, by whom or what was on their hands. - I'm pretty sure I smelled diesel fuel on mine.
You'll also likely have barcode labels on them and if this part of the bulkhead will be in contact with water, remove the label & clean thoroughly with metho. Many glues are toxic in an aquarium.
Assemble your equipment.
- Bulkheads
- Teflon tape
- Two shifters or spanners large enough to fit bulkhead nuts. Hand tightening will not do. You could possibly also use pipe wrenches, vise grips, or multigrips but these are all likely to cause damage of some sort.*
- aquarium safe silicon (optional)
- calking gun (optional - for applying silicon)
The local hardware was out of teflon tape so I'm going ahead without it. If it leaks I'' purchase second nuts where necessary and tape those. Okay here we go:
- This shows the different parts of the tank outlet. The male end with the shaft is meant to protrude through the glass & stick out on the dry side. the other nut goes on the outside to lock it in place. I've seen these used in reverse but it's not recommended. The two gaskets go against the glass on either side. If your gasket has a ribbed side, that is the side that goes against the glass.
- Beading silicon around the wet side gasket to create a waterproof seal between the gasket & the glass.
- Putting a silicon bead around the hole on the dry side.
- Push the male section through from the wet side and hold firmly in place so as to keep the silicon in place.
- Keeping a firm grip on the male section so it doesn't move, screw down the female section on the dry side, make sure its tight. I chose not to use the shifter because I'm a big bloke with strong hands used to this type of work. That's a judgement call you'll have to make but don't go silly or you'll break the glass.
- Use a dry cloth to tidy up any excess silicon on the wet side. Leave the dry side as is.
- The bulkhead (tank outlet) in place. Leave for 24 hours to cure. Do not under any circumstances, be tempted to screw things into the bulkhead before it's cured!
Looks good! I put some on myself a couple of weekends ago on my little nano that is already running. I wasn't as precise with cutting to size and just rubbing dish soap on the tank (rather than a water liquid), but worked well with a bit of credit card scraping.Finished. Now I'll leave it to dry overnight. Fingers crossed.
I cut the holes out of the vinyl before it dried. If I did it again I would wait until the vinyl had dried out. Use a razor knife for the job, snapping off the blade to give a new cutting edge every few minutes to get a nice cut.
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Yeh, I have a little 38ltr all in one that was Donna's original nano. I'm going to set that up as a tropical freshwater tank & my vinyl offcut should fit it nicely.
Good guides, will come in handy for a lot out there I'm sure :worship
The only thing for myself anyway is I dont really like the use of silicone with bulkheads, I dont find it necessary and it will make life easier if you ever need to remove them and reuse them. Mine are all just hand tightened and seal fine.
The only thing for myself anyway is I dont really like the use of silicone with bulkheads, I dont find it necessary and it will make life easier if you ever need to remove them and reuse them. Mine are all just hand tightened and seal fine.
Hansen New Zealand recommend silicon when used on glass if the gaskets are not ribbed - Hansen's aren't.
Fair enough...
My way of thinking is silicone (especially aquarium safe) will not adhere to rubber or HDPE so there is not much point sticking it to the glass...
IME silicone will damage rubber gaskets in the long term. After removing rubber gaskets that have been siliconed I have noticed the area where the silicone was the surface of the rubber has hardened and the surrounding area perishes leaving the rubber distorted... As for HDPE the silicone will stick at first but more like bubble gum, rather that actually bonding with the plastic it just "tacks" on until the silicone cures and the joint is disturbed when the silicone and plastic seperate leaving a capillary for water to wick through. Just my $0.02.
Oh ok, anyway mine don't.
I got them from Murray Goulburn (major farm supplier in dairy districts) and there were hundreds in the tub, all the same & MG sell it as a complete unit, they don't sell separate washers. I contacted Hansens re installation and they said it's standard. That's when they recommended using silicon on an aquarium as they are designed for poly tanks only with another type for metal tanks.
They also specified that tank outlets are not designed to be used on glass - which if you could hear the conversation, translated as "this is the best way but don't blame us" & that's fair enough as they really are not designed for glass. They were surprisingly helpful though and very pleasant.
Interesting throw away line from them though & I may have totally misunderstood this as my kids were playing loudly in the room I was in but I "think" he said something about the new male tank outlets being tested in high water volume situations (holding volume, not flow) with glass and various acrylics.
I didn't know such a thing existed but a bit of googling and I found a new style of tank outlet I hadn't heard of. It has no nut on the inside just a sort of curved flange with a hole in it (imagine a very shallow mushroom cup).Aparrently they can be used with a gasket or moulded into acrylic somehow.
I'm not into acrylic so I didn't pursue it but it conjures up a lot of possibilities if I understood it correctly.
They also specified that tank outlets are not designed to be used on glass - which if you could hear the conversation, translated as "this is the best way but don't blame us" & that's fair enough as they really are not designed for glass. They were surprisingly helpful though and very pleasant.
Interesting throw away line from them though & I may have totally misunderstood this as my kids were playing loudly in the room I was in but I "think" he said something about the new male tank outlets being tested in high water volume situations (holding volume, not flow) with glass and various acrylics.
I didn't know such a thing existed but a bit of googling and I found a new style of tank outlet I hadn't heard of. It has no nut on the inside just a sort of curved flange with a hole in it (imagine a very shallow mushroom cup).Aparrently they can be used with a gasket or moulded into acrylic somehow.
I'm not into acrylic so I didn't pursue it but it conjures up a lot of possibilities if I understood it correctly.
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