Andrew 22 Posted September 9, 2002 Report Share Posted September 9, 2002 Hi first i would like to say that this is a great site loads of info. I am looking to build what i think is a reasinably sizable aquarium. I managed to pick up a load of glass from the local recyclers some 12mm, 10mm 8mm and six. I am hopeing that it isn`t tempered as it come out of an old bank. Anyway to my question. I was wanting to build a tank about 1.4m long by 90cm high and 50cm back out of the 12mm. can it be done with out flooding out my appartment not to mention the flat down stairs Any info at all would be helpful as all i can find is these chars that say i should by using 19mm or 24mm. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted September 9, 2002 Report Share Posted September 9, 2002 Warren's written a good article on glass thicknesses. see: http://www.fnzas.org.nz/glassthickness.0.html A brief look at the table of common tank sizes and required thicknesses leads one to belief that you're not going to be able to safetly make a tank of your desired dimensions out of 12mm - the depth of the tank is the main problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted September 9, 2002 Report Share Posted September 9, 2002 Andrew22 said... > about 1.4m long by 90cm high and 50cm back I agree with Rob, the depth will get you. Deep tanks sound good in theory but, in my experience, are a pain in the neck. Once you get past 60cm they're a curse to light properly which can exclude the use of live plants and the depth also makes them a curse to work on without climbing in the tank to reach the bottom. Also, that'd be a lot of weight to have in an upstairs apartment. I'd go for something 4ft x 18 or 20 inches deep x 20 or 24 inches wide. The weight it better spread, it's easier to light properly and you can actually reach the bottom to pick up the inevitable dropped magnetic algae scrapers and such ;-) YMMV, of course... Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 9, 2002 Report Share Posted September 9, 2002 Hi there and welcome. I too agree with everything the others have said - particularly the depth is a pain to work with, for the reasons mentioned, and I too would be concerned about the weight factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AQUAMANX Posted September 9, 2002 Report Share Posted September 9, 2002 hello andrew, I also have been looking in to building a huge tank 7' x 2' x 18" I found out what everyone here had said the depth will kill you try making the depth around 60 cm. you will find easier to work with . there are alot of sites that ofer info. look in the DIY sections I think Bill (pegasus) would be able to help you with all your questions.... please check out my site I built the stand myself. http://hstrial-myfish.homestead.com/home.html Steve X. AQUAMANX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted September 9, 2002 Report Share Posted September 9, 2002 I definitely agree, really deep tanks SUCK. I've got one that's 3-4 feet deep(A tall hex) and it's an absolute nightmare to do anything with. I've got a little claw grabby thing, intended for mechanics to pick up dropped screws I suppose, that I have to use to do anything near the bottom of the tank. My 400 is 60cm tall, though and the only hard thing is getting my hands into the corners, everywhere else just requires a step ladder and leaning over the tank. Ummm, so, anyway, Maybe measure the length of your arm and make the tank a little shorter than that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 Females need to take the size of their boobs into account too! To reach full arm length you have to dangle other bits in the water if, like me, you are voluptuous (my son says 'fat'). :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 I fail to see how wet t-shirts are a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 They aren't - well, Grant has never objected and has always offered to rub them dry - but they limit your arm length when reaching to the back of the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 Hi there Any tank deeper (higher) than your arms leghth is foolish. You cannot correctly set (plant) plants. And as ajbroome said, you cannot pick up the dropped magnetic algae remover. Or anything else for that matter. With a showpiece aquarium, there is also a limit of the depth(width). John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 Hi Andrew whilst I agree with the fact that such tall tanks are a pain to keep I have seen this done and done quite successfully.However the main difference is that this tank was made of 20 ml glass a friend of mine had it made for him by a guy in Auck and it was for a marine tank.The litreage would be around the 650 mark which would effectively equate to 650 kgs of weight making it quite a hefty tank.What are you going to put into it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 Chris said... > ... this tank was made of 20 ml glass a friend of mine had it > made for him by a guy in Auck and it was for a marine tank. Oh, it's all do-able, I'm just not sure it's a very good idea for most uses. With marine fish you're usually not trying to grow plants so that helps... > The litreage would be around the 650 mark which would effectively > equate to 650 kgs of weight making it quite a hefty tank. Bearing in mind that anything made out of 20mm glass is *damn* heavy on it's own without counting the weight of water, let alone rocks and so forth... and a stand strong enough to support the weight. Not sure I'd want to live under it... I've moved a lot of tanks over the last 2 months (like 70 or 80) and I'm thankful that most of them were small enough to only need one person. Even the couple of tanks I have that are made from 10mm glass (all between 4 and 5 foot) are *heavy*... Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 Just been reading about tank building in "The Living Aquarium" - Ward Lock - Fresh water and Marine. It has a very good section re tank building from scratch. By very good I mean step by step with all the pros and cons. In fact one for the corner of my fish room looks interesting - wonder how I can get hubby out of the way while I set it up LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted September 13, 2002 Report Share Posted September 13, 2002 View it and dream people http://www.mr4000.com/ Hi Andrew, Welcome to the forum Andrew, hope you like it here and make lotsa posts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted September 13, 2002 Report Share Posted September 13, 2002 I've got a 5000 gallon freshwater tank with automatic water changing system out in my yard right now. Just a little work and it would have about a 1000 GPH of filtration too. Unfortunately, I don't think the wife would be too happy if I threw a bunch of cichlids into the water tank. hehehe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted September 14, 2002 Report Share Posted September 14, 2002 I've done the calcs and if you want a tank 1400 long and 900 high with the standard safety factor of 3.8, you will need 22mm glass. If you use the 12mm glass, it may hold up, but it will only have a safety factor of 1.185185185 (approx)? I wouldn't gamble!! I don't know why everyone is complaining about deep tanks. My new tank is 950mm from the water surface to the gravel. I'm not complaining. I've just adapted some tools to reach the bottom when the tank is full. It is easy to move the plants around when needed during water changes (water change is 50%). Tank Specs: Length: 3050mm Width: 1000mm Height: 1200mm Water Depth (including gravel): 1050mm Water Depth (to gravel surface): 950mm Front viewing window: 950mm Volume: 3150L Tank Weight (when full - including gravel): 4500kg Glass Thickness: 19mm Glass Safety Factor: 2.2 Tank Type: RHS Steel Frame with Fibreglass over plywood walls, glass on veiwing side only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted September 14, 2002 Report Share Posted September 14, 2002 That looks like it'd be a perfect tank for a bunch of freshwater rays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted September 14, 2002 Report Share Posted September 14, 2002 I'm not making another one! This one has just about broken me.... heavy work, yip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew 22 Posted September 16, 2002 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2002 Woo i didn`t expect so many replys this is great I was looking at the glass thickness site suggested by Rob and i think that i might make that tank just a little bit smaller for the sake of the peoplue living down stairs AQUAMANX wrote: please check out my site I built the stand myself. I think your set up is great, i hope mine turns out as well as i am hopeing to build the stands myself. I particulary like the rainbow fish. Chris wrote: What are you going to put into it? I was planing to plant out the back of the aquariun and fill the tank with rainbow fish and about 10-15 discus. (i will probbley de-stock the tank when they get bigger). In the second tank i am hopeing to build i was thinking of filling it with electric blues and yellows as a frend of mine breads them and i can get them for about $2.00 each I was also planing to build a 100*50*50cm tank with the left over glass but i havn`t decided what to put in it yet probbly discus. Sorry that i carn`t reply to everyone as your input was most helpful. I will let you know how things go :-? Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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