180g glass

[nhendrix]

Im looking into building 180g 72x24x24 tank. Im not sure what size glass to use. Im wanting to use 1/4 inch glass if it will work. The top of the tank will be fully braced. Anyone have any info on this would be helpfull. I cant get thicker glass if need be but the price goes way up at 1/2 inch and i didnt even think about asking about 3/8

 

[piranhaman00]

1/2" for sure.

 

[Wolf89]

1/2 is what the glass on my oceanic 180 is. I would never be able to sleep at night with a 180 with 1/4" glass

 

[lapin]

Because this might be your first attempt at constructing a tank I would error on the side of thicker. If you dont get even seams then the added thickness will help hold it together. 12mm glass will give you a safety factor of 3.5 which is good.

 

[nhendrix]

Sounds good now I’ll need to talk the price down a bit

 

[nhendrix]

I hope the Ecotech powerheads will hold well they say .6 max that doesn’t leave a lot of room I don’t want them playing cliff hanger on me lol

 

[C_AWOL]

If they're the mp40s they stick on 3/4" just fine.

On the main topic though, I wouldn't even sleep well with 3/8ths glass for that dimension. Do it right the first time with 1/2" or don't do it at all

 

[don_chuwish]

1/2" with Eurobrace and two cross braces. My Aqueon 4x2x2 120G is 1/2" with the plastic trim and a single cross brace. Use the right adhesive too - Momentive RTV or SCS1200.

 

[MoKan Reefer]

@Joe Glass Cages have a talk with Joe. He's very informative and if you're stuck to the idea of building your own, im sure he has some pointers and valuable information!

 

[nhendrix]

So I was talking to wife about it last night she thinks I should go bigger then 180 might go 240 long. As for @Joe Glass Cages I have had 240 wide from them I loved it depending on the glass quote I might be a returning customer

 

[Pntbll687]

My aqueon 180 has just over 1/2in glass, the 5/8th mark is just part the edge by a hair. Could be error in the take measure, or they used whatever the metric equivalent is. But it also has bracing on top and bottom.

 

[nhendrix]

Is there any benefits to using black silicon or is it just for looks

 

[don_chuwish]

Is there any benefits to using black silicon or is it just for looks

Looks - but that is the benefit. Clear silicone starts looking dirty after a while and stands out ghostly white against a black background.

 

[nhendrix]

Ok one last thing and I’ll stop bugging for a bit. In fresh water some people put tiles for their bare bottom can I do this in salt water I’m not a big fan of the abs boards I have seen.

 

[sfin52]

Looks - but that is the benefit. Clear silicone starts looking dirty after a while and stands out ghostly white against a black background.

If you dont clean the sides the whites not big deal. If you do the white shows every thing

 

[sfin52]

Ok one last thing and I’ll stop bugging for a bit. In fresh water some people put tiles for their bare bottom can I do this in salt water I’m not a big fan of the abs boards I have seen.

Yes people have used tiles have gone bare bottom used sand all kinds of ways to set up a tank. It depends on live stock

 

[Hilltopreef]

Just curious. Unless your building this tank for much cheaper than buying one. Why not let the pros who build for a living build it. 180 is a common size in the dimensions you listed.

 

[MoKan Reefer]

So I was talking to wife about it last night she thinks I should go bigger then 180 might go 240 long. As for @Joe Glass Cages I have had 240 wide from them I loved it depending on the glass quote I might be a returning customer

Figured I'd mention getting ahold of him considering the pricing is great and they now have alot of new additions and things they can do with tanks outside what their site says. Reaching out to him i got a giant list of possible options for the 280 I'm wanting to have built.

 

[nhendrix]

Ya I looked at site again I’m thinking this is how I’ll go if I build a 180 or buy a 240 from them it’s only $300 difference and depending on shipping I might drive and get it im in Knoxville TN

 

[MoKan Reefer]

Not a bad idea but there's alot more customization options either way you go 180 or 240 than are on the site. They haven't updated it so it's lacking alot of information I got from @Joe Glass Cages. He can send you all the stuff thats not on the site currently