turningtim
Active Member
Boy that would be a task! A DIY bowfront!
You can do it PSU
Are you doing side panels on this monster?
You can do it PSU
Are you doing side panels on this monster?
How-To Build A 200g Glass Aquarium
- Thread starter psusocr1
- Start date
psusocr1
Active Member
clownfish4 Could you tell me how to make a 72 gallon bowfront fish tank so it will fit 40"
well unfortunatly you would have to order the bowed peice of glass unless you have an EXTREMELY hot, specialized kettle to heat and bend it yourself. other than that it wouldnt be hard at all.. But expensive because you would have to pay for all the crazy cuts needed, besides the bowed front piece.
now if working with acrylic, well that wouldnt be all that hard to do. you would have to order your sheet, carefully heat and bend..its a 2-3 person project but you would be able to do it and make it look good.(acrylic51 bends alot of acrylic im pretty sure) its pretty fun to bend but you have to practice alot so you dont overheat, blacken the acrylic or get stretch marks or distortion in it as well.
turningtim, Are you doing side panels on this monster?
if you mean viewing windows on the side?? nah i dont think so, although i might put a nice little 2x2 window on each side now that you mention it. Realistically though when you have 96 inches of viewing i dont think ill need anythign on the side...
PFitz44 what are they details too??
there some details to my 500 gallon
well unfortunatly you would have to order the bowed peice of glass unless you have an EXTREMELY hot, specialized kettle to heat and bend it yourself. other than that it wouldnt be hard at all.. But expensive because you would have to pay for all the crazy cuts needed, besides the bowed front piece.
now if working with acrylic, well that wouldnt be all that hard to do. you would have to order your sheet, carefully heat and bend..its a 2-3 person project but you would be able to do it and make it look good.(acrylic51 bends alot of acrylic im pretty sure) its pretty fun to bend but you have to practice alot so you dont overheat, blacken the acrylic or get stretch marks or distortion in it as well.
turningtim, Are you doing side panels on this monster?
if you mean viewing windows on the side?? nah i dont think so, although i might put a nice little 2x2 window on each side now that you mention it. Realistically though when you have 96 inches of viewing i dont think ill need anythign on the side...
PFitz44 what are they details too??
there some details to my 500 gallon
turningtim
Active Member
400? I came up with 471. Thats pretty tall. How would you reach the bottom if need be?
I think that would be a very COOL tank! I've been planning my little project (110 reef) for monthes and have changed things so many times.
You can never start planning to early! Glass or acrylic?
Way cool, Good Luck
Tim
I think that would be a very COOL tank! I've been planning my little project (110 reef) for monthes and have changed things so many times.
You can never start planning to early! Glass or acrylic?
Way cool, Good Luck
Tim
unleashed
Active Member
Originally Posted by PFitz44
Well, i think ive game up with dim for my 400 gallon.... what do u think???
84"x36"x36"???
Is that doable??? Were di du get ur material from so i can start getting a cost estimate??
I know this is gonna be a while down the road... but im all about planning!!
the cost of this tank is going to be alot i mean crazy amount.most maufactures and custom builders wount go that large in glass fo the simple reasoning of durabilty .glass tanks leave no room for mistakes whatsoever if just a small part of a seal fails or breaks loos you are in for a world of devistating tragety. not only water all over but fish in broken glass .the weight of this tank is going to be phanominal without the water and everything else.I have a 300 gal acryilc and it alone took 4 people to put it on the stand..
heer is a link i picked up a while back that might be usefull in building a tank that suits your liking http://www.duboisi.com/diy/BNdiytank/bndiytank.htm
good luck
Well, i think ive game up with dim for my 400 gallon.... what do u think???
84"x36"x36"???
Is that doable??? Were di du get ur material from so i can start getting a cost estimate??
