Help!!

[bigred]

have this perfect place for a tank I have always wanted [blocked off doorway] in dinning room in dark corner Trouble is Iwould really like to have a 85cm x 85cm x37cm deep tank Im I looking at the impossible Ive looked at building my own I have seen tanks like this before when I have just been looking around shops with displays when I was just dreaming of this hobby Now the time has come to realise the dream it seams impossible any imformation would be so appreciated

 

[Davy Reynolds]

Sorry I've moved this cos the newbie forum is not for questions

 

[Davy Reynolds]

We've debated this b4 and everyone at that time was of the opinion not to build tanks. There to much hassle
There area plenty of shops which will make custom tanks for you. Wharf Aquatics is one of them. Maybe some of our fruther south members will point to some nearer shops.

I've hunted for the old topic but can't find it. someone please point it out

 

[William]

It was in the diy section:

http/fish.orbust.net/cgi-bin....=16;t=4

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[Dragonslair]

Sounds an impressive size bigred. Have you thought about the weight of the eventual tank? Is it going to be sited on a preformed stand, an iron stand, Contiboard or another type of material. Then where under the blocked doorway are you going to site it. Is it going to stand on floorboards or a concrete floor. If it's floorboards have you found out where the load bearing joice beams run. If the tank is too heavy for the floorboard, you could find that you wake up one morning with a hole in the floor where your tank once stood. You don't say if your dining room is upstairs or on the ground floor. If it is upstairs you will definitely need to locate the loadbearers. The other point of the tank being in a dark corner. You do realise that if it is in a dark corner you will need to keep your light on a lot longer. If you have plants(real) you will need at least 10 hours of light per day. So you're going to need a timer to control lighting. If you don't bother with regular lighting and only switch it on when you want to see the tank, you will encounter all sorts of problems. Your inhabitants will suffer. I know this is your dream tank and it is lovely to have a dream, but don't you think that a purpose built tank, and there are hundreds to suit all budgets and all tastes would be more practicable.

 

[Great Lakes]

I don't mean to contradict the Dragon, but I must. The size you are referring to will work out to about 70 gallons, or about 650 to 700 pounds when you are done. This is not real excessive as long as you have a stand with a base that applies even pressure all along the perimeter where it meets the floor. A stand with just four legs on it would have heavy pressure points.

 One of my tanks is very close to what you are looking for. It is a 65 gallon All Glass brand. It is 91 x 61 x 40cm. I even had this in a mobile home with no damage, it is on a good stand.
Also, a good stand for a larger tank is a good investment. It gives you a place to put all your equipment and drygoods.

 And remember, before you start, now is your opportunity to get the largest tank you can, you won't regret it.

 And to help you with livestock decisions, this size tank would allow you to keep about 60 to 70 inches of ADULT fish, remember, they grow
And try not to stock more than about half at once, less if you can be patient.

 

[adeyc]

Pete's the man to give you the info you want, he's not to far from you.
best bet though is asking any of the lfs in your area if they can't supply the size your looking for they should no someone that can. I'd give you a couple of phone numbers but Glasgow is a bit far away to be practical.

 

[Dragonslair]

There's no contridiction Great Lakes, and no offence taken. I just wanted to point out the weight consideration in "70 gallon tank". My brother in law had a tank in his bedroom a while ago. It was a homemade round table style tank. The aquarium was the feature of the table and it had a glass top so you could see into it.(you could also place your cups etc on top also) It was rested on a bed of 2" polystyrene. It looked really awesome until one day he noticed a small crack on the side. It was repaired and the tank was refilled etc. Weeks went by and nothing more happened until one day when they were out.The tank collasped through their floor boards and caused a heck of a mess as you can imagine. This was only an illustration of what could happen on an unsupported floor with too much weight.

 

[Great Lakes]

Point taken Dragonfriend.

 

[William]

Interesting point. I believe a british gallon is bigger (and better of course ) to an American gallon.

 

[Davy Reynolds]

Yip.
American Gallon is 3.84 liters
UK Gallon is 4.8 liters

 

[Tatya]

Not everything Stateside is bigger

 

[Great Lakes]

:laugh: