Wave Makers in Glass Tanks

[ShipWreck2]

In the past I have seen some comments about how a wavemaker shouldn't be used in glass tanks as the wave motion will stress the tanks. I have never paid much attention as my system was too small. Now I am upgrading to a 6'x3'x3' glass tank that will be assembled on site and I am considering using a wave box as the flow I have seen is great.

So is there any safety issues with a wavebox in a glass tank? Has there been any long term testing of the effects and stresses on the tank?

If all is good with glass then a couple of side notes. How many wavemakers are suggested on a tank with these dimensions? Is there a pump/controller combo that could be used to do the same thing? I would like to DIY the acrylic box for the wavemaker so I can build it from glass external to the tank. I thought I would drill a larger hole through the main glass then use a piece of plexi to refine the hole.

 

[shawnz28]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1222302

A 7096 have wavebox control built in or you can buy the wavebox control 6091 separately. As for pumps the 6105 and 6205 can do it but will make noise. I believe there is a mod that Roger can do or has parts to do to quiet them but it needs to be adjusted every few months. The pump from the wavebox which is 6261 is different allowing it to run quiet and is the best candidate.

I would expect you to need two pumps but Roger or Steve(if he is around) might know better than I.

 

[rvitko]

I would not recommend doing this as the bond of acrylic to glass is not very strong and the force on the wavebox is fairly great. If you do this it should be done internally, not externally. The best pump to use would be the 6261 wavebox pump.