Building a tank...

"Jürgen Exner" wrote in message
news:%SsCf.25$JO5.13@trnddc04...
Sean wrote:
I would like for it to be acrylic as it is much stronger and about
half the weight of glass. I was thinking about building a tank about
8 feet long and about 4 feet deep (front to back) by about 5 feet
high (floor to ceiling). This may be well beyond 300Gs,
[...]
water weight calcs....

Well, that part is simple: for all practical purposes 1 liter of fresh
water has a weight of 1 kg.

So let's do it in ISO units: 8'x4'x5' is about 2.4mx1.2mx1.5m = 4.32 cubic
meter

In other words your are dealing with a tank of about 4.32 tons of
freshwater, total weight probably somewhere near 5 tons. Sal****er even a
bit more. Or converted back 4230 liter are roughly 1100-1200 gallons.

I suggest you contact an architect because unless you are living in a
former factory your floors are certainly not designed to take that kind
weight.


No need. The house I am living in is 3 years old. It has an infloor
heating system all through the concrete foundation. To allow for this the
concrete had to be extra thick. In total (according to the contractor) its
about 2 and a half feet thick. If that won't hold the weight, I can't
imagine what one would have to do.

Sean

In article %SsCf.25$JO5.13@trnddc04,
Jürgen Exner wrote:
Sean wrote:
I would like for it to be acrylic as it is much stronger and about
half the weight of glass. I was thinking about building a tank about
8 feet long and about 4 feet deep (front to back) by about 5 feet
high (floor to ceiling). This may be well beyond 300Gs,
[...]
water weight calcs....

Well, that part is simple: for all practical purposes 1 liter of fresh water
has a weight of 1 kg.

So let's do it in ISO units: 8'x4'x5' is about 2.4mx1.2mx1.5m = 4.32 cubic
meter

In other words your are dealing with a tank of about 4.32 tons of

It's not the weight that's gonna get you it's the cost of the metierials
to build a 5 foot tall tank. Look at all the big tanks you see, 100, 200,
300+ gallons. Notice thet're not that tall? 2' max? That's cause the
thickness of the glass/acrylic you use is a function of the hight of the
tank. Five feet talk is absurd for an aquarium made freom glass or acrylic
you'd ned 1" glass about $100 a square inch or something stupid.

Best thing to do I think wold be to buuid this monster tank out of
marine plywood into the house and only use acrylic on the front
viewing glass.

I've seen this done, as a kid a guy in Hamilton Ont. named Stan
Winwood had marine setups in his house in the early 1970s
including one 800 tank built into the wall the same as
described above. Sweeeeet...


--
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It's not the weight that's gonna get you it's the cost of the metierials
to build a 5 foot tall tank. Look at all the big tanks you see, 100, 200,
300+ gallons. Notice thet're not that tall? 2' max? That's cause the
thickness of the glass/acrylic you use is a function of the hight of the
tank. Five feet talk is absurd for an aquarium made freom glass or acrylic
you'd ned 1" glass about $100 a square inch or something stupid.

Best thing to do I think wold be to buuid this monster tank out of
marine plywood into the house and only use acrylic on the front
viewing glass.

I've seen this done, as a kid a guy in Hamilton Ont. named Stan
Winwood had marine setups in his house in the early 1970s
including one 800 tank built into the wall the same as
described above. Sweeeeet...


The above measurements were a general guesstimate to get some ideas on what
I was dealing with and what types of things I would need (thanks again to
the people who helped provide some valuable information). I know the price
of the materials now and surprisingly they are cheap compared to what one
would pay for a comparable fully assembled. As for absurd: I can think of
many things that are absurd, smoking, drinking, doing drugs, wrecking a car
for kicks. Building a tank that will improve the look of a home while
providing a home for some friends is not one of them. And despite what you
think there are many tanks over 2' tall. A local fish shop here for example
has a 4' tall tank that they display Koi in. This thing is huge and its
made entirely of 1" glass. Marine plywood is out of the question. I want
to be able to view the tank from as many sides as possible. It can be done,
its just finding the way to do it that's hard.



Sean

"Sean" wrote in message
...
Anyone have any tips on what one would need/do when building a custom
tank? Materials to use and sealant advice would be great. I'm looking
to contruct a tank that is about 300Gs...

