New Tank Build 85Gal Rimless.

[rectangle_nyc]

Hey Guys,
I am looking to custom make a rimless tank, 54X22HX18W.
There will be a 5'' overflow chamber on the left side making the tank 48'' usable area.
There is a glass shop in my area that is willing to cut all glass for me and i will get it together myself. I have never done a build myself but got a whole garage and a ton of tools and help. I had a quote from an aquarium shop at around $3K for the tank only. I cannot afford that.

Anyways I am looking at around $1200 for all the glass cut, polished, holes drilled and all that. All glass except the bottom is low iron starfire.

The questions for you guys i have are:

1. What do you think the glass thickness should be for given size.
The guy swears by 12mm (1/2 inch) and can temper all the glass for me at no cost. Since I've never seen a tank with tempered glass (except bottom) it raised a question. What are the pros/ cons of tempered. Is the glass thickness OK? Will tempering affect viewing under light?. The tank will be used for freshwater planted.

2. Does it really matter if side glass goes on top of the bottom glass or it can be glued to the side of the bottom glass making the build much easier since there has to be a 1/16 inch gap between the glass.

3. I am planning to use
GE 1200 Series Construction Silicone Sealant - Clear
From Amazon.

What do you guys think?
Any suggestions are highly appreciated.
The front view plan is attached.

 

[uncleof6]

3K for a custom built tank; the real question is can you afford to have a home built tank come apart a year after you build it yourself? More on that in a bit...

1) Glass thickness: The guy at the glass shop swears by 12mm (1/2" nominal) probably because he does not carry, (won't get a volume discount on the glass) or cannot get, 15mm starphire glass (5/8" nominal) which is what this tank should be built with. Most glass shops won't carry above 12mm glass... and sorry to say, glass shops are not the place to inquire about glass thickness for pressure vessels.

No self respecting custom builder will use any tempered glass. Mass produced tanks have tempered bottoms, and many have tempered sides as well (55's in particular.) The tempered glass is used to keep the shipping costs down. Although there is no visible difference between tempered and non-tempered glass, the only advantage to tempered glass is the weight saving; the disadvantage is that after you realize you built a system that does not work so well, you are stuck with it, as you can't do anything hole wise with the glass. Starphire glass is a waste of money: unless the tanks are side by side, you can't tell the difference.

2) Construction details are often a matter of preference actually. There are some nuances to it, but in the end what you need is a wide bottom seam, and either way, a bottom internal euro-brace is needed.

3) The silicone used is only a piece of the puzzle with tank construction. The rest comes from experience, and good information on the internet is very rare and hard to find. You can have three garages full of tools, build a tank, and have it fall apart a year or so later. Other than appropriate clamps, and a dead flat stable work surface larger than the tank, tools have nothing to do with tank building. The tools are your hands, a caulking gun—and experience. Most have the fomer, very few actually have the latter, and by far the latter is the most important. If one has to ask questions of a very basic nature, (tank configuration for instance) they don't have the experience to build tanks much larger than a 20 gallon, and they should build several small tanks, before attempting larger ones with glass thicker than 6mm, and a much higher cost for failure.

3k for a pro-built custom tank (a bit high probably due to the starphire glass, or the builder's catastrophic liability insurance payment is due) + peace of mind (no, peace of mind is not priceless, it comes with a price tag) or $1200 + no peace of mind... generally, it is more expensive to build your own (built right) than it is to have one custom built...

 

[rectangle_nyc]

Thanks uncle for an honest a bit disappointing response.
To be honest to here in NYC you don't have many choices of pro builders.
And those few (actually 1) that I would trust is ready to make that tank out of bullet proof glass just to get the price through the roof. And i understand that, labor, taxes, unreal shop rent and all that. But on the same realm it is still a glass box made out of 5 panes of glass and a price tag of 3G just doesn't look good on it. Can i afford for the tank to come apart? Would i have a choice? I will try to do everything possible to build it right that is why we (DIY builders) come here and share the knowledge. (I never said i would go with 12 mm glass, I raised a question and thanks to you i confirm that it is not enough for the build)

I want to build a tank not because i am trying to save $ but because i think i can. And to be honest, the pro builder gives you 3 year warranty if you're lucky: Yeah, that you will never be able to claim. There is always something going to be wrong. Not leveled, floors not straight, ph was too high and ate through silicone , you name it. Regards, absolutely nothing personal. At least I learned something