mcrudd Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Hubby came home with this fishtank, he picked it up at our local inorganics LOL. Its measurements are 140cm lenth, 71cm Hight and 20cm deep. We filled it right to the top, no leaks, but it will deffinetly need some sort of bracing as the glass at the top was bowing out quite a bit, enough to frighten us and empty it out quickly. So here is the tank and this is where I aim to use it. We will of course strengthen everything to be able to hold the tank. I want to put it above my fireplace just against the wall, not in the wall. This is my first time ever attempting anything like this. So could you guys please advice me if it will be worth it, or will it cost me an arm and a legg. My hubby is very handy with welding and that sort of thing, so that is not a problem. What type of fish would look nice, I take it, that it will have to be small fishies because of the depth. How heavy will this turn out, I know its 198litres from a volume calculator All in all I just need tons and tons of advice please, I feel super dumb in this whole process, I don't even know what questions to ask, but excited the same time :nilly: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 how thick is glass and are those 4 plates glued on the inside? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrudd Posted October 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 how thick is glass and are those 4 plates glued on the inside? The glass is 6mm thick for the tank and the plates glass is 10mm thick and they are siliconed tight. The plates are 26cm by 35cm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnacle Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 If its about 200L then itll weigh in around 200kg or more. 1L of water is 1kg. I dont have much else i can contribute at this stage good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Nightmare to clean I'd imagine if you insert it into the wall. What happens if it springs a leak? Will it damage the wall linings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrudd Posted October 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 If its about 200L then itll weigh in around 200kg or more. 1L of water is 1kg. I dont have much else i can contribute at this stage good luck Hey that is something I did not know, so its all good :slfg: Nightmare to clean I'd imagine if you insert it into the wall. What happens if it springs a leak? Will it damage the wall linings? Sorry I meant that we are going to put it against the wall since its not as broad as other tanks. We don't want to put it into the wall. Imagine it sitting on the wooden mantle part of the fireplace. Its about the same width Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 is the fire place operational? if so the heat from the fire my causes issue with tank temp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrudd Posted October 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 is the fire place operational? if so the heat from the fire my causes issue with tank temp No we have not used it for a year now, we installed a heatpump So fire won't be used, its purely decorative Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 sweet problem solved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calculator Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Just my thoughts on the tank, It could look prety awesome, but the width is very limiting on what fish you can put in it, I would personally say putting a school of small tetra in it (like neons) would probably be what would look best in it. For that to look great you would want the tank to be planted, but it may be hard to get plants started in such a deep tank (I am not an expert on plants, so I am not certain). and one thought that just occurred to me, how do you intend on filtering it, with the depth I would imagine you would need long pipes so that there are no dead spots at the bottom. But best of luck, and I am sure you can make it look amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrudd Posted October 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Just my thoughts on the tank, It could look prety awesome, but the width is very limiting on what fish you can put in it, I would personally say putting a school of small tetra in it (like neons) would probably be what would look best in it. For that to look great you would want the tank to be planted, but it may be hard to get plants started in such a deep tank (I am not an expert on plants, so I am not certain). and one thought that just occurred to me, how do you intend on filtering it, with the depth I would imagine you would need long pipes so that there are no dead spots at the bottom. But best of luck, and I am sure you can make it look amazing. To clean it, I allready have a deep tank 60 cm so I have the appropriate long gravel vac. I also thought of little school fish, I am all for putting fish in the right size tanks. I have some beautiful well established ambulia that would reach all the way to the top. Its all the way to the top in my current tank and its bending over and floating at the top of the tank, so plants should be ok too. I thought of adding some ottos as the cleaning crew, not sure if Bristlenoses will be happy with that width Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calculator Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Bristlenoses should be fine, it is wide enough for them to turn around, and they have a large amount of swimming space along the tank and up and down. personally I think ottos are a bit better at cleaning up algae, but I think plecos look cooler. It might be hard to find a good looking bit of driftwood as the tank is very narrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 If it were me, I'd put a 5cm layer of gravel or sand at the bottom and plant twisted Val or similar with java fern attached to wood a long piece of driftwood. A canister filter will be a bit of an eyesore but placing the spray bar vertically at one end and the intake at the other would give decent flow. As for fish, I'd go for a large (40-50) shoal of neons or red phantoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrudd Posted October 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Bristlenoses should be fine, it is wide enough for them to turn around, and they have a large amount of swimming space along