Sean

For that size, you might be thinking of going with a plywood tank. This
means only one piece of glass or acrylic and no jigs to hold things
together. It also means some carpentry and sealing, so it depends on
what you're comfortable with. I have links on my site (hopefully not
all are outdated, else let me know and I'll shake some more out of my
bookmarks).
--
www.NetMax.tk

On Fri, 27 Jan 2006 00:37:36 GMT, "Sean"
wrote:

Anyone have any tips on what one would need/do when building a custom tank?
Materials to use and sealant advice would be great. I'm looking to contruct
a tank that is about 300Gs...

Sean



Someone in another group posted this link

http://www.oregonreef.com/

Someone in another group posted this link

http://www.oregonreef.com/



Nice. My tank is going to be freshwater. Saves a pile of money. Basically
I want to re-create a section of a junglescape river scene. Piranha are
going to be the main fish with some frogs and other fish from the same type
of aquascape living amoung the Piranha. I know the Piranha are going to nip
the fins of the other fish but that's what I am trying to do, re-create the
river in my house. If I can I am going to try and have a large number of
aquatic bugs too. The list goes on.

Sean

"Sean" wrote in message
...
Nice. My tank is going to be freshwater. Saves a pile of money.
Basically I want to re-create a section of a junglescape river scene.
Piranha are going to be the main fish with some frogs and other fish from
the same type of aquascape living amoung the Piranha. I know the Piranha
are going to nip the fins of the other fish but that's what I am trying to
do, re-create the river in my house. If I can I am going to try and have
a large number of aquatic bugs too. The list goes on.
=======================
Check on those Piranhas as I believe it's illegal to keep them as pets in
your country as well as mine.
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
Troll Information:
http://members.aol.com/intwg/trolls.htm
Reading Headers:
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~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

Check on those Piranhas as I believe it's illegal to keep them as pets in
your country as well as mine.
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...

Piranhas are legal in Canada, at least where I live. I live in Newfoundland
and I can tell you the water does not get near to anything that a Piranha
can survive in for more then a few minutes. I'm talking 8-10c celcius tops
in the summer. There may be a few places in BC or Onterio that have some
ponds that would support them for a month or so but thats about it.

Sean

"Sean" wrote in message
...

Check on those Piranhas as I believe it's illegal to keep them as pets in
your country as well as mine.
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...

Piranhas are legal in Canada, at least where I live. I live in
Newfoundland and I can tell you the water does not get near to anything
that a Piranha can survive in for more then a few minutes. I'm talking
8-10c celcius tops in the summer. There may be a few places in BC or
Onterio that have some ponds that would support them for a month or so but
thats about it.
============================
Keep children away from your tank and ENJOY! :-))
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
Troll Information:
http://members.aol.com/intwg/trolls.htm
Reading Headers:
http://www.technomom.com/writing/headers.shtml
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

"Sean" wrote in message
...

Someone in another group posted this link

http://www.oregonreef.com/



Nice. My tank is going to be freshwater. Saves a pile of money.
Basically I want to re-create a section of a junglescape river scene.
Piranha are going to be the main fish with some frogs and other fish
from the same type of aquascape living amoung the Piranha. I know the
Piranha are going to nip the fins of the other fish but that's what I
am trying to do, re-create the river in my house. If I can I am going
to try and have a large number of aquatic bugs too. The list goes on.

Sean


If piranhas will be your main fish, then you'll probably find your other
fish choices severely limited. Piranhas do not 'nip' fins. They assume
a position above and behind the victim and lunge, turning their body 90
degrees so that they can wrap their teeth around the adipose fin (or the
area behind the dorsal fin). The will then do a quick twist and swim
away with a chunk of fish the size of their jaw. If their prey take to
the upper waters, then the Piranhas repeat the behaviour aimed at the
anal fin. Whatever fish you have, if they survive the assaults (and
large fish frequently do) they will have chunks missing behind the dorsal
fin (even losing the adipose and dorsal fin completely), or chunks
missing underneath them (though as soon as the intestines start pouring
out, they don't usually live longer than about 2 weeks).

Another minor point, is that humans are not compatible with deep Piranha
tanks which require people to climb in to do maintenance. Do you think
they are just going to watch you? Are you aware what their eventual size
is? (which they *will* achieve in a 1200g tank). Of course you'll be
feeding them a lot of meat to get them to that size ($$$), and if you
don't, they will simply eat each other (problem solved). I think you'll
have a lot of research ahead of you, and it certainly sounds like an
interesting project.
--
www.NetMax.tk