I know this is gonna be a while down the road... but im all about planning!!
the cost of this tank is going to be alot i mean crazy amount.most maufactures and custom builders wount go that large in glass fo the simple reasoning of durabilty .glass tanks leave no room for mistakes whatsoever if just a small part of a seal fails or breaks loos you are in for a world of devistating tragety. not only water all over but fish in broken glass .the weight of this tank is going to be phanominal without the water and everything else.I have a 300 gal acryilc and it alone took 4 people to put it on the stand..
heer is a link i picked up a while back that might be usefull in building a tank that suits your liking http://www.duboisi.com/diy/BNdiytank/bndiytank.htm
good luck
bronco300
Active Member
out of curiosity i have a couple questions, hope you dont mind me asking...
i was reading a marine book and it talked about aquariums and different placement of the silcone....it had the normal glass against glass and sealant inbetween...but it also had it where the gladd you just touch the corners of each other, and the sealent would be on the outside making the corner......attached is a pic of the "norm" and then the "other" i'm talking about....also then, the third little drawing, when you put in sealant, do you put it on the inside corner as well??
i was reading a marine book and it talked about aquariums and different placement of the silcone....it had the normal glass against glass and sealant inbetween...but it also had it where the gladd you just touch the corners of each other, and the sealent would be on the outside making the corner......attached is a pic of the "norm" and then the "other" i'm talking about....also then, the third little drawing, when you put in sealant, do you put it on the inside corner as well??
turningtim
Active Member
Well I'm working on a tank thats 60" x 25" x 18" and I'll tell ya that a 1/2" glass panel at the size of the front and back is HEAVY! I can't imagine what a Glass tank that size would weigh. So just for shere weight I'd go acrylic. Even with that I would make sure what ever your placeing it on would be structally sound to handle the weight. Your looking at about 2 tons of water alone!
Don't get me wrong, It can be done and I would love to see it!
Tim
BTW Bronco I didn't see the pics?
Don't get me wrong, It can be done and I would love to see it!
Tim
BTW Bronco I didn't see the pics?
turningtim
Active Member
I don't really see how the "other" would hold very well. You want to place more than enough silicone on the edge of the glass so when you butt the two together it will smoosh out either end of the seam. The outside gets removed by razor and the inside while still wet gets finished with your finger (or tool) to make a fillet in the corner.
I'll tell you that once it dries its pretty amazing how strong the bond is! I took apart a 160 and cut the glass down for my tank. I have a couple more things to do and then I will post the progress.
HTH
Tim
I'll tell you that once it dries its pretty amazing how strong the bond is! I took apart a 160 and cut the glass down for my tank. I have a couple more things to do and then I will post the progress.
HTH
Tim
psusocr1
Active Member
84"x36"x36"???
OK first of all you cant build this out of just glass or acrylic by yourself.. 1. you never buitl a tank before this is not the size ot start with 2. if you wanted it to be all glass or acrylic you wouldnt save too much money because peopel would KILL you on acrylic prices.. glass wouldnt be that bad but like is aid i dont reccomend this.. 3. NOBODY should ever attaepmt to build anythign over 24 inches high when the length excedes 72 inches!! not unless your a proffesionall or know what your doing( i build alot of tanks, alot of large tanks and i would never go over 24 inmches high) UNLESS your building a plywood tank with glass or acrylic front. Then you can go as high as you want but only put a 24 inch high viewing window in it!! theres alot of factors that come into play when thinkign abotu building tanks.
UNLEASHED.....the cost of this tank is going to be alot i mean crazy amount.most maufactures and custom builders wount go that large in glass fo the simple reasoning of durabilty
i dont question the durability of glass at all at 1/2" but unleashed is right they would never build a tank that high and that logn as i said or if they did they would charge you copious amounts of money to do it! anddd 1/2" acrylic is soo expensive you have no clue what ytou would pay for those sheets!!!
TurningTIm....I can't imagine what a Glass tank that size would weigh.
as i told tim in an email that we exchanged i just order my piece of glass for my 500 gallon im building . It is 94x23 1/4 ...it is 1/2" and is soo heavy they would not let me come pick it up for safety reasons. I had to pay for a glass truck(those ones they fasten panels of glass to the outside of the truck) to deliver the sheet to my house!! they have a hydrolic arm on the truck that will lift it off and place it in my garage for me!!
BRONCO300
i would NEVER ever use the "other" way maybe on a 10 gallon but nothign over that! if you read my whole post you see how i siliconed mine together and its strong as hell as TIm said.. im a big kid and i tried with all my might to pull it apart and she wouldnt budge!!