the tank and up and down. personally I think ottos are a bit better at cleaning up algae, but I think plecos look cooler. It might be hard to find a good looking bit of driftwood as the tank is very narrow. I prefer ottos too They are hardworking and so cute. I might get a nice golden bristlenose just for some colour. mmmmm driftwood will be a problem, perhaps I can get a nice big one in size and then take the skillsaw to it and get it the width I require LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrudd Posted October 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 If it were me, I'd put a 5cm layer of gravel or sand at the bottom and plant twisted Val or similar with java fern attached to wood a long piece of driftwood. A canister filter will be a bit of an eyesore but placing the spray bar vertically at one end and the intake at the other would give decent flow. As for fish, I'd go for a large (40-50) shoal of neons or red phantoms. Great idea SamH, the plants will be nice and sturdy in a thick layer of gravel, I am thinking midnight gravel like my other tank, since its in the same room. Can a person buy those other filters like the blue planet tanks have, I find those easy to keep since its all I had, have never used the outside types before, a large school would look awesome, I currently have a 40+ harlequin school in the other tank and it looks super Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 A filter likethis? Canister filters are really easy to set up but because the tank will be so far from the floor, I think you'd need extra long pipes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrudd Posted October 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 A filter likethis? Canister filters are really easy to set up but because the tank will be so far from the floor, I think you'd need extra long pipes. Yes something similar to that. I have never used the others so won't know how to upkeep them. Guess I could learn if they are the only option Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrudd Posted October 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Any ideas on bracing, we nearly had a heart attack when it bowed out like that at the top Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calculator Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Canister filters are fairly simple to set up and use, and dont need much maintenance that is different from other filters (just washing of pads). I personally think canisters are the best sort of filter. Just a couple of thoughts, there will be quite a head height between the top of the tank and the ground, and around the fire there is no easy way to hide the canister, so you may want to use some filter in/on the tank just for aesthetics of the room, unless you find a way to hide the canister. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calculator Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Any ideas on bracing, we nearly had a heart attack when it bowed out like that at the top I dont know much about tank building, but most of the longer tanks I have (1.2m long) have a glass bracing siliconed across the middle of the top to hold the glass the right distance apart. Other then that I dont have many ideas other then if you made a rim for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrudd Posted October 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Canister filters are fairly simple to set up and use, and dont need much maintenance that is different from other filters (just washing of pads). I personally think canisters are the best sort of filter. Just a couple of thoughts, there will be quite a head height between the top of the tank and the ground, and around the fire there is no easy way to hide the canister, so you may want to use some filter in/on the tank just for aesthetics of the room, unless you find a way to hide the canister. My husband said we could hide it inside the fireplace, that could be an option if I had to go the cannister way. Hubby also said he could build a box frame thingy for the tank too, he is very very handy :thup: I am so happy about this, Hubby told me I would never have a second tank LOL and just look who dragged one home himself :love: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calculator Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 In that case GO THE CANISTER WAY they are great filters. A box frame could work, it would just have not much tolerance to go wrong if you were using it to brace the tank as if it was to far away from the glass the glass could still break. The dreaded one tank limit, lucky you to have managed to avoid that, but be careful mts can quickly get out of control, hahaha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 cool project... perfect tank to really show off angel fish properly, could do a reasonable school in there, maybe look at getting it drilled to make te filter a bit more hidden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 I would be very careful about a 6mm tank that high, even if it was braced more. What I would be tempted to do is to only fill it 1/2-ish and have the top planted, search for riparium Something like: or Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrudd Posted October 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 In that case GO THE CANISTER WAY they are great filters. A box frame could work, it would just have not much tolerance to go wrong if you were using it to brace the tank as if it was to far away from the glass the glass could still break. The dreaded one tank limit, lucky you to have managed to avoid that, but be careful mts can quickly get out of control, hahaha. Ok, so it looks as if the canister way is the way to go, Hubby agrees with you too. Hubby said if he had to make a boxframe he would use stainless first to brace the tank, and it would be a glove fit then build the box around that instead. We still need ideas on how to brace though, we are a bit silly in knowing where to brace. cool project... perfect tank to really show off angel fish properly, could do a reasonable school in there, maybe look at getting it drilled to make te filter a bit more hidden Will Angels be happy in that tank, the width is a bit tight for them. Hubby said we would like to avoid drilling for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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