AQUARIUM CONSTRUCTION, TOOLS AND APPLIANCES 



be drilled and countersunk to take in the flat heads of the bolts. A rivet 

 hole is drilled through the frames on each side of the corners, to exactly 

 correspond with those in the corner posts, which are countersunk for the 

 rivets, that they may be hammered-flush on the inside of the frame. 



The base is usually 3 inches greater in length and breadth, so as to 

 extend i ^ inches beyond the frame on all sides. The frame is set upon 

 the base and the bolt holes marked; which are then drilled through the 

 slate and opened on the under side to accommodate the nuts. Stove-bolts 

 of the exact required length are the best for this purpose. 



Assembling the Aquarium. When assured that all the parts are 

 true and in perfect alignment, and the bolt holes in the lower frame and in 

 the base exactly plumb, the lower frame and the base under it should be 

 coated with zinc white, and after this dries, aquarium cement spread over 

 this part of the base and the frame evenly and securely drawn tight by the 

 bolts, the number of which depends upon the size of the aquarium; but 

 one should be placed very near each side of the four corners, with one, two 

 or three between, at even intervals, on both the long and the short sides, 

 to make the frame rigid and to prevent subsequent leaks. The bolt holes 

 and the space about the nuts should be filled with aquarium cement. A 

 method of construction is to use separate corner pieces to unite the lower 

 and upper frames with the corner posts, usually adopted for large aquaria, 

 which has the advantage of making all the inner sides flush; but riveting 

 them together and filling the space between the frame and the glass with 

 cement is quite as neat and strong in construction. 



Setting the Glass. The glass should be carefully cleaned with 

 whiting to remove grease. The frame having been filled with a smooth 

 coating of cement, the glass should be carefully pressed against it, the 

 longer sides being first inserted and kept in place by wooden strips at the 

 top and bottom, and then those of the shorter sides inserted; all done by 

 very gentle pressure and supported in place by the wooden strips, acting as 

 braces. After a day, the lower and upper edges of the glass at the frames 

 and the corners, where front and side meet, may be covered with aquarium 

 cement, and this left to harden or covered with slender strips of glass. 

 Filling the aquarium with water will tend to exert an even pressure on all 

 sides and cause the glass to press evenly on the cement. The cement 

 however will take longer to become hard. When taking an angle-framed 

 aquarium apart, there will be less likelihood of breaking the glass if the 

 cement is softened by running a knife-blade between it and the glass and 

 pouring in coal oil. 



