Custom Build Glass Tank - QUESTIONS

[Tony7781]

Hey All! I'm a newbie and was going to pick up a used tank today to realize after a 2 hour drive it was tempered glass and different dimensions then initially stated. On my ride home I remembered my brother in laws best friend owns a glass shop, so I want to ask him to build me a tank. I have some questions before I even ask him to do this that I'm hoping you fine people can help me with! Thanks in advance!

I want the tank dimensions to be 7ft x 2ft x 2ft (210 gallons) which seems to be a proper size for a nice reef tank.

1- Other then the glass not being tempered, is there any other requirements or specs needed for the glass itself?
2- What is the ideal glass thickness (1/2", 3/4" etc.)?
3- When constructing the tank, do the panes have specific locations? For instance, should the 2 smallest end pieces be glued inside the longer panes?
4- I'm sure I will have to provide him with Aquarium safe sealant. Since we'll be using the silicone for the construction of the tank, are there any preferred brands or types out there for this purpose?
5- Can the tank be made frame-less? If not, any recommendations on how to make a frame for it? His company makes windows and doors and stuff so i'm sure he may have a solution, just wanted to see your thoughts!
6- Are there any other things I should be thinking about that I missed?

 

[stAlphonzo]

I want the tank dimensions to be 7ft x 2ft x 2ft (210 gallons) which seems to be a proper size for a nice reef tank.
1- Other then the glass not being tempered, is there any other requirements or specs needed for the glass itself?

I don't know if you need to have all the glass non-tempered. Only the pieces you want to drill require that.

2- What is the ideal glass thickness (1/2", 3/4" etc.)?

I have used this calculator in the past, which seems correct.
http://www.garf.org/tank/buildtank.asp

3- When constructing the tank, do the panes have specific locations? For instance, should the 2 smallest end pieces be glued inside the longer panes?

On my glass tank, the side pieces are inside the the front/back pieces. I believe this is standard practice.

4- I'm sure I will have to provide him with Aquarium safe sealant. Since we'll be using the silicone for the construction of the tank, are there any preferred brands or types out there for this purpose?

I don't know about specific sealants but just make sure it's reef safe. I believe that means anything that is food grade should do, but hopefully someone else will correct me if I'm wrong on that.

You will need to brace the tank on the top, but I'm not sure what you mean by a 'frame'. I think it does not need any plastic or wood around the edge, like an aqueon tank.

Hope this helps some.

 

[Tony7781]

I didn't think about that, I only need the back panel to be non-tempered. I'm sure it's better to have tempered vs non-tempered for safety? I just read that people make the bottoms for reef tanks by using one large piece of glass then attaching another smaller pane on top (edges are cut to the diameter of glass being used which creates a channel to put the side panes in and makes the bottom that much stronger. That looked to make alot of sense, have you heard about that?

I don't know if you need to have all the glass non-tempered. Only the pieces you want to drill require that.



I have used this calculator in the past, which seems correct.
http://www.garf.org/tank/buildtank.asp



On my glass tank, the side pieces are inside the the front/back pieces. I believe this is standard practice.



I don't know about specific sealants but just make sure it's reef safe. I believe that means anything that is food grade should do, but hopefully someone else will correct me if I'm wrong on that.

You will need to brace the tank on the top, but I'm not sure what you mean by a 'frame'. I think it does not need any plastic or wood around the edge, like an aqueon tank.

Hope this helps some.

 

[Tony7781]

That site for aquarium building is awesome, thanks for that!

 

[stAlphonzo]

I didn't think about that, I only need the back panel to be non-tempered. I'm sure it's better to have tempered vs non-tempered for safety? I just read that people make the bottoms for reef tanks by using one large piece of glass then attaching another smaller pane on top (edges are cut to the diameter of glass being used which creates a channel to put the side panes in and makes the bottom that much stronger. That looked to make alot of sense, have you heard about that?

I haven't heard of that, but it sounds pretty cool. Hopefully someone with more build experience comes along to fill in some details. Yeah, the garf site is cool, glad that helped!

 

[Antics]

You can look into using pieces of glass to frame (brace) it which will be described as eurobracing on aquarium/reefing forums. Since you're building the aquarium and probably have a decent relationship with the owner I would talk to him about your ideal dimensions. For example, cost wise you might be able to get an 8 foot tank for the same/similar price as the 7 foot due to glass sheet sizing etc. I'm not sure if you're set on 7 foot for any specific reason.

 

[Tony7781]

I'm not dead set on 7ft, bit that's a great point that I will check out, thanks!

You can look into using pieces of glass to frame (brace) it which will be described as eurobracing on aquarium/reefing forums. Since you're building the aquarium and probably have a decent relationship with the owner I would talk to him about your ideal dimensions. For example, cost wise you might be able to get an 8 foot tank for the same/similar price as the 7 foot due to glass sheet sizing etc. I'm not sure if you're set on 7 foot for any specific reason.

 

[ca1ore]

Not sure a tank that size is a good one to learn on. Find a place with actual experience building large tanks.

 

[Tony7781]

Why isnt this a good size tank to start on?

 

[1stNoel]

Smaller tank = less expensive mistakes. Learn the ropes with a smaller tank. You can always upgrade later.

 

[dantimdad]

I have to agree with that being a very large tank for your first build. However, if you can get someone who has experience to take the lead and you help so you can learn, then go for it!

I have built and rebuilt many, many tanks in my day. I have had one fail. That was enough for me to make sure I used a bottom eurobrace on anything all glass larger than 100 gallons. It makes the tank way, way stronger.

I use this silicone:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EZB1QQ2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I won't use anything else now on structural stuff. It is really strong and nearly transparent. I can't recommend it enough.

If you need tips, let me know. I am here to help.

 

[Tony7781]

Although I am new to reefing, I'm not new to this world. My whole life I have built and maintained my own cichlid tanks, used to breed 10 different species of snakes and used to have a small business of building and maintaining poison dart frog tanks. I know I am going to love reefing and don't want to waste time with a smaller tank if I have the space to put a larger one. I appreciate the concern but I think this size will do me well. I am going to call around to a few per shots to see what they would charge for a new 210.

 

[dantimdad]

Although I am new to reefing, I'm not new to this world. My whole life I have built and maintained my own cichlid tanks, used to breed 10 different species of snakes and used to have a small business of building and maintaining poison dart frog tanks. I know I am going to love reefing and don't want to waste time with a smaller tank if I have the space to put a larger one. I appreciate the concern but I think this size will do me well. I am going to call around to a few per shots to see what they would charge for a new 210.

Didnt realize that.

I hope you enjoy it. It really can be a rewarding hobby.

 

[ca1ore]

Why isnt this a good size tank to start on?

Bigger tanks must endure greater stresses and make a heck of a mess if they fail. While you may be an experienced fish keeper, your original questions seem very basic to me. I've been keeping large tanks for over 3 decades and I'd not attempt to build a glass tank (though I have and would again build a plywood tank). It's not a trivial engineering undertaking. Silicones are not all created equally, and application requires high levels of precision. Not saying a novice cannot do it, just that I'd not recommend it ...... and certainly would not do it myself.

 

[Tony7781]

Thank you all, I appreciate the help. After talking to my brother in laws friend, I'm not too excited to have him build me a vessel to hold tons of water for the first time in his career. I think I'm better off just buying a used or a new one and starting that way. This way I can eliminate those potential problems. I do think we can do it, but I'd rather not find that out right now...lol So back to the classifieds!

 

[Dj City]

I need to watch this thread.