smidey

wow that is a big animal and with a serious set of chompers

haha no not at all. I recommend discus for a static tank :slfg:

front vs adult e yellow

what size are the fronts? i found them to be docile generally but as a troph would swim past they would just give them a quick nip on the tail and they were only a little bigger than the trophs. No the trophs don't fight back, they are smart enough to know they will be no match

i kept them together but the fronts became very nippy as the got bigger so i sold them. The fronts started to nip at the tropheus when they got to around the 8cm to 10cm mark.

yes but you MUST stick the exact topic, no deviating. GOT IT?? :rotf:

you used to look like sperm once

it's the radiator cap isn't it?

:thup:

me and your my hero

the extra depth (front to back) adds to the loaded dimension of the beam but it doesn't effect the strength required as much as the overall span of the beam i don't think. so increasing your length by 300mm will increase the loading on the beam more than if you increase the depth by 300mm.

:facepalm: you are reading this thread a? as above, it belongs to a guy in aussie, there is also a link to his thread. No supports in front so the sump can go in and it top member is strong enough to support the tank without bending. this tank is bigger than what your proposing, it has been done and is full. He hasn't posted pics of it stocked yet but i'm sure it is by now. Have your made like this and you'll be sweet :thup:

that tank is 3300x800x800, the sump is 8ft

yes as long as the glass is strong enough to span that. It's like a lintel over a window in a wall, the window can be 6m or more as long as the lintel is strong enough to support what is loaded on it. The more the load the stronger the lintel needs to be. It comes down to loading and strengths. not always, it may just be a waste of material but will make the stand stronger in the way of bracing. i think so but it will be cheaper just to put a sheet of particle board over the frame than it will be too make the frame with more supports. this is his stand, no supports at all across the front

a guy in aussie my thread viewtopic.php?f=17&t=60678&start=15 the aussie thread http://tropheusfanatics.com.au/index.ph ... 36&st=300&

i wouldn't be game to either but in theory it should be sweet i think. as long as the perimeter of the base panel is fully supported the middle isn't going to need any support. the same as having a large window, no support in the middle of that and as long as the glass is strong enough to cope with the loading, job done.

frame, sheet of particle board then poly

how do you think they make 12mm particle board? the same way they make 20mm so again no advantage in using flooring over any other particle board.

that's a waste of time and money as it simply won't support any better than a thinner sheet as the sheet on the stand isn't doing the supporting, the stand is. It also won't handle the moisture any better because its a flooring sheet, most plans are specified to be treated ply to wet areas for particle board floors.

i used a packing sheet for mine, cost me $15 i think and that was just to cut it to size.

particle board should be a similar price to MDF for a good sheet. Approach a kitchen manufacturer, they may have a packing sheet which could be free.

use particle board before MDF. particle board is porous which means it will soak it up but will also release it, it will swell but will reduce when it dries out. It won't go back to flat but it will reduce. It is stronger than MDF due to the particles being glued together in a random pattern unlike MDF which is a layered product so it has a grain and will curve and hold its shape. MDF will absorb water like particle board but retain it, go fluffy and start to break down so particle board is the best option of the two. Ply will perform the best with regard to swelling/rotting etc but i think is overkill, my particle board has been under my tank for what must be a couple of years now and ther'es no swelling i can see and plenty of water gets spread around when doing what changes or chasing trophs with a net. i spent 8 or 9 years in the kitchen industry and around 5 years of that designing and making kitchens for Housing New Zealand houses, i have seen which works best for abuse and for water damage.

i would put a sheet on the top of the stand but it's not really critical what you use IMO. It will provide bracing for the stand which is useful for timber stands but i expect your going steel. I will hold up the poly so again i think you should put a sheet of something under the poly. I used 12mm particle board and two layers of 10mm poly on my stand. As long as your stand is flat the weight of the tank will flatten out the sheet, just make sure nothing is between the sheet and the stand so it can.

two pieces will be fine, the stand should be holding the weight not the ply.