OK first of all you cant build this out of just glass or acrylic by yourself.. 1. you never buitl a tank before this is not the size ot start with 2. if you wanted it to be all glass or acrylic you wouldnt save too much money because peopel would KILL you on acrylic prices.. glass wouldnt be that bad but like is aid i dont reccomend this.. 3. NOBODY should ever attaepmt to build anythign over 24 inches high when the length excedes 72 inches!! not unless your a proffesionall or know what your doing( i build alot of tanks, alot of large tanks and i would never go over 24 inmches high) UNLESS your building a plywood tank with glass or acrylic front. Then you can go as high as you want but only put a 24 inch high viewing window in it!! theres alot of factors that come into play when thinkign abotu building tanks.
UNLEASHED.....the cost of this tank is going to be alot i mean crazy amount.most maufactures and custom builders wount go that large in glass fo the simple reasoning of durabilty
i dont question the durability of glass at all at 1/2" but unleashed is right they would never build a tank that high and that logn as i said or if they did they would charge you copious amounts of money to do it! anddd 1/2" acrylic is soo expensive you have no clue what ytou would pay for those sheets!!!
TurningTIm....I can't imagine what a Glass tank that size would weigh.
as i told tim in an email that we exchanged i just order my piece of glass for my 500 gallon im building . It is 94x23 1/4 ...it is 1/2" and is soo heavy they would not let me come pick it up for safety reasons. I had to pay for a glass truck(those ones they fasten panels of glass to the outside of the truck) to deliver the sheet to my house!! they have a hydrolic arm on the truck that will lift it off and place it in my garage for me!!
BRONCO300
i would NEVER ever use the "other" way maybe on a 10 gallon but nothign over that! if you read my whole post you see how i siliconed mine together and its strong as hell as TIm said.. im a big kid and i tried with all my might to pull it apart and she wouldnt budge!!
psusocr1
Active Member
84"x36"x36"???
OK first of all you cant build this out of just glass or acrylic by yourself.. 1. you never built a tank before this is not the size to start with 2. if you wanted it to be all glass or acrylic you wouldn't save too much money because people would KILL you on acrylic prices.. glass wouldn't be that bad but like is aid i don't recommend this.. 3. NOBODY should ever attempt to build anything over 24 inches high when the length exceeds 72 inches!! not unless your a professionally or know what your doing( i build a lot of tanks, a lot of large tanks and i would never go over 24 inches high) UNLESS your building a plywood tank with glass or acrylic front. Then you can go as high as you want but only put a 24 inch high viewing window in it!! there's a lot of factors that come into play when thinking about building tanks.
UNLEASHED.....the cost of this tank is going to be a lot i mean crazy amount.most manufacturers and custom builders won't go that large in glass for the simple reasoning of durability
i don't question the durability of glass at all at 1/2" but unleashed is right they would never build a tank that high and that long as i said or if they did they would charge you copious amounts of money to do it! and 1/2" acrylic is soo expensive you have no clue what you would pay for those sheets!!!
TurningTIm....I can't imagine what a Glass tank that size would weigh.
as i told Tim in an email that we exchanged i just order my piece of glass for my 500 gallon I'm building . It is 94x23 1/4 ...it is 1/2" and is soo heavy they would not let me come pick it up for safety reasons. I had to pay for a glass truck(those ones they fasten panels of glass to the outside of the truck) to deliver the sheet to my house!! they have a hydraulic arm on the truck that will lift it off and place it in my garage for me!!
BRONCO300
i would NEVER ever use the "other" way maybe on a 10 gallon but nothing over that! if you read my whole post you see how i siliconed mine together and its strong as hell as Tim said.. I'm a big kid and i tried with all my might to pull it apart and she wouldn't budge!!
OK first of all you cant build this out of just glass or acrylic by yourself.. 1. you never built a tank before this is not the size to start with 2. if you wanted it to be all glass or acrylic you wouldn't save too much money because people would KILL you on acrylic prices.. glass wouldn't be that bad but like is aid i don't recommend this.. 3. NOBODY should ever attempt to build anything over 24 inches high when the length exceeds 72 inches!! not unless your a professionally or know what your doing( i build a lot of tanks, a lot of large tanks and i would never go over 24 inches high) UNLESS your building a plywood tank with glass or acrylic front. Then you can go as high as you want but only put a 24 inch high viewing window in it!! there's a lot of factors that come into play when thinking about building tanks.
