Not trying to rush you, just wondering how you were doing with the ceramic pieces. Have you tried anchoring them into the tank yet? Please give us an update when you get a chance.
Thanks, Dave
Hi dzfish.
I am still slugging along. Of course it's all taking longer than I expected. I've made all the remaining plates - 5 more - to cover the front face of the overflow (2), and (3) to cover the left side wall. I will leave the right side wall uncovered to prevent the 'looking into a box' situation.
I've also made four cylinder like shapes to stack up over the left suction strainer.
They're all drying so they can be fired without exploding. And since it's raining, cold, and they all have thick cross sections that process is taking an annoyingly long time.
As for the right eductor manifold, my first attempt at a large random stack-up surround was an utter failure. It all collapsed during a 30 minute running battle with it, me, and the blow torch. So I have two enormous seeded slabs pre-drying a little since yesterday and I will attempt it again tonight. Wish me luck - I need it!
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heb; Wow. You guys are sending me back and forth.. I feel like a pin pong ball.
I was always going to silicone it, believing that silicone would do the trick. Then changed to drilling and tiewraps; hanging them. The drilling is nerve wracking and slow. If I'd known earlier, I could've made the holes in the wet clay ~ 2 seconds apiece and no chance of breaking anything. Now I've drilled 2 holes and they took five minutes each - I need 40!! Three hours of pure drilling madness.
I told my ceramics guy and he said, "That's too long", picked up his drill and punched thru a bowl he had in about 5 seconds. So I was planning to try a new masonry bit. Mine are exceptionally high quality but has been used a bit on old concrete.
But now I'm allowed to consider silicone again..
I have 8 tubes of the best stuff for building large glass tanks, the adhesive type. (forget which)
Trade offs, trade offs, trade offs..
Pros:
Silicone would avoid me having to drill 38 more holes in ceramic.
Silicone would avoid me having to drill 10 holes in the top acrylic deck of the tank to hang the plate groups.
Silicone would avoid the possibility of salt creep out of the aforementioned 10 deck holes.
Silicone would would avoid me having to worry about tiewrap failure in a few years.
There is some question in my mind that hanging plates might sway under water flowing conditions causing them to work the ties and causing future coral problems with possibly their bases being in motion across two plates. Silicone would avoid this.
Cons:
Will the silicone hold for 10 years?
How can I deal with the real and perplexing problem of holding the plates in place while the cure occurs.
What if this tank turns out being defective again, necessitating complete replacement and the plates are siliconed in - could I somehow remove them without destroying them all? (Piano wire garrotes?)
Will single horizontal beads allow enough motion to prevent the tank bowing from breaking the plates during the fill?
Decisions, decisions.
Anyway heb, thanks for that info which fits with my experience and actually allows the option.
I'll tag along...
