My New 568 Gal Reef
- Thread starter Edan_l
- Start date
Do you have a description on how this fiberglas tank was build ? I am particularly interested in details on the thickness of it, and on the correct way to make the front pane able to adress the pressure of holding the glass.
I contacted several company's over here in Belgium that produce fiberglass tanks for sweet water use (Koi's) but it is obvious they do not have experience of building a tank for aquarium use.
I contacted several company's over here in Belgium that produce fiberglass tanks for sweet water use (Koi's) but it is obvious they do not have experience of building a tank for aquarium use.
TheSaltwaterGuy
New member
This project is coming along great already! Can't wait to see it stocked!
Keep up the good work!
Keep up the good work!
LiveRock27
New member
I love the rockwork. I will be following along because it looks like you have the start to a great tank.
Thank you for your kind comments.
Regarding the construction of the tank. I'm not that familiar with the process since I ordered it through a colleague and had it delivered.
This is what I do know:
you create a mold from wood and cover it with fiberglass mixed with a jell coat. since the mold is on the inside, the inner walls come out smooth while the outside is textured. The frame of the is reinforced with metal as well as extra bands around the tank. The front end actually has a frame about 7 in thick and the glass is glues to it with silicon. What we did was lay the tank face down, applied a generous amount of silicon and placed the glass on the frame so it was overlapping. we let it sit that way for a couple of weeks. The silicon is more of a sealant in this case as the water pressure keeps the glass in place. as for the thickness of the tank, I can only estimate it at around 0.25 in.
I am still waiting for the cycle to finish, but anyway I'll be traveling during April and I don't want any livestock in the tank while I'm gone (NY next week and Disney World in 3 weeks time).
Edan
Regarding the construction of the tank. I'm not that familiar with the process since I ordered it through a colleague and had it delivered.
This is what I do know:
you create a mold from wood and cover it with fiberglass mixed with a jell coat. since the mold is on the inside, the inner walls come out smooth while the outside is textured. The frame of the is reinforced with metal as well as extra bands around the tank. The front end actually has a frame about 7 in thick and the glass is glues to it with silicon. What we did was lay the tank face down, applied a generous amount of silicon and placed the glass on the frame so it was overlapping. we let it sit that way for a couple of weeks. The silicon is more of a sealant in this case as the water pressure keeps the glass in place. as for the thickness of the tank, I can only estimate it at around 0.25 in.
I am still waiting for the cycle to finish, but anyway I'll be traveling during April and I don't want any livestock in the tank while I'm gone (NY next week and Disney World in 3 weeks time).
Edan
It's been some time since I last posted, but here are some pics and a short update.
I started stocking my tank about a month and half ago after ammonia and nitrite levels were undetectable and nitrates were 5 ppm.
A friend of mine needed a place to hold over 40 corals he bought from some one that was moving and I just happened to have a little room left. Not sure he'll be getting anything back... lol.
I also started adding fish, mostly grazers, but also a few fairy wrasses.
Since we have a problem importing cleaning crews into Israel, I have a bit of a green algae problem, but that's being sorted out.
I also added Aqua Science T5s. 3 rows of 2 54W bulbs front and back - a total of 12 54W T5 bulbs and 3 400W 10000k MH.
I started stocking my tank about a month and half ago after ammonia and nitrite levels were undetectable and nitrates were 5 ppm.
A friend of mine needed a place to hold over 40 corals he bought from some one that was moving and I just happened to have a little room left. Not sure he'll be getting anything back... lol.
I also started adding fish, mostly grazers, but also a few fairy wrasses.
Since we have a problem importing cleaning crews into Israel, I have a bit of a green algae problem, but that's being sorted out.
I also added Aqua Science T5s. 3 rows of 2 54W bulbs front and back - a total of 12 54W T5 bulbs and 3 400W 10000k MH.