UNLEASHED.....the cost of this tank is going to be a lot i mean crazy amount.most manufacturers and custom builders won't go that large in glass for the simple reasoning of durability
i don't question the durability of glass at all at 1/2" but unleashed is right they would never build a tank that high and that long as i said or if they did they would charge you copious amounts of money to do it! and 1/2" acrylic is soo expensive you have no clue what you would pay for those sheets!!!
TurningTIm....I can't imagine what a Glass tank that size would weigh.
as i told Tim in an email that we exchanged i just order my piece of glass for my 500 gallon I'm building . It is 94x23 1/4 ...it is 1/2" and is soo heavy they would not let me come pick it up for safety reasons. I had to pay for a glass truck(those ones they fasten panels of glass to the outside of the truck) to deliver the sheet to my house!! they have a hydraulic arm on the truck that will lift it off and place it in my garage for me!!
BRONCO300
i would NEVER ever use the "other" way maybe on a 10 gallon but nothing over that! if you read my whole post you see how i siliconed mine together and its strong as hell as Tim said.. I'm a big kid and i tried with all my might to pull it apart and she wouldn't budge!!
psusocr1
Active Member
84"x36"x36"???
OK first of all you cant build this out of just glass or acrylic by yourself.. 1. you never built a tank before this is not the size to start with 2. if you wanted it to be all glass or acrylic you wouldn't save too much money because people would KILL you on acrylic prices.. glass wouldn't be that bad but like is aid i don't recommend this.. 3. NOBODY should ever attempt to build anything over 24 inches high when the length exceeds 72 inches!! not unless your a professionally or know what your doing( i build a lot of tanks, a lot of large tanks and i would never go over 24 inches high) UNLESS your building a plywood tank with glass or acrylic front. Then you can go as high as you want but only put a 24 inch high viewing window in it!! there's a lot of factors that come into play when thinking about building tanks.
UNLEASHED.....the cost of this tank is going to be a lot i mean crazy amount.most manufacturers and custom builders won't go that large in glass for the simple reasoning of durability
i don't question the durability of glass at all at 1/2" but unleashed is right they would never build a tank that high and that long as i said or if they did they would charge you copious amounts of money to do it! and 1/2" acrylic is soo expensive you have no clue what you would pay for those sheets!!!
TurningTIm....I can't imagine what a Glass tank that size would weigh.
as i told Tim in an email that we exchanged i just order my piece of glass for my 500 gallon I'm building . It is 94x23 1/4 ...it is 1/2" and is soo heavy they would not let me come pick it up for safety reasons. I had to pay for a glass truck(those ones they fasten panels of glass to the outside of the truck) to deliver the sheet to my house!! they have a hydraulic arm on the truck that will lift it off and place it in my garage for me!!
BRONCO300
i would NEVER ever use the "other" way maybe on a 10 gallon but nothing over that! if you read my whole post you see how i siliconed mine together and its strong as hell as Tim said.. I'm a big kid and i tried with all my might to pull it apart and she wouldn't budge!!
anymore questions just keep asking!!
OK first of all you cant build this out of just glass or acrylic by yourself.. 1. you never built a tank before this is not the size to start with 2. if you wanted it to be all glass or acrylic you wouldn't save too much money because people would KILL you on acrylic prices.. glass wouldn't be that bad but like is aid i don't recommend this.. 3. NOBODY should ever attempt to build anything over 24 inches high when the length exceeds 72 inches!! not unless your a professionally or know what your doing( i build a lot of tanks, a lot of large tanks and i would never go over 24 inches high) UNLESS your building a plywood tank with glass or acrylic front. Then you can go as high as you want but only put a 24 inch high viewing window in it!! there's a lot of factors that come into play when thinking about building tanks.
UNLEASHED.....the cost of this tank is going to be a lot i mean crazy amount.most manufacturers and custom builders won't go that large in glass for the simple reasoning of durability
i don't question the durability of glass at all at 1/2" but unleashed is right they would never build a tank that high and that long as i said or if they did they would charge you copious amounts of money to do it! and 1/2" acrylic is soo expensive you have no clue what you would pay for those sheets!!!
