myfishybuisness Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 so if i can sell my 4ft stand i will hopefully be getting an 8ft tank (if i can convince my parents ) anyway the tank will be made out of starfire glass (ultra clear) by greg at tanks2u the dimmentions are 2440 X 700 x 700 mm it will hold roughly 1200L , i and hoping to get a fluval fx5 for it , and i am wanting to do big fish i.e oscars, jags etc now come the questions : 1. will my floor in my room be able to handle the weight ? the concreat is 100mm thick (so ive been told ) 2. what is the best way to spread the weight ove the floor ? 3. i was hoping for it to be a disply tank, so i would like a wooden stand is that possible? 4. any suggestions to what i could put in the tank ( im only 16 so can afford realy expensive things i.e red aro which i would love) any advice will be very helpfull , and thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 You don't need to get the whole thing made out of Starphire, unless you want to go ADA, which you're not doing. Just the front panel should be Starphire. The rest can all be normal glass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfishybuisness Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 no it ok cos greg has all 3 piece of starfire the same and its alot cheaper than normal :love: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 you will have an issue with piping a canister with the way greg likes to make tanks, make sure you sort out how the bracing he puts in suits how your plumbing needs to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfishybuisness Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 ok i will do ill go and see him first and show him how i want it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 so if i can sell my 4ft stand i will hopefully be getting an 8ft tank (if i can convince my parents ) anyway the tank will be made out of starfire glass (ultra clear) by greg at tanks2u the dimmentions are 2440 X 700 x 700 mm it will hold roughly 1200L , i and hoping to get a fluval fx5 for it , and i am wanting to do big fish i.e oscars, jags etc now come the questions : 1. will my floor in my room be able to handle the weight ? the concreat is 100mm thick (so ive been told ) 2. what is the best way to spread the weight ove the floor ? 3. i was hoping for it to be a disply tank, so i would like a wooden stand is that possible? 4. any suggestions to what i could put in the tank ( im only 16 so can afford realy expensive things i.e red aro which i would love) 1- it will be fine. it will be around 1100L if you fill it to the brim. 2- a good design for the stand 3- steel stands are best for this sort of tank IMO, it will weight at least 1500kg when full. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfishybuisness Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 so is there anyway i can add wood to make the stand into a cubboard , but the basic strature will be steel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Depending on the desired inhabitants/style id use 2 FX5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfishybuisness Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 ok thanks well ill start out with one cos of my budgetand as the population grows ill add Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 so is there anyway i can add wood to make the stand into a cubboard , but the basic strature will be steel easily, the same way you would clad a timber framed stand just a thinner material to fix through. a timber one is possible but it would need so much framing & bracing it may reduce the use of storage inside. what is your budget? i would guess i'd spend the following setting it up: tank $600, 2 FX5 $1000 or sump & pump $300, steel stand $350, lights $500, panels & hood $300 & this is with building/fitting them myself. so between $1500 & $2500 would be a realistic amount i think with all the other bits & pieces you will need & depending on what you buy new or used. IMO for a tank of this size a large budget is need. the tank will best be filtered by a sump & placed on a steel stand. What fish are you intending to keep? depending on what you want a narrow & shorter tank may be a better idea. I recently set up a 2000x450x450 which provides great length but it is only around 400L so two cf1200's are more than enough for filtration & a timber stand is perfect for supporting it. it will also be alot cheaper to get running but is still almost 7 foot long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Sump :bounce: Much better than two FX5's and you can fill it with all sorts of media and it will work out cheaper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfishybuisness Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 i havent had any expereince with sumps and it is going to be in my bedroom so are they quite? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 I've never had one either, but have a talk to Warren. He knows all about that sort of stuff I'm having one on my next tank though :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoon Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 how quiet a sump is depends on how you plumb it they can be quiet if you do things properly or if you dont do it properly they can sound like a toilet flushing(well not quite but you get the picture) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfishybuisness Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 my budget is 1500 to set it up, but im very lucky that my grandad is a builder and my uncle can weld so i might be able to get help from them , and i already have the lights i have 1 4ft double t5 54w fitting and 1 4ft single fitting (giving a bright and dull area for fish the fish i am looking at are oscars, jags , severn, plecos , maybe a knife, and maybe an asian aro later on down the track Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 What thickness is the glass you're planning to use? Here's some quick calcs from these pages: http://www.fnzas.org.nz/index.php?PG=glass2 http://www.fnzas.org.nz/index.php?PG=glass3 For a Safety Factor of: 3.8 = 15.85mm glass 2.5 = 12.85mm Safety Factor for thickness: 12mm = 2.1 safety factor 10mm = 1.5 safety factor Tanks this size are at extreme risk if the safety factor is under 2.5 As the tank length increases safety factor has to go up. For commercial situations the recommended minimum safety factor is 3.8 I'd also look at a double height bottom brace around the perimeter on the inside bottom of the tank. This puts the main structural joins in tension rather than shear where the silicone is very weak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfishybuisness Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 ok the glass is going to be 12mm and the design is up to greg who is a professional Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 i don't doubt Greg will make a safe tank, it's just how he creates that tank effects the functionality with the components that will be used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfishybuisness Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 is there any other designs that can be used Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 ok the glass is going to be 12mm and the design is up to greg who is a professional He may be a professional but does he calcualte the glass thickness required, go by gut-feel or just use experience? A tank this size with a safety factor of only 2.1 is a risk. If you are happy to take the risk, by all means go ahead. I certainly wouldn't build another tank under 3.8 safety factor. Make sure you get a warranty and be sure your insurance covers water damage in case the tank fails. It probably won't fail as there are many tanks built with dangerous safety factors that seem to last ok. I wonder how many tanks that broke in the Christchurch earthquake would have survived if their safety factor had been good... I've been asked by insurance companies before about claims made where aquariums had broken. In one case an aquarium had been made by a glass merchants who did no calculations and went just by gut feel. They made a 1200mm wide 900mm tall tank out of 6mm glass. When it broke at about 90% full they remade the tank out of 10mm glass. The tank lasted for 1 week after being installed and it broke as someone walked past it. It cracked diagonally down the front. It didn't do too much damage to their appartment but did damage the 2 appartments below quite badly. This tank had a safety factor of 1.64. There are many tanks around with safety factors less than this. The main reason they survive is because they are not very tall and usually quite small. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfishybuisness Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 ok thanks for you oppion will take it into consideration Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfishybuisness Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 also would you happen to no what size sump and how i should do it so that it is quite enough to be in my bedroom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GZ_Loach Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 I have seen a fish tank on trademe made by greg and it was listed as "repaired" when i read the tank dimensions and saw the glass thickness i literally bowed my head down in shame. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =340167342 I would double check everything before you go ahead with making this tank, make sure you get it made properly and how you want it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 I have seen a fish tank on trademe made by greg and it was listed as "repaired" when i read the tank dimensions and saw the glass thickness i literally bowed my head down in shame. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =340167342 I would double check everything before you go ahead with making this tank, make sure you get it made properly and how you want it is that the tank you are referring to made by Greg? 12mm gives a safety factor of 2.2 which isn't bad at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 The tank front glass is 2100mm x 900mm Actually, the safety factor of that tank when filled to the top is only 1.185 which is probably why it broke... Wouldn't touch it unless you only plan to fill it to 700mm or less. Even a safety factor of 2.2 on a tank this size is far too low. The add even says the front glass broke and had been repaired in Q&A section... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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