HOW TO: Convert a 40B into a Vertical Tank


In this guide I will show you how to turn a 40B tank into this (false bottom layout not included )



A 40B tank is 36" Long x 18" Deep x 16" Tall. The vertical version will be 18" Long x 16" Deep x 36" Tall

Note: My 40B tank was not square - One side of the tank was 1/8" longer than the other, this made things a bit tricky, but with a little bit of magic it can work. I am not sure if this is a design flaw with 40B or if I was lucky. I fixed this by putting my door glass on just a tiny bit crooked to make it seem less off and then fixed the rest of the out of square with my vent. I just made one side of the vent narrower than the other. If you look in the above picture you might be able to notice.

Video Guide:

I put together a short 4:30 video guide for how I converted my 40B to a vertical tank.

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hacPfNycr0M


Written Guide:


Step 1 - Decide How tall you want your door to be. For this guide I did a 24" tall door (roughly 61CM)

Step 2 - Decide how tall you want the glass at the bottom of the tank to be. This section will be made water tight to accommodate a false bottom/Drainage Layer/ Aquatic section. For this guide my water tight section will be 7" (17.78cm)

Step 3 - Decide what side of the tank you want the door hinges to be on. Now measure out and mark the top and bottom of your door. The bottom of the door will be just above the glass section for our Water tight area.

Step 4 - Measure out the Water tight area and mark it on the side of the tank (on the tank plastic rim). Measure out and mark the door height (Start from the water tight mark and measure up) Double and triple check all measurements



Step 5 - Cut the Plastic frame at both marks (I used a dremel tool) be careful not to cut the glass.



Step 6 - Remove the frame section between the 2 cuts. It is attached using silicone so you will have to muscle it off the tank. Be careful not to break the glass in your anger



Step 7 - Scrape and clean all the residual silicone off the now exposed tank glass. I used a razor blade to scrape off the silicone and then an alcohol based cleaned to clean the glass

Step 8 - Test fit your hinges. If you need to trim more of the frame off now is the time to do it. Repeat steps 6 and 7 after trimming is complete

Step 9 - Apply your 2 part epoxy to the back of one hinge and put it in place. (I left the 2nd hinge on the tank to make sure the one being glued was in the correct location). Hold the hinge in place for a couple mins until the epoxy begins to harden. Once the first hinge is secure repeat this step for the 2nd hinge. (The epoxy will need 24 hours to cure before the door can be attached so lets move on to another section while we wait)



Step 10 - Test fit the glass for the water tight section. Make sure it is just barely short of the hinges from the previous section. Once you are sure it fits remove the glass. rough up the aquarium plastic frame lip with sand paper and then wipe it clean. Apply a generous bead of silicone (More is always better than to little) and press glass firmly into place. Put something heavy on the glass while the silicone cures. This will also take 24 hours. We need the door in place before we can do anything else. So we wait



24 Hours later

Step 11 - You will need to get creative here - You need to support the glass for the door on the side by the hinges (remember we just cut the plastic frame away so the lip the glass would sit on is now in the garbage). Make sure it is level with the tank opening (or as level as you can get).

Step 12 - Time to epoxy the hinges. Do one hinge at a time. Apply the epoxy to the hinge, press into place and hold for a few mins until epoxy begins to harden. Repeat for 2nd hinge. I also epoxied the hardware for the door at this time. The epoxy will need to cure for 24 hours before the tank can be moved, but we can get the vent done while we wait.



Step 13 - My Screen kit required me to subtract 1 1/2" from each measurement to allow for the corner pieces of the kit. You will be cutting 4 pieces of screen frame. I measured the bottom and one side then cut and fit this together. I then test fit them on the tank and then cut the top. Test fit it with the other pieces on the tank and then cut the remaining side.

Step 14 - Optional: I painted my screen frame. My local store did not have a black frame available so I bought silver and then spray painted it black to match the tank frame.

Step 15 - Measure out some fiberglass screening (you want it to be about 1" or more longer on all sides)

Step 16 - Lay screen over the frame and install the screen.

Step 17 - Temp install the completed vent section using tape to hold it in place. You want to test opening and closing the door to make sure your frame isn't rubbing to much or getting in the way before we secure it in place permanently.



Wait 24 Hours for Door and hinge epoxy to cure

Step 18 - Test opening and closing the door. If the vent is clear than remove the tape and vent. Apply a thin bead of silicone (this does not need to be water tight) to the tank frame and press the vent into place. Let cure for 24 hours

Step 19 - Optional: I drilled a hole in my tanks water section up near the top of the 7" I allotted to allow me to route any air lines or power cords out of the tank without needing to run them up the entire 36"

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Material List and where I got them from

Hardware Store

2 Part Clear Epoxy
Rubber Gloves
Screen Frame Kit
Fiber Glass Screen
100% silicone

Joshs Frogs

Acrylic Piano hinges
Acrylic Hasp
Acrylic Knob

Local Glass Company

Glass cut to size for door
Glass cut to size for lower section

---- End Material List ----

Hope this helps anyone who is interested in covering a standard aquarium to a vertical tank. Thanks for reading / Watching

Paul