akaimal's 375g CustomAquariums Build

Tuffloud1 · May 30, 2019

akaimal said:
I think bowing would be an issue if you go rimless. I haven’t filled water in my tank yet. But I don’t think I will have an issue with the 3 braces in place.

It’s going to be from the same builder as yours so it has the aluminum brace. Mine will have 2 braces - 6 feet long, 30 high

BZOFIQ · May 30, 2019

akaimal said:
The new tank is on its way from custom aquariums. Its 96" X 30" X 30" . The steel stand is being built by a local company. Orphek Atlantic v4 is also on its way for the lighting.

Quick question: Did Custom Aquarium tell you that their warranty is out the window if somebody else builds the stand?

akaimal · May 30, 2019

BZOFIQ said:
Quick question: Did Custom Aquarium tell you that their warranty is out the window if somebody else builds the stand?

Yes warranty is valid only if you use there stand.

akaimal · May 30, 2019

Tuffloud1 said:
It’s going to be from the same builder as yours so it has the aluminum brace. Mine will have 2 braces - 6 feet long, 30 high

They also have rimless option. With 3/4 inch glass, you could probably go rimless.

gobble · May 30, 2019

Ok thanks. They're somewhat local to me and I talked with them about taking a drive up and looking at the displays they have. I really like the rimless or clear brace look though. I ordered a reefer 750 xxl yesterday but still thinking I'd like an extra 2 feet but the cost is probably double (or more).

Tuffloud1 · May 30, 2019

I just placed my order. I decided on 5/8 non tempered for all panels. After speaking thoroughly with Custom Aquariums as well as tons of research on safety factors the 3/4 was just way overkill for 72x28x30H.

Tuffloud1 · May 30, 2019

akaimal said:
5/8 inch

Did you temper the bottom?

akaimal · May 30, 2019

Tuffloud1 said:
Did you temper the bottom?

No regular glass

Tuffloud1 · May 30, 2019

akaimal said:
No regular glass

Does the foam touch the bottom glass or does it only touch the aluminum frame?

akaimal · May 30, 2019

Tuffloud1 said:
Does the foam touch the bottom glass or does it only touch the aluminum frame?

The foam touches glass as well. The frame is not that thick.

Tuffloud1 · May 31, 2019

Here are a couple pictures of a side by side comparison of the non-detailed vs detailed bottom seams.

Looks like they use a ton more silicone on the non-detailed. I’m curious if the non-detailed is a stronger seam because of how much they glob on. Although, it appears they don’t actually scrape or actually touch the non-detailed whereas they have to agitate and scrape the detailed to get it perfect.

Custom Aquariums states that either choice is equally strong/durable.

Tuffloud1 · Jun 2, 2019

akaimal said:
The foam touches glass as well. The frame is not that thick.

So upgrading to 3/4 glass for the bottom would be kind of pointless? I see some people do thicker on the bottom panel but if the bottom is being supported by foam, why would you really need thicker?

akaimal · Jul 12, 2019

Tuffloud1 said:
So upgrading to 3/4 glass for the bottom would be kind of pointless? I see some people do thicker on the bottom panel but if the bottom is being supported by foam, why would you really need thicker?

Sorry missed your message. I had to put the tank work on hold because of tough times.. Did you already order the tank?

I think the 3/4 inch glass is pointless as there is enough support at the bottom I think.

akaimal · Jul 12, 2019

Two weeks ago all my corals got electrocuted by a broken water heater

. I lost a lot of SPS.

So I decided to heat the new tank with hot water from the water heater using a heat exchanger.

Here is the finished setup.

Tuffloud1 · Jul 14, 2019

akaimal said:
Two weeks ago all my corals got electrocuted by a broken water heater . I lost a lot of SPS.

So I decided to heat the new tank with hot water from the water heater using a heat exchanger.

Here is the finished setup.

Oh man! Sorry to hear about what happened.

I’m lucky to live in an area where the temperature in my house rarely even needs a heater and I also don’t need a chiller.

Yeah, they ended up upgrading my back and bottom panels to 3/4 for free because their whole stock of regular clarity 5/8 was scratched. They didn’t want to slow down production so they upgraded me.

I was also going to ask you a question about the foam they require. I am going to have to kind of “slide” my tank into place because it’s an in-wall build with the front and right panels viewable from the front. So it is kind of a “pocket” in the wall with an inch or so above the tank.

Will the foam rip apart if we try to slide the tank over the foam? I’m trying to picture in my head how it’s going to work while keeping the foam from getting destroyed.

akaimal · Jul 14, 2019

Tuffloud1 said:
Oh man! Sorry to hear about what happened.

I’m lucky to live in an area where the temperature in my house rarely even needs a heater and I also don’t need a chiller.

Yeah, they ended up upgrading my back and bottom panels to 3/4 for free because their whole stock of regular clarity 5/8 was scratched. They didn’t want to slow down production so they upgraded me.

I was also going to ask you a question about the foam they require. I am going to have to kind of “slide” my tank into place because it’s an in-wall build with the front and right panels viewable from the front. So it is kind of a “pocket” in the wall with an inch or so above the tank.

Will the foam rip apart if we try to slide the tank over the foam? I’m trying to picture in my head how it’s going to work while keeping the foam from getting destroyed.

Oh that’s nice that they upgraded it for you!

I form is just like styrofoam. We tried to slide it a bit and it kept shifting position. So we had to lift the tank and put it in place. It didn’t rip.