I got quite a few questions on my mosaic tank in the photo gallery, so here's what I did and what I'd do different.
DIY on my two mosaic tanks.
The first tank, a 20 gallon standard has 1 inch glass mosaic tiles glued to the glass of the back wall. I used a caulk gun and Silicone I (no additives!) and put a dab of silicone on the back of each tile and stuck it in place. Do this in a well ventilated area!
I’ve had that tank running about a year and a half. Algae didn’t build up badly until late summer this year, when the sun was coming in slantwise and I got a bit off on tank maintenance and had a nitrate buildup.
After I moved the fish to the new tank I tore down the 20, gave it bleach soak and a good scrub and its good as new. I do like this one with a little bit of algae between the tiles.
I had tiles laid out on the bottom, not glued—not a good idea, they’d get tumbled around during water changes, though the fish weren’t able to disturb them. I’d bought remnant tiles at a tile store. The translucent tiles, which I used on the back wall, were terrific. On the bottom I used tiles that had a more metallic finish and they reflected too much light to detect pattern. Stick with translucent tiles and glue them in place. I’ll set it up again tonight to get ready for quarantine and I’ll leave the bottom bare.
If I was going to keep this tank after I’m done with QT, I think I’d put soil in the bottom and plants and use it to house Dalmatian mollies or red platys. As it is, I’ve promised it to a friend who adopted a goldfish in a 10 gallon tank. It’s not the best upgrade, but is better than the 10 gallon it’s in. In the future I’ll buy a plain 20 gallon—uh oh-just had a thought, I could probably get a plain 29 gallon for my friend which would be better for her fish and keep my 20….dang, I really wanted to keep to just one tank!
Anyway. On to the big tank.
I didn’t want to have my head down inside the 75 gallon tank with a lot of silicone fumes, sticking on thousands of glass chips, so I decided to try doing this one on panels. I used picture frame glass; I bought six 16 by 20 inch pieces and cut them to size. I had my design laid out on graph paper. I laid a bead of silicone on the glass, spread it out with a putty knife and stuck the pieces on. I’d do about 4 rows at a time, more than that and the silicone would start to set up.
The bottom panels are lying on the floor of the tank. The back panels are stuck at the top with a piece of plastic Velcro-like stuff, glued to the tank and panel with silicon. They are removable, but not easily.
The tiles are 3/8” vitreous glass tile. I got a terrific pair of nippers for fish mosaics, looks like a pliers with two glass cutting wheels. You can do just about anything with those things.
Things I’d do different
1. Cut the glass panel after the tiles were laid. The tiles aren’t perfectly sized, so my rows and columns tended to drift, resulting in some wonky seams. And the glass is easier to cut and break when it’s stabilized with the silicone and tiles.
2. I might think about using plexiglass instead of glass, light weight, more flexible.
3. Lay out both edges and top or bottom on a straight line on each panel to prevent drifting.
4. I’d be sure to use enough silicone. I’ve got some tiles coming up on the bottom. It seems to be in a single area where the water current is coming from the jet outlet of one of the canister filters and right at the edge of the second panel, also in the current stream. The other canister is coming out a spray bar and I’m not having any tiles come up on that end. I’ll let it work up some more tiles, see if it stabilizes, then pull the panels let them dry and reglue them. It’s mostly on the first panel and I might not have used as much silicone. If necessary I can put a spray bar on that outlet, but the fish really like to surf in that jet.
5. If the floor tiles continue to come up I think I would remove the panels and see about adding an epoxy top coat to help seal them in place, which might also aid in cleaning off algae.
Cleaning
Regular tank maintenance is the best way to keep the algae in check. As long as I kept the nitrates below 20 ppm I didn’t have any trouble. Not too much light. I have to get a new timer- my 48 inch light has a three prong plug and won’t work with my timer.
Preventative scrubbing; I wipe down the surface of the tiles with each water change. I’ve seen a product from Tetra, a wipe that fits on a long handle that is supposed to inhibit algae and be safe for fish. I definitely need the long handle thing-I can’t reach the back wall or most of the bottom without it.
What’s next?
It was a great project and I love the result. I’d love to do another. But I don’t want any more tanks, so I’ll have to do it for a very good friend, or better yet, have someone pay me. J
I’ll stock four fancy goldfish, leaving room for one more in case I come across something irresistible in the future. I imagine when they’ve gotten bigger I’ll want to put them in a bigger tank and at that point I can add more panels or start over with a new design.
It certainly isn’t a naturalistic look, but then neither is an Oranda or Ranchu goldfish. I think a school of Dalmatian Mollies or red platys would look nice. Or an Oscar. Or would an Oscar pry off the tiles and eat them?