TurningTIm....I can't imagine what a Glass tank that size would weigh.
as i told Tim in an email that we exchanged i just order my piece of glass for my 500 gallon I'm building . It is 94x23 1/4 ...it is 1/2" and is soo heavy they would not let me come pick it up for safety reasons. I had to pay for a glass truck(those ones they fasten panels of glass to the outside of the truck) to deliver the sheet to my house!! they have a hydraulic arm on the truck that will lift it off and place it in my garage for me!!
BRONCO300
i would NEVER ever use the "other" way maybe on a 10 gallon but nothing over that! if you read my whole post you see how i siliconed mine together and its strong as hell as Tim said.. I'm a big kid and i tried with all my might to pull it apart and she wouldn't budge!!
anymore questions just keep asking!!
turningtim
Active Member
Whats up with the triple post?
jerthunter
Active Member
Hi, I have a quick question, I just hope it wasn't already asked and that I missed it. Ok, So I was thinking about making a tank and I though of having glass for the front and sides and acrylic for the bottom and sides. I had wondered how this would work but this question was already answered. Since that isn't possible I am trying to think of someway to use something other then glass for the back and bottom. The main reason I am don't want to use glass for the back is for drilling. I am afraid that if holes are drilled in the glass for plumbing it will severly compromise the strength of the glass. Any advice for that? Now if I did drill the back glass with several holes for plumbing would it be of any benefit to sandwich the glass between two pieces of plywood or would that just make it even worse?
Thanks
Thanks
psusocr1
Active Member
you have alot of options. 1. you can def. drill the glass without compomising any of its strength. Although it depends on size and how big the holes would be. But iw ould just bump up the glass thickness regardless. (once again i need a size of the tank you want to build) Also you can build a tank like i am currently building with plywood and glass only on the front for the viewing window. However, if you never built a tank befroe you would have to do alot of research on plywood tanks and ask alot of questiosn so i can help you out. Its an easy project IF done right, but there are MANY things that can go wrong if you dont know what your doing.
the sandwich of plywood idea wouldn't work out , plus you would have to waterproof it anyway so you might as well just build a plywood tank with a glass or acrylic window in it.
also TurningTim is currently building a tank that he has drilled a few times, its really not hard to do with the right tools, just make sure it isnt tempered and you can drill all day!! so if you need help with that tim and I would be able to hellp ya out.(and i think there is a glass hole drilling thread on here somewhere as well where some guys did some nice work)
any other questions dont be afraid to ask!
the sandwich of plywood idea wouldn't work out , plus you would have to waterproof it anyway so you might as well just build a plywood tank with a glass or acrylic window in it.
also TurningTim is currently building a tank that he has drilled a few times, its really not hard to do with the right tools, just make sure it isnt tempered and you can drill all day!! so if you need help with that tim and I would be able to hellp ya out.(and i think there is a glass hole drilling thread on here somewhere as well where some guys did some nice work)
any other questions dont be afraid to ask!
jerthunter
Active Member
Thanks for the info. Right now I am just thinking ahead. I was going to build a smaller tank around 55 gal or so when I first wanted to start in this hobby but after looking around at glass thinknesses I gave up and just brought the 65 gal I have now. I want to get a bigger tank but since I live in an apartment I have to wait until I move. The first thing I want once I move is a tank atleast 125 gal but it could be up to even 250 gal. As far as the holes I would want to drill I don't know for sure how many yet but they would probably be 3/4 of an inch could be as low as 1/2 inch. I want to keep from having any powerheads so I would set up closed loop circulation. I figure when I do this I won't be doing any of the glass cutting or drilling but the rest of the process seems doable for me.
psusocr1
Active Member
well your def. on the right track by asking. As far as a tank that size(250) drilling holes for a close loop wouldnt be a problem at all,, since you would be using 1/2" glass or so, however it all depends how much your getting your glass for (i get mine cheap, some people dont) so i suggest the first thing you do is see how much that will run you. If you cannot get glass for cheap just get one large piece for the front and then build a plywood tank. let me know what your thoughts are!