220gal Plywood/steel hybrid. Pull up a chair, this will take a while.

[kcress]

Starfire is just the Kleenex of the low iron glass world.

 

[AcroSteve]

Thanks for the help Wizmaster. And thanks for the complements.

And as far as 5/8 or 3/4 - see the previous post on" over doing things."

5/8 would be plenty, but 3/4 will give me more surfce area for the corner joint and will be stronger. I will not be going with tempered.

 

[radone]

Looking Great Steve!!

Can't wait to see this up and running, I'm sure it will be worth it in the end.

Yes, "over do" is Steve's middle name :lol:

 

[AcroSteve]

Up and running? Don't hold your breath yet.

:lol:


stop by sometime. You coming Saturday?

 

[slumpysix]

That is one beast of a saw...... great project.... what's the weight going to be on that tank?

 

[crázy clowntang]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13138275#post13138275 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wizsmaster
Low E means the iron content of the glass is less. It does not have the green tint to it, it's more clear.

Regular vs. Low E

thanks for the reply, so basically tempered is stronger than low iron glass, right? I just want to get enough information and make the right decision on witch glass to get. Also which one is more expensive? and wouldn't you want tempered glass when making a plywood tank 120"x48"x30"(which is what I am building)

 

[kcress]

Tempered glass is a pain. Skip it. You can never drill it. If it gets an accidental scratch it spontaneously shatters. Tank builders use it because they can get away with a slightly thinner piece and save some money over thousands of tanks.

Low iron glass is spectacularly clearer than regular glass. The picture of two pieces you have really doesn't do justice to the difference. If you see a regular tank outdoors it looks markedly green. Same tank in low iron looks like an empty frame.

I constantly wish my tanks were low iron as when I look down at my fish they have bright scintillating colors that are entirely absent while looking through the glass at them.

Low Iron glass is not as hard as regular glass.
On a scale of 1 to 10 if regular glass hardness would be 10 and acrylic 1 then low iron is probably something like 8. Still far better than acrylic in the scratch realm.

Your really long tank is going to be a problem getting glass for I bet. You should start now seeing what you can get.

 

[crázy clowntang]

Kcress, thanks for the advice. I was thinking that i would have to buy acrylic anyway 9'x 28" x 1 1/4" thick. Its not gonna be a reef tank its going to be an amazon tank with a couple arowanas, couple pacus, red tail cat fish, so I think I need glass/acrylic thick enough to sustain a hit from one of those monster fish. The only glass would be the front viewing panel so I am not worried about not being able to drill the glass.

 

[chriscobb]

What are the dimensions of the tank?

 

[crázy clowntang]

the dimensions of the tank are 10ft long by 4ft wide by 30inches tall. Have any ideas?

 

[crázy clowntang]

the dimensions of the tank are 10ft long by 4ft wide by 30inches tall. Have any ideas?

 

[Horace]

BTW, guys Low-E is not Low Iron (which is what starfire is). Low-E glass is for insulating. Low-E glass blocks more heat etc from coming through your windows from the sunlight, and thus will help on your energy bills if your windows are made of it. However, Low Iron is a whole different ball game. It is MUCH clearer than either Low-E or standard glass.

 

[kcress]

Horace good point!! I never noticed that mistake! Now I am wondering if those glass samples are really showing low iron or just low E. That would explain my "doesn't do justice" comment.

Low-E glass just has a coating on it.

 

[AcroSteve]

My tank dims are about 30x72 internal with a water level of about 25"

 

[virginiadiver69]

Steve, what kind of plywood are you using and why?
I looked through the thread for the answer so sorry if this has been covered already.
I'm planning a plywood build myself and am following yours with interest.

 

[JCTewks]

I think I remember reading that He is using 13ply baltic birch (correct me if I'm wrong or stupid Steve :lol: )

 

[AcroSteve]

Well, I was looking for the cheapest, smoothest plywood with the most plies I could find in 4x8 sheets. What I ended up with is birch plywood with between 11 and 13 plys.

Lower grade plywood has been used by others, but the surface is pretty rough and it tends to have more internal voids than a premium product.

 

[virginiadiver69]

If money were no object is this the same you would use? If someone were to say to you "Steve... tell me what kind of plywood you want to use for your tank and I'll have it delivered at no cost to you"... what would it be? I ask because considering the amount of money that gets put into toys and gadgets for this hobby, If I'm gonna build a 300+ gal woodie I'm not gonna skimp on the backbone. I get the impression that you know your way around carpentry and woodworking so your recommendation would mean a lot to me.

 

[JCTewks]

If money were no object 13ply baltic birch would be the way to go. That is a very high grade of plywood; there are no voids in the internal ply's, more ply's means more strength, and the 2 skin ply's are uniform and free of voids. The price has come down a bit lately, and the availability of 4x8 sheets has increased. It used to be difficult to find it in anything other thatn 5x5 and 5x10 sheets.

FWIW, 13ply baltic is the same thing used for highend PA speakers...we're talking about the huge arrays you see in arena's! Most top of the line kitchen and bath cabinets use it for the cabinet boxes as well

 

[scaryperson27]

You're a pretty crafty man!!