Questions about building a topper

[karlys]

Hello,

I have a 40 gallon breeder I'm wanting to put on top of my 75 gallon tank. I thought about just flipping it without removing the bottom glass because I'm afraid of breaking the tank but then I realized how little access I'd have to a vast majority of the crabitat.

To remove the bottom pane of glass, is the best thing to do gently hit it with a hammer and remove the pieces? Is there anything that can be done to decrease your chances of breaking any other part of the tank? Any further words of advice?

I've got to wait for the muscles (aka my bf lol) to come back from visiting his family but, ideally, we'd be doing this on Monday. I'm very excited!

[avenuegirl]

Maybe tape the sides?

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[daws409]

When I did my 40B topper, I removed the trim piece around the bottom piece of glass. Then sat the tank glass side down (bottom on ground) on an old tarp (easier clean up) and took a hammer to it (2 swings). The glass pretty much does the work for you once it's shattered. Once most of glass was free, I flipped the tank bottom side up and took a razor knife (box blade) to get off the extra pieces. I then siliconed the trim piece back in place and let it cure for 24-36 hrs (til no vinegar smell).

My advice... Wear safety goggles! And put something under the tank like an old tarp or a heavy duty trash bag for easier clean up

Another thought... You can try smashing the glass bottom side up (mine was down) but I was worried it would hit the side and cause them to shatter as well.

Good luck and have fun!

Edit: I didn't do anything special to the sides panels of glass. I left them the way they were... No taping or wrapping

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[karlys]

When I did my 40B topper, I removed the trim piece around the bottom piece of glass. Then sat the tank glass side down (bottom on ground) on an old tarp (easier clean up) and took a hammer to it (2 swings). The glass pretty much does the work for you once it's shattered. Once most of glass was free, I flipped the tank bottom side up and took a razor knife (box blade) to get off the extra pieces. I then siliconed the trim piece back in place and let it cure for 24-36 hrs (til no vinegar smell).

My advice... Wear safety goggles! And put something under the tank like an old tarp or a heavy duty trash bag for easier clean up

Another thought... You can try smashing the glass bottom side up (mine was down) but I was worried it would hit the side and cause them to shatter as well.

Good luck and have fun!

Edit: I didn't do anything special to the sides panels of glass. I left them the way they were... No taping or wrapping

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Thank you for your reply!

It sounds pretty easy, the way you described it, so that eases my reservations a little. To remove the black trim piece, you just have to get the razor blade between it and the glass all the way around and slowly pull it off right? That's what I saw on YouTube anyway.

[daws409]

It sounds pretty easy, the way you described it, so that eases my reservations a little. To remove the black trim piece, you just have to get the razor blade between it and the glass all the way around and slowly pull it off right? That's what I saw on YouTube anyway.

Correct!



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[aussieJJDude]

If you want to keep the glass in tact, just in case you want to keep it all togethor and reseal, i would suggest a rasor and cutting between the panes. I recently had to do this on a nww 6ft that i was planning on setting up, except that my plan quicky fell apart when i couldnt even get it up the stairs... so i had to remove a price that i added, and it took a bit of work but allowed me to keep everything intact!

[karlys]

My bf and I tried for about 10 mins to get the bottom piece out but it quickly became clear that it was put together in a way that made it not worth the effort so we broke it out. I have the rim back on and curing right now! So excited to get it set up soon

[daws409]

That's awesome! Can't wait to see pics!

At least you gave up after 10 mins lol... I tried for 4 days trying to get bottom off in one piece. I really tried because I could use it as a 'tank' again if needed instead of just a topper. I got sick of trying and smashed the bottom out which I should have done to start with. Only took 10 mins minus curing time from start to finish...

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