Anyone know the size limit for glass tanks?

[Mr. Brooks]

Would a 12' x 5' x 28" eurobraced (no center brace) tank be possible using glass?

If yes, how thick would the glass have to be? Could it be done using low iron glass? What would a tank like this cost? Ballpark of course.

I'm guessing it would have to be built on site. I wonder if you could use a pvc bottom to cut down on weight and cost.

This is only hypothetical. Just daydreaming about my next upgrade.

 

[chasekwe]

Ok well this is total BS theorizing based on a quote I got for a 240g 3 side starphire tank from AGE.

That tank was 1/2" glass and yours would likely be 1". So double the price of my quote times the gallonage over mine which is about 4.3. Comes to ~$23.5k...

Like I said, if you got a quote wildly different than that it wouldn't surprise me even a little. Just extrapolating from the very minimal information I already had on hand. Yes, I'm bored.

If it had to be built on site where you were required to cover room and board for one or more builders I can't even imagine though.

 

[Mr. Brooks]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15177120#post15177120 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chasekwe
Just extrapolating from the very minimal information I already had on hand. Yes, I'm bored.

Haha!

I live in Southern California. I think there are a few builders around here.

I guess the two biggest questions are:

1. What's the standard size for glass panels that come direct from the plant?

2. Could a traditional tank design hold that much water without bursting a silicone seam?

The outer dimensions come out to about 1,050 gallons. That's a lot of water weight pushing down on those seams.


I remember seeing a big glass tank here on RC. Don't remember exactly how big it was though..

 

[troylee]

Dew2loud1 is his screen name he picked up a 900gal saphire tank all glass he has a thread around here somewhere.....

 

[lastlight]

Check this out:

CCP's 2000 gallon Deltec reef tank

Now that the tank has finally entered production at Deltec in Germany I wanted to start a thread to show/document the progress of the project.

The tank will be 15foot x 5.5 foot x 35.4 inches. | 500cm x 170cm x 0.90cm and will be viewable from all sides.

Link here:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1075675

 

[Lightsluvr]

The limit is...

The limit is...

From what I have read and seen on these forums, the only limit is the size of the bank account...

We have a local reefer with a 600+ gallon AGE hybrid. The glass is 3/4", just like my 340G from the same manufacturer.

LL

 

[RicksReefs]

it's the hieght of the tank that determines glass thickness, and at 28" tall, you should be fine with 5/8" glass.

 

[gotfin]

If you are serious, you should contact Jeff Turner at Reef Aquaria Design. I have seen his work, it's AMAZING! He only builds glass tanks. He has built tanks over 1200 and 1400 gallons. He did a 2000g starphire cylider. The tanks are not cheap, but if you are serious, he is the man. Google his company name and see for your self.

 

[wmilas]

As long as you are willing to live with steel top bracing and corner bracing (and if its large enough) pane bracing, there is no limit. I had my tank quoted as all glass. I almost went that way and sometimes wonder if I should of. I just did not want the steel bracing along the top and the corner. In reality, only one corner would have mattered since my top is covered by wood trim.

If you want glass, its doable.

 

[coralreeffarm]

If your looking for large glass aquariums,i second Jeffrey Turner.

 

[Mr. Brooks]

Nice, thanks guys.

I kind of had his idea that there was a size limit after seeing so many large acrylic tanks around here.

I am serious. It's just going to be a while before I can make it happen. Economy and such..

My 225 is acrylic. Wish it was glass. It's also 30", wish it was 28". That last two inches is such a pain. I can barely reach the bottom at 30".

I'm envisioning a tank in a large, 20' high ceiling living room. It would divide the entry way and living room. It would be 3 side viewable with an overflow tower in the middle.

I'd run 8 - 400 watt halides in large reflectors to spread the light out as much as possible. Maybe throw in some T5's in between.

For flow, I'd set up 8 - Tunze 6305's. 4 on the tower and 4 on the non-viewable side. I'd point them in such a way as to create a clock wise motion for 10 or 15 minutes, then counter clockwise.

For filtration, I'd cut a shallow trench in the concrete slab that would run from the tank to the garage. About 15 feet. Then I could set up a fish room in the third car garage and plumb everything together. Set up a prop system, fuge, cryptic zone etc.

I think I'd go with a Bubble King Deluxe 650 external skimmer. That thing just looks sick.

This is my dream tank.

Can't afford this system at the moment. I live and die by the economy. As soon as she decides to start churning again, I'll be good to go.

Thanks for your help and links guys!

 

[Mr. Brooks]

Jeff's on the other side of the country.. ouch. Looks like he does nice work though.