Need Some Help

[DiscusKeeper403]

Hi,


I am considering building a bigger fish tank for my Discus. Dimensions would be 36X24X60 (LXWXH in Inches.) roughly 225 gallons. I plan on using acrylic, as I hear it weighs less. I have worked out my tank weighing approx. 2,000 lbs give or take a few. This is with aprrox. 25 lbs of gravel. This is without the weight of the acrylic added. How much do you think the tank will weigh including the acrylic? I believe I would need to contact a contractor, as my tank is on the second flour of an apartment. Better to be safe then sorry right? Would you guys worry about weight?


Anything else I need to know? I will look up a little more on actually building the tank, but I have knowledge on applying the silicone and using clamps to keep it tight.


Thanks,

Connor

 

[squeakytoy]

wow...... wow. ambitious to say the least.

First of all, you will most likely need to reinforce the floor. you are talking ballpark 350+ pounds per square foot over a 3 foot by 2 foot area. Pretty high concentration of weight for a second floor, would be my guess, kinda like standing a small car up on it's bumper in your bedroom. Next would be the acrylic. Height drives the thickness, and a 5 ft column would need something like 3/4" thick glass, I dont know what that would translate to in Acrylic.. Might start to get a bit pricey there.

 

[Colin_T]

Is that the correct size for the tank 36X24X60 (LXWXH in Inches.)? It just seems a bit high and not long enough. Most people go for a tank that is 60 long x 36 wide or high.
Fish also prefer to swim left to right, not up and down.
If you have a tank that is more than 30inches high you will have trouble cleaning it. You can't use an algae magnet on acrylic/ perspex.
Acrylic needs a special glue to join it and silicon won't work.
When you get a big tank made of acrylic it weighs nearly as much as glass and cost about 3 times the price.
Have you thought about just getting a glass tank that is 6ft long x 30inches wide x 30inches high. It will be cheaper and provide more swimming room for the fish.

Before you invest in the tank get a structural engineer out to check the floors in the building.

 

[squeakytoy]

Thinking about it, maybe a cylinder, instead of a rectangle... Less stresses on seams... And as far as going with magnets on thicker acrylics, just get a pair rare earth magnets and "supercharge" your cleaner.

 

[spesh]

http/www.garf.org/tank/buildtank.asp


You may find that useful although it insists that 30" is the maximum height for an acrylic tank

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Is that the correct size for the tank 36X24X60 (LXWXH in Inches.)? It just seems a bit high and not long enough. Most people go for a tank that is 60 long x 36 wide or high.
Fish also prefer to swim left to right, not up and down.
If you have a tank that is more than 30inches high you will have trouble cleaning it. You can't use an algae magnet on acrylic/ perspex.
Acrylic needs a special glue to join it and silicon won't work.
When you get a big tank made of acrylic it weighs nearly as much as glass and cost about 3 times the price.
Have you thought about just getting a glass tank that is 6ft long x 30inches wide x 30inches high. It will be cheaper and provide more swimming room for the fish.

Before you invest in the tank get a structural engineer out to check the floors in the building.

Well it is for Discus.

Okay, well I found another place to put the tank and changed the dimensions of completely. Although I do not think I will have room for a 6 foot, I could do a 5 foot.

How about a 60X24X24 (5X2X2 FT.) works out to be approx. 150 gallons.

Works out to be about 1400 lbs. Still need enforcement? I was doing some reading and hear that if you put them over supporting beams they can normally hold the tank with no problems (to an extent.) I know another person on the second floor has a 125g tank for his Talapia.

Thank for the link. Would you suggest building this tank out of acrylic instead of glass?

 

[Colin_T]

a 5ft long x 2ft wide x 2ft high tank is fine for discus

it's always a good idea to get a wooden floor checked before anything heavy goes on it. It is preferable to have the tank located above some support beams as this is the strongest part of the floor.

Acrylic tanks should only be used for weird shapes. Normal shapes and sizes of tanks are fine in glass. The glass is less likely to scratch and much cheaper to buy. However, if price is no option then you can get acrylic if you prefer.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

a 5ft long x 2ft wide x 2ft high tank is fine for discus

it's always a good idea to get a wooden floor checked before anything heavy goes on it. It is preferable to have the tank located above some support beams as this is the strongest part of the floor.

Acrylic tanks should only be used for weird shapes. Normal shapes and sizes of tanks are fine in glass. The glass is less likely to scratch and much cheaper to buy. However, if price is no option then you can get acrylic if you prefer.

Well if you think glass isn't going to weigh too much more then I will use it. I will have a chat with the landlord and see what he thinks about the weight.

Thanks again for the help!

