Weight Of Tank

[IonaMcCluskey]

i wonder if anyone can help me please?
i'm planning a new tank and have to get a unit built to put it on, i will have to give the joiner a rough idea of how much weight the unit will have to be able to hold.
i've figured out the contents of the tank ie. water, rocks and substrate, should be no more than about 1000kg (best to over estimate) but i have no idea how much the tank itself might weigh.
 
the dimensions of the tank would be 84"x30"x20" and would be built in 12mm glass. all help and advice appreciated, thanks

 

[DrRob]

12mm float glass weighs about 30kg per square meter.

 

[IonaMcCluskey]

thank you

does the opti white glass weigh the same? i'm not too sure exactly what glass he'll use but he is a proffesional tank builder so it will be the right stuff for fish tanks.
 
i'll need to go and get the measureing tape out and start convertions and sums lol

 
so if i've done the sums right it should be about 120kg, does this sound about right?

 

[Ch4rlie]

Good luck with that project, sounds interesting!
 
People are always surprised when they ask how heavy my tank is, i say, well water weighs roughly about a kilo per litre, so 90 litre tank equals roughly 90 kilos, add gravel/substrate and decor, plants, fish, light hood, etc etc etc 
 
Pics and updates would be good!  

 

[IonaMcCluskey]

thanks charlie
think i'm gona do a journal when it finally gets under way coz i'll just be bursting wi excitement
it's still a few months away before i really get started on it but i've got a joiner coming on the 29th for another job, so i'll see if he fancies building the unit. then i'll need to redecorate before i get the tank coz there's no way i'll be able to shift it once it's built.
it's an 826ltr according to the calc on here, i know i already have 25kg of gravel in the bottom of the present tank and will prob need about the same again to do the bigger one so there's another 50kg. i like a lot of rocks and pebbles too
if i've calculated the weight of the tank right that brings me to 996kg plus rocks, so i might just tell him 1200kg, that should see me safe hopefully

 

[Ch4rlie]

Wow!

Sounds excellent!

Ooh, I do envy you, wish had the space and money to do a similar project!

Very exciting and when you get started in near future please let us know and post pics too!

 

[IonaMcCluskey]

i'll prob put it in the freshwater journals under the title of goldie upgrade
 
it's gona be a once in a lifetime project and once it's done i wont have much space left lol, as for the cost it'll be done in drips and drabs which will spread that a bit

 

[eaglesaquarium]

thank you

does the opti white glass weigh the same? i'm not too sure exactly what glass he'll use but he is a proffesional tank builder so it will be the right stuff for fish tanks.
 
i'll need to go and get the measureing tape out and start convertions and sums lol

 
so if i've done the sums right it should be about 120kg, does this sound about right?

 
If you are having a builder build the tank, I bet he'd know exactly how much it will weigh.

 

[IonaMcCluskey]

yeah, i thought so too, but unfortunately they have not got back to me about this. don't think they are too chuffed that i'm not buying the standing unit from them aswell but i'm going for a competely different style from what they supply this time.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

They should be grateful for the business... providing good quality customer service will make you more likely to recommend them to friends, or to use them again.

 

[IonaMcCluskey]

this would be the 6th tank i've bought off them because the workmanship on the tanks is excellent. however i think i have just become a cash cow to be milked in her eyes, i've noticed a few discrepiencies in prices. this tank is already costing 118 quid more than the same tank cost someone else. i think the immediate chance of getting extra money from someone instead of a possible chance of getting money in the future distorts her judgement.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Here is the best I can offer. Its from my AllGlass booklet. A 180 gal tank. which measures 72.5 x 24.5 x 25.63 inches weighs 338 lbs empty.
 
In doing your calculations do not forget to account for the lids, the lights, any hood, and hang on filters plus the additional water they would hold etc. The real important part of the stand and its ability to support weight are in the diemensions, number and spacing of the vertical supports. Here is a 150 gal going onto a stand I built.
 

 
The tank sits on 2x4s on end, the supports are 2x6s with a 2x4 on each corner underneath the ends of the tank. The longest run of unsupported 2x4 is 25 inches. As you can see the stands are not finished but just the frame. I think your builder can go with 2x6s on edge and a combination of 2x6s and/or 4x4s as supports. I suggest you paint or otherwise seal all the wood against water damage. I tend to use exterior paint, usually the kind used for trim.
 
Also, members now know what I look like.......
 
from behind

 

[IonaMcCluskey]

thanks towtankamin

i think i may have went wrong with my calculations somewhere coz that 338 coverts to over 150kg. i did however forget to account for glass sliders, that may be where the difference comes in.
i'm going to move the big external filter over and just get an internal filter to make up the difference so that shouldn't add much weight. the lights don't weigh very much either, may even mount them on the wall and i'm going to go hoodless with this one.
that's a nice looking frame you've got there

i'm thinking of only going about 13inch high with the stand and i was going to go with 5 (even spaced) middle supports, which would work out about 16-17inch apart depending on width of wood used. i will be getting an angled panel on one end to avoid windowsill etc, so the angled panel would be the same length as the first gap between supports.
once the joiner builds the weight bearing frame i'm going to dress it with pine cladding then varnish it (i like the real wood look

)
thank you so much for your advice on this it has been really helpful

 
so the weight for the empty tank i now have is just over 213kg.
the combined hight and width of your tank is just slightly more than mine, so i divided it by 6 to give your weight (of tank lol ) per foot, then multiplied it by 7 to give a weight of 470.4lb which converted to just over 213kg.
think i'll tell the guy it's got to hold 1500kg, that should see me safe

 

[TwoTankAmin]

The most important thing about supporting a tank is that it gives complete support to the perimeter of the tank. The stand in that picture has three front to rear studs to insure the front and back rails do not bow but remain parallel. To can see a couple through the bottom glass in that picture.
 
When it comes to supports, you cannot go wrong by over doing it a bit. People do not realize that a piece of plywood on end can support a lot of weight.

 

[IonaMcCluskey]

i did see them and wondered what they were for coz i thought i had read the first post wrong. so you do in fact have the whole tank sitting on a rim of wood? my hearts in my mouth just thinking of it, i'd never sleep at night thinking the tank was buckeling. i think i would rather go with both the solid base and top.
i was thinking of trying to do a stand myself useing a 12inch wide conti on its side and chocolate blocks but i just don't trust myself and the out come, its a pretty big gamble