CWS Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 Hi everyone! I registered some time ago to ask a couple of questions related to fish keeping here in NZ. As we are planning to build a house I finally have the opportunity to get a 200x80x70 (LxWxH) . The first step now is to find a supplier for the tank and I had a look around but could not one assuming I need to get one build. Is there someone in the lower NI who is building tanks and is doing a good job? Thanks a lot Christian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discusguru Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 Why not put your location in your profile so people know where you are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calculator Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 Here is the list of tank builders that is on the forum, hope it helps you out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWS Posted July 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 Great, thanks! That brings me to my next question: I come from central Europe - no earthquakes at all. My wife is not a fan of the idea to drill some holes into the aquarium to get a sump connected. Anyone here ever experienced any problems related to earthquakes and pipes through the bottom sheet? Anything else that I should be aware of (Aquarium<->Earthquake)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 Anyone here ever experienced any problems related to earthquakes and pipes through the bottom sheet? Nope, unless you use some really solid pipes, like copper or steel or something then the plumbing breaking the tank will be the last thing you need to worry about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 I think if you're worried about the pipes through the base causing trouble in an earthquake then you could either have a small lip around the edge of the stand to stop the tank sliding sideways with the shaking, or simply have the drains and returns running out the back of the tank so that at worst they would crack if the tank moves. As for the supplier, I don't have any idea about lower NI builders, but Greg Kingston aka Tanks2U is very good and very well priced, it may be worth looking into even with the cost/hassle of shipping. The dimensions you've mentioned are right on the border-line between 12mm and 15mm glass, 12mm would give you a safety factor of 2.4 which is certainly acceptable but not great. 15mm would seriously increase the cost though. Looking forward to following your build, there's a few of us here who have recently set up 1000L+ tanks so there should be plenty of good ideas floating around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matto Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 Exactly the same dimensions as my tank greg made mine but your a fair way away from auckland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 I've seen Greg ship large tanks down the line so it certainly isn't impossible. He travelled up to Whangarei to build mine, but I think Palmy might be a bit of a stretch! Any pics of yours Matto? What thickness glass did he use. Maybe we need a 1000L-club thread for all the big tanks on here... :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 Maybe we need a 1000L-club thread for all the big tanks on here... :lol: Must be quite lonely up there in the 2000L club David Welcome CWS from another European. Looking forward to seeing your progress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 :oops: I know I'm not the only one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWS Posted July 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2013 Thanks guys! Will get in contact with some suppliers and check out my options. I would prefer 15mm glass as the tank will probably be located between kitchen/dining and lounge as a room divider so people (+kids :nilly: ) will be moving next to it on the dining side a lot. I will build the stand myself, steel frame with wood paneling able to house a sump and all the other stuff. I still have plenty of time for planning as building will not start before summer so maybe I can convince my better half to get 2.5m instead !drool: @ David: For how long did you water the wood (it was quite fresh wasn't it)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dattofish Posted July 9, 2013 Report Share Posted July 9, 2013 15mm glass sheesh! what bout a 940l is it alright with 10mm walls and 12mm base if its 2.1m 750mm 650 (l x w x h) but water level at 600 h max. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-obstacle Posted July 9, 2013 Report Share Posted July 9, 2013 It's all about the height. You can have a million litre tank that's only 600 high and it'll need the same thickness glass as a 100 litre tank 600 high. I'd be happy with 10mm at 650 high but I'd double check with an aquarium safety calculator (i'm too lazy to find one for you). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godly3vil Posted July 9, 2013 Report Share Posted July 9, 2013 My 500ltr tank is made from 15mm glass..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 9, 2013 Report Share Posted July 9, 2013 Here's a good calculator for glass thickness, based on Warrens calculations and presented in an easy to use format that also tells you the approximate weight of the tank. http://www.theaquatools.com/building-your-aquarium 15mm glass is by no means overkill for a 70cm high tank, you would have a safety factor of around 3.7 with your dimensions. You could get away with 12mm and have a safety factor of around 2.4, which is still pretty good. Just be warned that there is a big jump in price from 12mm to 15mm, due to the way it has to be cut. Just for comparison, my 240x120x70cm tank with 15mm glass has a safety factor of 3.5 according to the calculator, the only difference being the slight difference in length. As the_obstacle said, increase the width change things until you start reaching the extremes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted July 9, 2013 Report Share Posted July 9, 2013 It is not only about the height, as the longer each panel is the more flex there will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 10, 2013 Report Share Posted July 10, 2013 Obviously, but relative to the height it is a small consideration. As with the examples in my last post, an extra 40cm length lead to a reduction of 0.2 in the safety factor, compared to an increase in height of even half that it's almost nothing. And of course the width doesn't become a factor until it exceeds the length. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWS Posted August 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2013 Update: Seems the tank will be built on site by Greg. However, 15mm would double the price. Thats why the plans changed a bit and the tank will now be 12mm glass 250x80x65cm, 60cm water = 1200L. Also kids decided that it will be South America (planted) - tiny fish in a large tank. The overflow to sump will be placed on one side - probably following the design by beananimal to keep it silent. Sump will be app. 250 liters about 60% filled when running, sponge for mechanical and ceramic for biological filtration. Next step will be a plan"e for the steel stand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted August 2, 2013 Report Share Posted August 2, 2013 Good work!! I can send you the sketch-up drawings for my stand if you're interested. I love the stocking idea too, I swear if/when my aro dies I'm going to see what a school of a few hundred tetras looks like in my big tank... Remember to make sure with the sump that there is enough room to hold the 'skim' when the pump switches off. With your 250x80cm footprint you're looking at about 20L per cm of depth that siphons back, plus what ever is in the pipes/overflow. If you've got 40% of your sump spare (100L) you should be right, just remember to take into account media, baffles, fudge-factor etc. Good idea going with the bean animal type set up too, I've done something fairly similar and I'm very happy with how quiet it is. Certainly quieter than any other sump set up I've had despite pushing 8500-9000LPH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWS Posted August 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2013 @David: Some drawing would be great, thanks! Had a look at it on MFK and was wondering: verticals every 600mm at front and back but not between front and back - 1200mm. So if it worked for you I should be fine with 800mm :thup:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted August 5, 2013 Report Share Posted August 5, 2013 I went with 100x50x5mm for the 1100mm span between the front and back horizontals under the tank, the other option was 50x50x3 with a row of legs in the centre to reduce the gap to 525mm. The first option was less welding and they happened to have a few shorts of 100x50x5 so that was the one we chose. The front and back are 100x50x3. I have seen a stand for a 1200 wide tank made with 50x50 and no centre legs, nit sure I'd be game to try it myself though! 800 wide and 650 tall, hmm. I'd be inclined to over-build and go for something a bit more rigid than 50x50 if you want to span the gap without centre legs. http://www.unitedsteel.co.nz/categories ... gular-rhs/ 100x50x3? 75x50x4? Or 75x40x? TBH I'm not sure of the required calculations to be sure, probably best to talk to an engineer! Warren on here is pretty clued up on that sort of thing, there was a bit of a discussion a while ago when Henward and I were planning our stands, he went with the option of an extra row of legs down the middle with threaded adjustable feet, which was a good move IMO. viewtopic.php?f=3&t=62337 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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