gamefreek101 Posted May 11, 2009 Report Share Posted May 11, 2009 i want to build a 8 foot tank 2400x700x700 out of 12mm glass what things will i need to do spec wise to make this work ie: am i useing the rite thickness glass how much bracing will i need ect it will be sitting on sinder blocks with a 18mm mdf cover over the sinder blocks with a 20mm piece of polystirean on top of the mdf do i need to do anything else ??? please give all feedback you can to this i know its a big tank i just want to do something diffrent and something big thanks guys and girls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 I don't think that mdf on cinder blocks will be straight and level enough for a tank of those dimensions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 use toughened glass on the base the glass alone will weigh 181kgs and thats not including bracing or lids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 build a proper stand and 20mm marine ply on top Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 As already mentioned the base under the tank is going to be very very important it has to be completely level as you have a large base on that tank and glass doesn't like to flex.. From memory the tallest to go with 10mm is 600mm so 700 should be sweet with 12mm glass.. Also as I am local, I am just wondering where you are getting the glass from? Are you going to cut it yourself or get it pre cut? I haven't tried any bigger tanks but have found even smaller tanks a pain to assemble do you have any experience building tanks or any other people who will help you? I don't know how much bracing is needed but I would do 10mm euro style bracing long ways large 10mm braces at each end and in the middle of the tank, I would also do 10mm stripes along front and back along the bottom to increase surface area for silicon to stick to, and possibly up the sides too (unsure if this is needed but a 5ft I have that is 750mm high has these). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc360 Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 hope you've got long arms cause 700 high is a bit of a stretch unless your tall as. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamefreek101 Posted May 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 ill be able to reach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamefreek101 Posted May 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 what should i use as a base then ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamefreek101 Posted May 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 what do you think will do then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 I would get a stand built from steel box section and designed to spread the load as evenly as possible over the floor. With the weight of the glass and the head of water there will be massive forces on the floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 Just to clarify; when you say "i want to build a..." do you mean "I want to get an experienced tank maker to make me an..." or are you actually going to build it yourself? :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 Really you can use whatever you like for the stand, steel, wood, cinder blocks, etc. There important points to note are 1) the base the tank sits on needs to be flat (and strong enough to stay flat with the weight of the tank on it) and level. There lots of ways of doing this. The cheapest I have ever done was to pick up a second hand office desk, the modern type with a thick Formica covered particle board top. Very strong, very flat. But you could use a couple of layers of ply, some thick MDF (well sealed), etc etc 2) Legs need to be strong enough to hold the weight, but also but have to be able to take the sideways forces from people leaning on it or earthquakes etc. A lot can be done with a couple of diagonal bracing 3) The weight needs to be spread out over as big an area as possible, think about the damage ladies high heels do to wooden floors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamefreek101 Posted May 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 you guys are great thanks for all the help when i say i want to build a tank i mean i want someone to build the tank but i can build stand i think id have move satisfaction if i do some of the work again thanks to all that are helping me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted May 13, 2009 Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 You won't get any more satisfaction when the tank breaks and you end up with 1200 litres of water on your floor. You do realise you're talking about engineering a structure to support close to one and a half tons right? If you're into DIY then start out small, if you want a huge tank then don't play around, get someone who knows what they're doing to make you a proper stand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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