In my opinion, an undertaking of that magnitude would be worthy of its own thread.
'Cleveland' Rocks!
- Thread starter Parka
- Start date
Man, 78" x 36" is a BIG glass panel for 1/2" thick glass. I know its tempered, but on a 40" tall tank that would make me nervous.
Ah heck, it will be just fine, I have no worries after the Chicago build, 72" x 42", my nerves are in the comfort zone!
About your tanks, are they all glass? And are they custom built?
Yep, all glass and custom built. The 230 and 730 by Glass Cages within the last 5 years and the 325 by Ocea Mfg. way back in the day. The 230 is 1/2" and the larger two are 3/4". I think the 730 has a laminated bottom, maybe 3/4" and 1/2" siliconed together. None are tempered.
I would like you to think about how an all glass tank is built. It's not much to grasp because it is so simple and straightforward. Each panel of glass, IS the entire structure and it IS the seams, and the seams are only as thick as the glass! That's not very thick. This is where all glass tanks fail, in the seams, if the glass is float or tempered, it makes no difference if the leak is in a seam.
A properly built plywood tank is a different beast than an all glass tank. The plywood tank has a shell made inside, made of epoxy and fiberglass and I have already successfully built to 44" deep or tall with this method. The glass in a plywood build never has to shoulder the load, so to speak, as it does in an all glass build. The plywood gives the glass a nice flat platform, 1 1/2" overlaps of glass onto the tank sides, that makes an incredible seal. Tempered glass is really tough stuff, it's under pressure... that's why it 'pops' or almost explodes when it crumbles. That's my Understanding!
Yeah, I get the difference between the bonding area for all-glass vs. plywood-glass. There is an advantage there as far as surface area. Not sure that silicone bonds to anything as strongly as it does to glass, but as long as you have a strong bond, you're good. Pays to keep an eye on the seam as a glass tank ages. I've seen the pics and clips of multiple persons standing on a sheet of tempered glass, bouncing up and down with the glass flexing about 6-8 inches. Amazing, but I always find it painful to watch! Scary, 'cause you never know when you'll pass that stress limit, then "BOOM"!
Yeah Man, I was just trying to let you rest easy and have no concerns about the 1/2'' glass, none whatsoever!
It is my belief that water pressure at 40" deep is NOWHERE near strong enough to blow out 1/2" tempered glass that is cemented to an opening in a strongly built plywood box. It is also my belief that far too many people equate the extreme weight of a very large tank with extreme water pressure. As Commander of this next build, A Successful Build Shan't be Denied!
Now, as far as silicone sticking, Oh My, when the Pond Shield is lightly sanded to a dull surface, that Silicone sticks like Crazy Good, it sticks to sanded Pond Shield better than it sticks to glass, my opinion. I think it even sticks to shiny Pond Shield, better than it sticks to glass. I'm pretty sure Pond Shield is a premier product and when using it, it is fool proof! If ya can't do a nice neat job at first, just do a sloppy job and it STILL won't leak. And then if ya do another one later on, ya can do it neater the second time, and so on.
I dint work today, I started getting sick last night, it came on fast, all achy and headache and flashy bright eyes, flu like stuff. I took a flu pill or whatever and it worked so good! And super fast too, that stuff really takes the miserable edge off and then I could sleep.
Because I had been for the last three days, rinsing all the lava rock and rinsing and sifting the gravel. That work wasn't real difficult but it is heavy work and when I got done yesterday, it coincided with me getting sick and i was all battered and beaten, it FELT like I was!
I did give the Akron a water change, and a few pics too.
I think they are called Pictus or Pimadela catfish, and I have Always been taken by these beautiful and shiny catfish. I think I only have four but I bought six. They almost never come out!
And I also have 11 Giant Danios in Akron and one Pearl Danio sold to me by mistake as a Giant. The Pearl Danio hangs about the Giant Danios but in a very secluded way...
Here is a Lily, I had indoor blooms last year!
And lastly this is one of two Goldfish that I never did catch to move into Chicago... Burnt Toast WILL be living in the Cleveland! Good Evening!
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Thanks Frass! It's gonna be a few more days of sneezing and all that stuff. And then the Cleveland will be getting set up, as soon as I get my energy back... Plus I got me another project to Command! It's the Big Apple of Plywood Aquariums, you JUST know it will be sporting a replica of Lady Liberty!
I'm building it in my garage, (pronounced with soft G at end!) And it's gonna have a HOOD, not a Canopy! And let's not forget that I am also itching to go Day Camping on my Boss Bike! I'm gonna go ahead and use the excuse, "I'm building NYC so I can sell it! And if someone would be interested in making purchase, well, I would be glad to make a deal.
The stand for this tank will look like a 14 foot long Buffet Table type thing, with 3 banks of drawers in the middle and a pair of doors on each end. Very, very similar looking as the Cleveland but with 6 drawers instead of 4.
It is looking like I can put this all together with aprox. $2,500 in material costs. The stand and tank will use over 100 bucks in screws alone. I buy Glue by the Gallon. It makes me feel like a He-Man! We are looking at 1, 200 to 1,400 gallon All Plywood Build! Hear me ROAR!
