50
'
Equipment
_
‘
'
Glass marble for lifting
Loose cover glass
/
_
\
L
Ledges to support cover glass
(a)
_
,
_
End—view of glass panels
___—_—
(b)
Joint 1
,
Fig. 14. Construction of an all—glass aquarium using silicone rubber sealant: (a)
Details of_Joints 1 and 2 (see text); (b) 3 view of the completed aquarium, including cover glass and other features secured with silicone rubber sealant
leakproof and isolates the putty from the
an
important
'
point in marine environments. Here we have a virtually perfect
aquarium which can be made in various shapes and sizes. With sound
construction it can be guaranteed leakproOf and rustproof in normal
use and it has the advantage of having a strong metal frame without
the familiar disadvantages of chemical action and electrical conduction associated with painted and/or rusty frames. The coating of
.
nylon gives a smooth surface compatible with modern domestic
requirements, while the silicone rubber sealant ensures that even
large aquaria can be emptied and moved without the end glass
falling out.
…
'
,.
'
Another equally good container is the all-glass aquarium made
from sheets of glass butted together and jointed with silicone rubber
sealant
(see Figure 14). This method of _ construction invariably
provokes scepticiSm in the uninitiated, but it is now clear that very
large aquaria can successfully-be made in this
The glass must
necessarily be thicker than that used in framed aquaria in order to
give the same rigidity and to provide sufficient edge surface_to bond
'
to the silicone rubber. Suitable weights and thicknesses of glass for