New Tank

[Zikofski]

Hello,

I am thinking about building a new Tank without a cabinet i am thinking of minimum 250L

any recommendations or tips anyone can help me with

i am looking forward to this little project i will post pictures if i go ahead with it

Thank you

 

[Tizer]

make sure its water tight

pro tip yo

 

[Zikofski]

make sure its water tight

pro tip yo

yes thank you for that lol little update:

my tank size will be
48" long
16" deep
20" tall

Maybe 25" tall as mite be getting more angels

my glass thickness i have calculated to be around 15mm thick with safety margin

going to speak to a few glass cutters over the next few weeks to see how much that will cost

and regards sealing from what i have researched normal aquatic sealant will stick and is waterproof anyone who has a 400L plus tank let me know if its just held together with sealant of is there something like a brace on the side to help

i also know about the brace along the top on the inside and i am thinking on putting a brace across the top inside this will house the lights,

another question to the experts, would it be gd for the tank to have a glass or wood lid? what would look better? i know angels are prone to jumping

thank you all that help any tips and pointers are helpful this is in planning stage so if there are anything you see wrong please tell me

 

[Tizer]

15mm is mental, you only need 8mm max, my 5 footer is 8mm and 425 litres. braced.

 

[fluttermoth]

My ex used to build tanks, and I remember a couple of things.

Get the glazier to grind the edges of the glass for you so you've got no sharp edges.

You need to 'glue' the tank twice; once to stick it together; you'll probably need a second person for this bit, to help you hold the pieces square while you tape them after they've been siliconed, as silicone doesn't stick very firmly to start with.

Once you've stuck it all together and the silicone has set, you run a bead around the inside to seal it. It's well worth taking the time to mask a 'border' for the sealant to give you a nice edge. An old credit card is good for smoothing the silicone and pushing it well into the joint.

 

[Zikofski]

15mm is mental, you only need 8mm max, my 5 footer is 8mm and 425 litres. braced.

aah okay our current 85L tank is 6mm and feels quite flimsy i was going to use toughned glass too make any difference i dont know so if you say 8 i mite go with 10mm just ot be sure last thing i want is 400L of water in our dining room haha

sorry do you know what type of glass you tank is made from?

My ex used to build tanks, and I remember a couple of things.

Get the glazier to grind the edges of the glass for you so you've got no sharp edges.

You need to 'glue' the tank twice; once to stick it together; you'll probably need a second person for this bit, to help you hold the pieces square while you tape them after they've been siliconed, as silicone doesn't stick very firmly to start with.

Once you've stuck it all together and the silicone has set, you run a bead around the inside to seal it. It's well worth taking the time to mask a 'border' for the sealant to give you a nice edge. An old credit card is good for smoothing the silicone and pushing it well into the joint.

okay 2 steps of silicone is new but gd idea, yes i was going to masking tape the thing to shreds and put spacers between the glass like 1mm thick card or something like that to squeze the silicone in yes i was going ot use a wet finger to spead the silicone on the inside but credit card would work well knowing me i will over silicone just to be sure i am not overal fused at how it looks just as long it dont leak or fall apart

and yes was going to get them to round the edges of if that was to expensive i was going to do it myself with some sand paper

 

[Tizer]

most tanks are made of float glass and yes wet finger with saliva is usually best for silicone, god knows i've sealed enough bathrooms or you can use washing up liquid in a bit of water to wet your finger, stops it sticking too much to your own hand.

 

[Zikofski]

Okay thnx all I have decided to leave the tank build to my lfs gone with 54" by 19" and I think I will go with 20" tall

I have also bought:

1 x tetratek EX 1200
1 x fluval E heater 300W
1 x Arcadia Ultraseal Double T5 Electronic Controller 54W

And I have decided to go for sand instead of gravel will get that when I pick up tank looks like it will be ready after Xmas