400g Build

FlipperFin · Oct 18, 2015

Aright guys and gals. I have been asked to build a 400g aquarium. I have never built one that large so any and all input is welcome. I will be building a steel frame to give it an industrial look. I will be building a 200g sump and using colored PVC for a little pop. Basically what materials should i build this beast out of? Glass or Acrylic? How Thick?

Thanks

Pepcrylic · Oct 18, 2015

What are the dimensions of the tank going to be?
What is the largest tank you have built to date?
Does your client know the pros and cons of both acrylic and glass?
Is price an issue?
Which material do you prefer to work with?

FlipperFin · Oct 18, 2015

The largest tank I have built is a 200g tank. Used tempered glass.
Dimensions are
Width - 36"
Height - 30"
Length - 96"
I am not familiar with acrylic as i have never used it before nor do i know the benefits of it VS glass.
Price is not an issue. I heard acrylic is easier to use but scratches easier as well.

ReeferBob · Oct 19, 2015

Very courageous to build a 400 gallon tank out of acrylic as your first acrylic project if you decide to go that route. Glass would be really heavy. My dentist has a 500 gallon acrylic tank in his office.

Pepcrylic · Oct 19, 2015

If you have never worked acrylic . I would suggest you stick with glass for this large build.
Good Luck, please post some pics.

AllSignsPointToFish · Oct 19, 2015

I had a 90 gallon acrylic. Yes, it scratches easier, but you can get sets of buffing sandpaper to remove the scratches, so that should not be the deciding issue. Now, working with acrylic is another issue. Beware of creep on a tank that big. Should be a breeze to drill though.

FlipperFin · Oct 20, 2015

any suggestions what types of acrylic? Thickness? And where I could get this from?

Ed Menard · Oct 20, 2015

I just had a 400 gallon glass tank built...I can tell you exactly what each piece weighed etc..mine was done with 5/8 glass. it was precut and drilled and then built on top of the stand in my apartment. Euro bracing was done as well as 2 12 inch wide cross braces...contact me if you need step by step pictures...I took a lot

FlipperFin · Oct 20, 2015

Ed Menard said:
I just had a 400 gallon glass tank built...I can tell you exactly what each piece weighed etc..mine was done with 5/8 glass. it was precut and drilled and then built on top of the stand in my apartment. Euro bracing was done as well as 2 12 inch wide cross braces...contact me if you need step by step pictures...I took a lot

Could you give me the details on piece weight and did you have a local glass store do this? Also do you super glue the pieces then seal?

Ed Menard · Oct 20, 2015

my glass was all beveled before the build...the bottom piece was several hundred pounds...took 4 of us to get it up one flight of stairs..

let me walk you step by step.
Cut and drill all pieces prior to build. For the overflows use 1/2 inch clear as well as a thinner black glass with the black glued on the outside of the clear.

Set a thin sheet of foam on top of stand and place bottom sheet of glass on top. Line up the tank appropriate to your plans)

now for the sides...first do a thick line along the length of the back piece and have a helper or two to assist in placing the back glass down on it making sure its perfectly aligned.Have them hold in place while you lay your caulk along the side meeting the corner.

Place first side piece down firmly making sure to get a tight seal.

Now do extra caulk inside the tank of all seams...be thoughrow as a spot missed can cause a weak seam.

Place a few clamps to hold the glass firmly and do the exact same steps on the remaining side first and then the front glass...ensure all inner seams are caulked and that whole tank is clamped for both horizontal and vertical bracing

Make sure you Properly caulk the outside joints and then let caulk set...mine took about 4-5 days...

Now is eurobrace time....and overflow installation)

Install the overflows using the same basic procedure.Remember to caulk inside as well as outside)

Euro brace the tank and clamp to set.

4-5 days later...

Add 2 12 inch wide cross braces on top of tank...these can be caulked on top of euro brace where needed..

let set...

Cleanup...

taking razor blades cleanup edges and glass both inside and outside tank...

wash glass and voila!...ready to assemble plumbing)

FlipperFin · Oct 20, 2015

I like it. I looked through some of your pics. Maybe I should be a bit more thorough but i did not find step by step pics...

Ed Menard · Oct 20, 2015

give me a sec...gonna post the right ones for you here)

Ed Menard · Oct 20, 2015

this shot shows some clamping of the euro bracing around the overflow on the right side. As my tank is against a wall we painted the back glass black)

Ed Menard · Oct 20, 2015

this pic shows the cross clamping prior to the adition of the other clamps. Note that no euro braces are on yet. also note the 1 inch foam between stand and bottom sheet of glass

jjordan1904 · Oct 20, 2015

pretty cool!

FlipperFin · Oct 20, 2015

how thick is your bottom piece?

Ed Menard · Oct 20, 2015

this pic shows the design of the sump(90 gal)...water comes in at back from both sides and feeds through to Protein skimmer area, then over mangroves(thin slot) before going to return area

Ed Menard · Oct 20, 2015

Bottom piece is 5/8 inch glass as are all side pieces and braces...only thinner are the overflows which are 1/2 inch with 1/4 in black glass on outside)