Can this tank be salvaged??

[acer]

OK - making a long story short- I pickup this 160+ gallon Starfire home made tank years ago - before I was intelligent enough to do research on how tanks are made safely.

However, I had some health issues and never tried to set it up, which may have been a blessing as I do not think it is all that safe the way it was built. So it has been sitting my my shed for years now. Since recovering my health I am getting back into the hobby and am doing some research on how to go about getting the tank up and running.

The main issue is the tanks dimensions are 48 long, 30 high, 27 deep. So a bit over 160 gallons. Here is the KICKER: the guy who built it only used 3/8 inch glass. From what I understand any tank over 2 feet high should be at least 1/2 inch thick. He drilled 5 holes in the back and the back is painted blue. 2 holes are 1 and 3/8 diameter, and 3 holes have a nearly a 2 inch diameter. So, on the positive side it is drilled perfectly for a Bean Animal overflow.

So need some professional/experienced advice.

Can this tank be used safely with bracing? if yes , then how? If not then I will probably take it apart and either have the glass cut and make a smaller tank or just sell the glass.

Much appreciated in advance,

Acer

( if there is a way to make it safe it will make a pretty good build thread

 

[hybridazn]

What type of bracing was done? Top and bottom bracing.

 

[acer]

Done, zero, notta, hence the issue. I have never made from scratch or braced an aquarium. So, with bracing can the tank be used safely and if it can. How and what needs to be done?

 

[hybridazn]

If you euro brace the top and bottom I would think it would be ok to use. Here is a pic of how I would do it

Do that on the top and bottom of the tank.

 

[acer]

Ok I can see the euro bracing on the top all around , but where is the bracing on the bottom? OR it is not pictured?

So I guess I would brace with 3/8 inch thick, 4 inch wide braces all around the top. Then do the same to the bottom - on the inside? That would be difficult due to the Silicone in the corners - I don't think you would get a good seal because it would be new silicone on old silicone. Maybe on the outside around the bottom and do it vertical rather than horizontal. Would that work??

 

[hybridazn]

Do the bottom bracing the same as the top, put it on the outside of the tank.

 

[acer]

Ahh yep that would work as far as bonding and a good seal. But the tank would be sitting with all its weight on the 4 inch glass braces. I guess i could just cut a 3/8 thick piece of plywood to fit inside the bracing and then have the whole tank sitting on 3/8 inch thick foam.

Do you think with the eurobraces on the top and the bottom the tank would then be safe and hold up long term? will wait a few days for others to comment.

 

[fab]

Depth of water is what ultimately determines the main requirement for glass thickness. Length of tank adds to that requirement, but can be partially overcome with bracing.

At 27" of depth you need 0.35" thickness of glass to handle your max-to-the-rim depth with a safety factor of about 3 even for a very short tank; e.g. 2'.

Once you add in the length of 4' the thickness needs to be increased by a factor of about 1/3 to 0.47" and even then the safety factor reduces to just a bit over 2-1/2.

So the question boils down to whether bracing really makes up for all the thickness requirement that is due to length and what the resulting safety factor would be.

If you keep your water level below about 24" you will have a safety factor of about 2-1/4 before bracing. That is getting a bit low, both in water level and in safety factor.

I would be uncomfortable with a safety factor less that 2.5 or so. Mine is about 2.8.

Given how close you are to the limits here, I recommend you talk to a tank designer who can pick up where I left off.

 

[fab]

Also, 3/8" plywood will not add sufficient support to make a difference in the level of support. Move up to 3/4" Bracing the top of the stand well, will help more. then use thicker plywood to distribute the weight and some kind of styrofoam (or other) layer on top of the plywood to help smooth out very minor imperfections that would present tiny bumps to the bottom of the stand. These bumps can cause localized high pressure points that can cause cracking of the bottom glass.

 

[acer]

yep- so I am at .37 inches or 9.525 mm thick and at 30 inches high by 48 inches long= GULP ! safety factor is "ZERO". So the question is how much can you brace and how effective is it. Dam, I hate being dumb and not even checking the thickness of the glass when I bought it. Well- maybe I could sell it for a great lizard or turtle tank and put that money into a new tank.

 

[McMullen]

I know less than nothing about tank design/building.

Is it possible to cut the seam, take apart the glass and rebuild. This would ensure new silicone and you could add center bracing and euro bracing if needed. Just a thought.....sorry if this detracts.....

 

[acer]

nope - I am basically thinking that will be necessary if I use this tank at all. Went to a local store today and told them about the situation and will be taking pics tomorrow and sending them to him and he will make an offer. I will then use that cash to buy a properly safe tank setup.

 

[McMullen]

Sure hope it works out!

 

[fab]

Acer,
Don't beat yourself up too much. I've done worse than what you did and recovered from it. ...Starfire tank, much larger, pretty painful ... Had to replace it just like you. We learn!

Good news is I replaced it with a beautiful tank, extremely well built.

Btw, my tank has a thick pvc material for its bottom panel instead of glass. It is fantastic. It eliminates concerns of breakage from rock avalanches and small imperfections on the surface it is mounted on.

Consider that when you are buying your replacement tank.

 

[acer]

hmmm... never thought about that - where did you buy it? The local store, the one that may buy the tank I am talking about on this thread, had a "hybrid" display tank that was about 40 long x 30 high x 30 deep - it had a plexiglass cream colored bottom ( no sand on the bottom) , and was euro-braced on top all around it with one piece clear 1/2 inch thick acrylic slab with the center cut out of it. It looked great, and because the bottom is not glass- no issue with rock like you said, and because its opaque you cant see dendritus as much. .

 

[fab]

hmmm... never thought about that - where did you buy it?...
...It looked great, and because the bottom is not glass- no issue with rock like you said, and because its opaque you cant see dendritus as much. .

Absolutely. Great bottom. Mine is dark grey.

It is a custom tank, built by AGE in Garland, Texas. I believe this bottom to is now their standard.

 

[acer]

Probably too costly for me. but I will check it out. thanks for the comment and info.