DIY on my two mosaic tanks.
The first tank, a 20 gallon standard has 1 inch glass mosaic tiles glued to the glass of the back wall. I used a caulk gun and Silicone I (no additives!) and put a dab of silicone on the back of each tile and stuck it in place. Do this in a well ventilated area!
I’ve had that tank running about a year and a half. Algae didn’t build up badly until late summer this year, when the sun was coming in slantwise and I got a bit off on tank maintenance and had a nitrate buildup.
After I moved the fish to the new tank I tore down the 20, gave it bleach soak and a good scrub and its good as new. I do like this one with a little bit of algae between the tiles.
I had tiles laid out on the bottom, not glued—not a good idea, they’d get tumbled around during water changes, though the fish weren’t able to disturb them. I’d bought remnant tiles at a tile store. The translucent tiles, which I used on the back wall, were terrific. On the bottom I used tiles that had a more metallic finish and they reflected too much light to detect pattern. Stick with translucent tiles and glue them in place. I’ll set it up again tonight to get ready for quarantine and I’ll leave the bottom bare.
If I was going to keep this tank after I’m done with QT, I think I’d put soil in the bottom and plants and use it to house Dalmatian mollies or red platys. As it is, I’ve promised it to a friend who adopted a goldfish in a 10 gallon tank. It’s not the best upgrade, but is better than the 10 gallon it’s in. In the future I’ll buy a plain 20 gallon—uh oh-just had a thought, I could probably get a plain 29 gallon for my friend which would be better for her fish and keep my 20….dang, I really wanted to keep to just one tank!
Anyway. On to the big tank.
I didn’t want to have my head down inside the 75 gallon tank with a lot of silicone fumes, sticking on thousands of glass chips, so I decided to try doing this one on panels. I used picture frame glass; I bought six 16 by 20 inch pieces and cut them to size. I had my design laid out on graph paper. I laid a bead of silicone on the glass, spread it out with a putty knife and stuck the pieces on. I’d do about 4 rows at a time, more than that and the silicone would start to set up.
The bottom panels are lying on the floor of the tank. The back panels are stuck at the top with a piece of plastic Velcro-like stuff, glued to the tank and panel with silicon. They are removable, but not easily.
The tiles are 3/8” vitreous glass tile. I got a terrific pair of nippers for fish mosaics, looks like a pliers with two glass cutting wheels. You can do just about anything with those things.
Things I’d do different
1. Cut the glass panel after the tiles were laid. The tiles aren’t perfectly sized, so my rows and columns tended to drift, resulting in some wonky seams. And the glass is easier to cut and break when it’s stabilized with the silicone and tiles.
2. I might think about using plexiglass instead of glass, light weight, more flexible.
3. Lay out both edges and top or bottom on a straight line on each panel to prevent drifting.
4. I’d be sure to use enough silicone. I’ve got some tiles coming up on the bottom. It seems to be in a single area where the water current is coming from the jet outlet of one of the canister filters and right at the edge of the second panel, also in the current stream. The other canister is coming out a spray bar and I’m not having any tiles come up on that end. I’ll let it work up some more tiles, see if it stabilizes, then pull the panels let them dry and reglue them. It’s mostly on the first panel and I might not have used as much silicone. If necessary I can put a spray bar on that outlet, but the fish really like to surf in that jet.
5. If the floor tiles continue to come up I think I would remove the panels and see about adding an epoxy top coat to help seal them in place, which might also aid in cleaning off algae.
Cleaning
Regular tank maintenance is the best way to keep the algae in check. As long as I kept the nitrates below 20 ppm I didn’t have any trouble. Not too much light. I have to get a new timer- my 48 inch light has a three prong plug and won’t work with my timer.
Preventative scrubbing; I wipe down the surface of the tiles with each water change. I’ve seen a product from Tetra, a wipe that fits on a long handle that is supposed to inhibit algae and be safe for fish. I definitely need the long handle thing-I can’t reach the back wall or most of the bottom without it.
What’s next?
It was a great project and I love the result. I’d love to do another. But I don’t want any more tanks, so I’ll have to do it for a very good friend, or better yet, have someone pay me. J
I’ll stock four fancy goldfish, leaving room for one more in case I come across something irresistible in the future. I imagine when they’ve gotten bigger I’ll want to put them in a bigger tank and at that point I can add more panels or start over with a new design.
It certainly isn’t a naturalistic look, but then neither is an Oranda or Ranchu goldfish. I think a school of Dalmatian Mollies or red platys would look nice. Or an Oscar. Or would an Oscar pry off the tiles and eat them?
