Hello everyone,
I'm planning out my next upgrade and I'm wondering if what I have planned will hold up long term. Basically, I'm using an existing 180gal (72"x18"x30") custom tank and I'll be reworking it into different dimensions. The reason for doing this is the dimensions of the tank itself. I thought it was a standard 180gal (72"x24"x24") which is what I really wanted and is my dream tank until I move into a larger house, but upon arriving to pick the tank up, it was not a standard 180gal. Ultimately the seller was only asking $180 for tank and it was scratch free, so I couldn't really pass it up just because it wasn't quite the size I had wanted. However, I really don't like the idea of a tall and narrow tank, as 30" tall means I'll be putting on a snorkel and mask anytime I need to work on the bottom of the tank. Not to mention that 30 inches tall and only 18 inches deep means, not a whole lot of room for corals and a nice aquascape. There are also three fairly large holes on the back of the tank that I would need to either plug (which will not look very nice) or make into a closed loop setup and I'm not really sold on that idea yet. So its been sitting in my garage staring at me until I finish the upstairs remodel on my house, which I'm getting really close to being done with, Yay!
Then one day I came across a build thread here on R2R and it inspired me. So I did some math and I figured out that I can flip some of the panels around and with a few cuts I can do a shallow but wide build. The dimensions I'm thinking are 60"x30"x18" or 72"x30"x18". The reason I'm considering cutting off a foot from the length is that the overall cost for setup is reduced by quite a bit. I could get away with one less light fixture, I could go with a smaller skimmer, and I would need smaller/fewer wavemakers. Seeing as how I'm on a fairly tight budget, this would help me get the tank up and running much sooner which is ideal. On the flip side though, I really do want some larger tangs, like a powder brown and Achilles, so the six foot option would be my preference if I could find the budget for it. Now cutting wise, I'd actually be able to cut out the existing drilled holes in the back panel.
So my question here, the existing tank is 3/4" glass with an aluminum rim and bracing top and bottom of the aquarium. If I changed the dimensions could I get away with doing rimless? Or would I need to brace it with a euro brace or something? I'm not opposed to doing this, but I would have to end up buying extra glass from a local shop then.
I should also note, I work for a quartz, granite, and marble countertop company, and believe it or not, glass isn't that different to work with compared to some of the materials we work with. So for cutting I can lay the pieces down on the water jet table and cut them down that way. Also, all polishing pads for stone work on glass, so I'd be able to polish out the glass edges easily.
I'm planning out my next upgrade and I'm wondering if what I have planned will hold up long term. Basically, I'm using an existing 180gal (72"x18"x30") custom tank and I'll be reworking it into different dimensions. The reason for doing this is the dimensions of the tank itself. I thought it was a standard 180gal (72"x24"x24") which is what I really wanted and is my dream tank until I move into a larger house, but upon arriving to pick the tank up, it was not a standard 180gal. Ultimately the seller was only asking $180 for tank and it was scratch free, so I couldn't really pass it up just because it wasn't quite the size I had wanted. However, I really don't like the idea of a tall and narrow tank, as 30" tall means I'll be putting on a snorkel and mask anytime I need to work on the bottom of the tank. Not to mention that 30 inches tall and only 18 inches deep means, not a whole lot of room for corals and a nice aquascape. There are also three fairly large holes on the back of the tank that I would need to either plug (which will not look very nice) or make into a closed loop setup and I'm not really sold on that idea yet. So its been sitting in my garage staring at me until I finish the upstairs remodel on my house, which I'm getting really close to being done with, Yay!
Then one day I came across a build thread here on R2R and it inspired me. So I did some math and I figured out that I can flip some of the panels around and with a few cuts I can do a shallow but wide build. The dimensions I'm thinking are 60"x30"x18" or 72"x30"x18". The reason I'm considering cutting off a foot from the length is that the overall cost for setup is reduced by quite a bit. I could get away with one less light fixture, I could go with a smaller skimmer, and I would need smaller/fewer wavemakers. Seeing as how I'm on a fairly tight budget, this would help me get the tank up and running much sooner which is ideal. On the flip side though, I really do want some larger tangs, like a powder brown and Achilles, so the six foot option would be my preference if I could find the budget for it. Now cutting wise, I'd actually be able to cut out the existing drilled holes in the back panel.
So my question here, the existing tank is 3/4" glass with an aluminum rim and bracing top and bottom of the aquarium. If I changed the dimensions could I get away with doing rimless? Or would I need to brace it with a euro brace or something? I'm not opposed to doing this, but I would have to end up buying extra glass from a local shop then.
I should also note, I work for a quartz, granite, and marble countertop company, and believe it or not, glass isn't that different to work with compared to some of the materials we work with. So for cutting I can lay the pieces down on the water jet table and cut them down that way. Also, all polishing pads for stone work on glass, so I'd be able to polish out the glass edges easily.
