So how hard can it be to build a glass box?

Actually its not that bad at all provided you follow a few simple rules.
1. Get a professional to cut the glass.
2. Get prepared.
3. Be safe.

So after an extended wait I collected the glass from the local glass cutter. I decided on 10mm glass to make the build easier to work with and structurely stronger. The base was 120cm x 50cm with a hole cut on one corner for the drain. The sides where 23cm tall and measured to sit on top of the base. In addition a single 10cm wide brace was also included. The glass for this came to £100.

Step 1.

Before putting the glass together rub down every edge with and emery pad to remove sharp edges. Wear gloves and wipe the edges over with a damp cloth to remove the dust.

Step 2.

Lay out the peices as they are to connect. Double check that you've got them the right way round and that the edges are clean and smooth.

Step 3.

Place tags of duct tape all around the base. Place the sides on top and tape them in place then pull them back and lay them out as shown. Get a dozen tags of tape ready for the next step.


Step 4.

Run a solid line of sealant around the base and on the joining corner edges one at a time lift the peices into place. Use the precut bits of tape to hold the corners in place. In this picture you can see I used my old 10L tank to support the center brace. After everything was in place a gloved finger was used to squeeze the sealant back into the cracks and wipe away the excess. Just like using bathroom sealant you wipe once with your index finger dont worry about smears and smudges once dry these can be trimmed off with a craft knife blade.

Step 5.

Now I'd worked out exactly how I wanted to divide this tank into a sump and buoght a large sheet of 2mm acrylic from the local DIY store to accomodate my wishes. Cutting acrylic is a bit like cutting tiles. You score a line then break it over a brace. This works very neatly for short cuts but for very long cuts it tends to go off course. Luckily this is a sump and the divisions didn't need to be that neat. Plus I had lots of spare acrylic.

Step 6.

Once the basic divisions had been cut I took various sections to the router. I marked up lines on masking tape to ensure that the cuts where even and consistant.

Step 7.

Here it is, the completed sump. The Acrylic was equally hard to glue to the glass and much tape was used to hold it in position while the sealants set. I've marked out the sections to explain the function of the sump.

1. Water comes in from the main tank in this section the pipe leads it to the base of section 1 which is filled with very course grade foam to filter out any large debris.
2. From the entrance area the water flows over to this section which is filled with about 12kg of live rock. Flowing from the top to the bottom then into:
3. This section will be filled with plants/algae to use up excess nutrients. Flowing from the bottom up to:
4. A large section for all the equipment. Currently just homing a heater.
5. A long narrow section to provide a cosmetic facia but also home live rock and inverts safely.
6. This large section is for wool to fine filter the water prior to its return to the tank
7. This section is for the standpipe. I had to play about with the height and design of the standpipe to get it just right but I think I'm close now.

I added a inline pump which sits behind the sump to draw water up into it and a non return valve to allow the pump to be primed and not backsyphon in the event of a power cut.
I used various odds and ends of plastic piping to connect it all together plus a few trips to B&Q. So far, so good.