A few questions before I buy...

[afishfanatic]

Hello all,

My name is Dean and have had a 175 gallon bowfront up and running for the last 3-4 years. Before that, I had a DAS 70 gallon for 6 years. I am now ready to build a dream tank in the range of 300-400 gallons but have a lot of questions to answer beore I can go on.

First of all how thick? I am intersted in a glass tank of dimensions of 96"L x 28"D x 28"W. I have received a few quotes and have noticed that some builders will use 1/2" and some will not. So what does that tell me?

Next questions is about the stand. Does a tank of this size need to be made of tubular steel or is angled steel sufficient?

Another question I have is glass type. Assuming I go with a 1/2" glass, is it necessary to use Starfire? I have heard if you use 3/4" or thicker it makes a significant differnce, but not at 1/2".

Thanks a good start for now and thanks for the help.

 

[am3gross]

i cant answer any questions but i will say good luck! once you get it figured out and start the build take some pics along the way!

 

[Lightsluvr]

In my experience, most reputable builders will use 3/4" glass in that size tank. Considering you're holding back 2500 to 4000 pounds of water, who would trust 1/2" glass?
I recommend AGE (Acrylic & Glass Exhibits, Garland, TX) but I admit that I am prejudiced. I would suggest that you consider a 96" x 36" x 25" tank. More room for aquascaping and fish to swim, and not so deep that you can't reach the sandbed with just your arm...
Starphire is much more clear. That's what you are paying for...clarity. Whether or not to use it is a personal (an often financial) decision.
Lots of great build threads on this forum - check a few in the 300-400G range and you'll get tons of ideas and inspiration...just like I did.
Good luck.

LL

 

[afishfanatic]

In my experience, most reputable builders will use 3/4" glass in that size tank. Considering you're holding back 2500 to 4000 pounds of water, who would trust 1/2" glass?
I recommend AGE (Acrylic & Glass Exhibits, Garland, TX) but I admit that I am prejudiced. I would suggest that you consider a 96" x 36" x 25" tank. More room for aquascaping and fish to swim, and not so deep that you can't reach the sandbed with just your arm...

Well AGE is actually a company that quotes this tank in 1/2". As for the dimensions, I would love to go deeper front to back. But this is not going to be an in wall so I dont have room for the setup to come that far out in the room.


Anyone have builders they personally recomend or not?

 

[Frank Aguirre]

Miracles the clear choice

Miracles the clear choice

Well AGE is actually a company that quotes this tank in 1/2". As for the dimensions, I would love to go deeper front to back. But this is not going to be an in wall so I dont have room for the setup to come that far out in the room.


Anyone have builders they personally recomend or not?

Please before you do anything contact Derek Smith at Miracles Aquariums

Miracles is a sponsor here no worries he ships a lot to the States and beyond.

Miracles specializes in Starphire glass....

Good luck.

 

[afishfanatic]

Another question I have is can you run a tank this size without a closed loop? It will be a mixed reef, sps/lps. I do not want to run a chiller and would instead like to run fans only like I am doing right now. Will the return and a few Vortec's do the job?

 

[sfsuphysics]

Absolutely you can do it without a closed loop, I have a 48" x 36" x 24" tank and I run all my vortechs (3 of them) along the back wall. Nothing that says you need to run them on the sides of the tank, they key is to aquascape smart, and don't build a rock wall that requires a side to side flow.

 

[dahenley]

well, i purchased a used aquarium, 96 x 24 x 24 (240gal) it is a DAS tank, and it is made of 1/2 in glass. it has the DAS style bracing on the top

it did not come with a closed loop, and being in college, i couldnt afford to purchase the things necessary to do one. what i did do, is use a reeflo dart (3600) pump and ran a series of loc-line on the top of the display so that i could point and direct the flow.

i use a few maxi-jets with the surflow mods to hit the dead areas and add a little more flow and love them. i would like to use or own some tunze or vortecs but money is an object for me :lolspin:
at a LFS, they have oceanic tanks and they are made of 3/4 glass with no top bracing.(i think they are 7ft long tanks) they also have longer tanks, i think 8ft or longer, and they have a wide center brace. (not sure what the thickness is on those) (i am not sure if they are 24in tall, but they are nice tanks.) i think that the glass thickness will depend on what type of bracing you plan to use. i hope this helps

 

[dahenley]

oh, and as far as stands go, mine came with a oak-plywood stand. it works great.

(this is before we were done with the install and before we were done with the room)
if you are doing a inwall then it is up to you. if there is room behind the tank like a fish room, i would do a steal stand. that way you can access the sump or use it for misc other things. if you have a brick wall behind the stand like mine, then it is totally up to you. mine is wood and looks good with everything (now that it is finished)

 

[serpentman]

Assuming its properly braced, glass thickness is usually a function of overall height more than anything. In other words, tank height exerts more pressure than width. With that being said, if you plan to drill a bunch of holes, etc. for a closed loop, I would lean toward overbuilt to be safe.

Referencing starfire vs normal glass, IME it does make a difference, even on 1/2" glass. However the difference is much more significant with thicker glass. I would definitely recommend it. More money now but better than regrets later.

 

[ArizonaReefer]

I think this is maybe a 1200 gallon tank siting on a stand made out of angle iron.

Phoenix Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium

 

[afishfanatic]

dahenley - Wow that tank ended up looking great! I think I am sold on the steel stand. The tank will just be against a wall for now, but in the future I would love to have its own room. Thanks for all the tips!

serpentman - I am thinking you are right about the Starfire. If I am going to build it, and there is any kind of difference in clarity, I should just go ahead and spend the extra money. Since I am leaning toward not adding a closed loop andhaving a fairly shallow tank, IM thinking the 1/2" will be just fine. Anyone disagree...please pipe in!

ArizonaReefer - Your point on angle iron has been noted. :lolspin:

 

[nyvp]

1/2" is perfect for that size. My old 560/g was 120x36x30 made out of 1/2" and I slept fine.It was built by exotic here in FL who have made 100's of tanks over 1000/g. Don't let people on this forum do the usual overbuilt tank idea of what things MUST be. if you went to 36" tall i'd go to 3/4" its all about how wide it is not how long when it comes to thickness of needed glass.

 

[afishfanatic]

Yes I am seeing enough big tanks made from 1/2" that is must be sufficient. Any have failure stories?

Also do I need to worry about foundation problems with a tank this size?

 

[afishfanatic]

Bump