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

I was reading the instructions on the link spesh provided, and I had a few questions:


What does this mean? "After the silicone has cured, it is time to add the glass to the top. This piece of glass makes the sides stronger so the glass does not bow when the tank is filled.".

Are they talking about those black bracers regular tanks have, only made out of glass??


Also, they say you are supposed to get 1/4" wooden dowels. How many?

"Cut the 1/4 inch dowels slightly shorter than the length of the bottom. Place the dowels under the bottom piece of glass."


What exactly am I doing here??

 

[squeakytoy]

"Are they talking about those black bracers regular tanks have, only made out of glass??"

I think so, that was the impression I got after about 10-15 reads...

"get 1/4" wooden dowels. How many?"

These are used as spacers to give you the right elevation on the glass, rather than trying to measure and hold everything as it is glued and while it dries. You will want one about an inch or so in from each seam, as well as a few across the middle (think of an "x" pattern maybe) to keep the bottom somewhat level.

 

[Colin_T]

I was reading the instructions on the link spesh provided, and I had a few questions:
What does this mean? "After the silicone has cured, it is time to add the glass to the top. This piece of glass makes the sides stronger so the glass does not bow when the tank is filled".
Are they talking about those black bracers regular tanks have, only made out of glass??

I’m not sure what colour the braces are over there but here we use the same clear glass for braces and support strips.
Basically the tank should be left to dry for 24 hours (or more) before you stick the support strips on. This prevents the glass from moving/ twisting when you move the tank. When you glue the support strips on you usually lie the tank on its side, glue one strip on and leave it to dry for a day. Then turn the tank over and glue the other strip on. 24 hours later you turn the tank up the normal way and glue the cross members in place.
The support strips are the thin bits of glass that run the length of the tank near the top. They are about 1-2 inches wide and are used to hold the cross members. The cross members are about 4 inches wide and run from the front to the back of the tank. There are usually one or two cross members spaced out evenly on the top.
A 3 or 4ft tank will normally have 1 cross member. A 5 or 6ft tank will have 2 cross members.

Also, they say you are supposed to get 1/4" wooden dowels. How many?
"Cut the 1/4 inch dowels slightly shorter than the length of the bottom. Place the dowels under the bottom piece of glass."
What exactly am I doing here??

I’m not sure about dowels and why they use them for tank building. The only reason I could think of is so the tank isn’t sitting on the floor. The floor could be slightly uneven and could prevent the tank being made square. The dowels might be used to lift the tank slightly off the floor so the seams line up and the bottom doesn’t end up bowed in or out. We use thin blocks of wood (70x10mm pine) for this purpose and we have them under the corners or ends of the tank. Basically use a length of wood that is a couple of inches wider than the tank. Put a length of wood under each end of the base. Then glue the sides on. The short and long sides should rest on the bits of wood when it is being made.

Re: the statement about cut the 1/4in dowels slightly shorter than the length of the bottom. I would question that and use dowel that is longer than the base so it supports the sides when they are glued on. Better still use some flat wood so the tank doesn’t roll.

The other reason to have some wood under the tank is to make it a bit easier to pick the tank up when it is made. But that isn’t too difficult unless the tank is big.

 

[squeakytoy]

just to clarify, the dowels are a temporary measure so that you dont have to try and measure a 1/4" while trying to glue up. Once the tank is glued up, and fully cured, you just brush them off. They are only a construction aid, not a permanent part.

they do this type of thing when installing laminate / floating floors. They will place pieces of dowel, 2 inches or so tall, around the wall to make sure that they have the appropriate gap between the flooring and the wall.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Thanks for the replies so far. I am pretty sure that I now get what the dowels are used for. I'll also double check that the space I am bulding the tank on is even. Still not so sure about the bracers. You guys are doing a really good job explaining but I am more of a visual person when it comes to learning. I'll have to look for some pictures. I am still pretty sure they are the black finishes on the top and bottom of the tank, that surround the whole thing. ??



Anyways, I will start building in about a week or so. Waiting till' I get paid.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

http/www.blavish.com/wp-content/uploads/...nk-12-13-06.jpg


Bad aquarium I know, but just using it as an example. Are those black things at the top and bottom the bracers you guys are talking about?

 

[Colin_T]

No the black plastic thing on small tanks is for decoration and does very little to support it. The pic below shows a typical tank from above.
The support strips (in yellow) are about 1-2inches wide and run the length of the tank.
The cross member (in green) is about 4inches wide and goes from the front to the back of the tank. It sits on the supports strips and is glued to them and to the sides of the tank. You normally have 1 cross member on 3 or 4ft tanks, and 2 cross members for a 5 or 6ft tank.
The support strips on the edges (in pink) can be used if you want. They are generally the same width as the long support strips and are glued on them the same as a cross member is.