350G tank build

[greengiant]

your right it will be stronger but not necassary from what I keep getting told not to mention it will decrease tha volume by about 40-50 Gallons by my figuring.
yeah I think that sounds right to on the proper name. thoughts?

 

[nolapete]

You could build a 2x4 and 2x6 front frame like I have my 2" acrylic set in. It would be the entire front of your tank. The frame would be inside the plywood which would be screwed and glued to the frame from the outside. I can draw it up for you if you don't understand what I'm describing.

If the inside dimension of between the plywood sides is 72" and height from bottom plywood to top is 31", you need the following to make the frame:

2 - 2x6 72" long
2 - 2x4 69" long
2 - 2x6 28" long
2 - 2x4 25" long

 

[greengiant]

is there a pic of it on your 4300?

 

[Bighurt]

your right it will be stronger but not necassary from what I keep getting told not to mention it will decrease tha volume by about 40-50 Gallons by my figuring.
yeah I think that sounds right to on the proper name. thoughts?

I would prefer the face mounted 2x4 over the edge mounted. Even if the glass extends to the entire inside dimension of the tank. You will have a greater nailing surface to attach the 2x4 to the ply sides top and bottom. This will overcome the sheer force exerted by the water pressure on the glass.

My worry is if the glass did not extend to the entire interior dimensions of the tank and was only supported on the edge of the 2x4. The sheer force exerted on the 2x4's connection to the ply would then be greater on the edge mounted then the face mounted option. And it may exceed the force at the joint.

If you imagine pushing a 2x4 across the ground the one sliding on the edge will tend to roll to its face.

You can compensate for the loss in volume by increasing the ply sides bottom and top by the appropriate measurement, but you said you already cut the lumber.

Best of Luck

 

[nolapete]

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3632372&postcount=332 has pics of the front from the inside. If you look at the third pic down, you can see where I used a 1x6 as a spacer. That would be where the plywood side of the tank is.

You could use 2 2x4 layers instead of the 2x4 and 2x6, but I think the 2x6 makes it stronger. Open up a picture frame, take the back off and look at the recess for the glass. That's how this works.

 

[nolapete]

You could do plywood on bottom and sides and do two frames like this on front and back. You could use two of your 72" pieces of glass and have the tank come out from the wall and look through it from both sides. That's how I have my 7' 210.

 

[greengiant]

ok if he sheer on the screws in the front is going to be a factor with a 2x4 on edge I should be scared to death of the sheer on the back where its 3/4" plywood. the glass will only be about 1/2" narrower than the entire length of the interior of the tank. so with a 2x4 it will have 3 1/4 inches of contact all the way around it. the screws in the front will be 3" and the screws holding the sides and back will be 2 1/2" screws all will be spaced 3" apart all the way around. the glass will be siliconed in place before the zavlar is coated in it and the zavlar will go over the glass. this should increase the seal significatly. this is not a show tank. this is my first kick at the cat with a big tank. I made a sump and sealed it with silicone a year or so ago and it worked. I got silicone for $1 a tube and it took 12 tubes to seal it. it was a 95 gallon sump. I would still have it but I moved and in the process it was stored at my dads place and he decided it needed a drain so he drilled a hole through it and tried to put a bulkhead in it but it didn't work and we have had no success resealing it since. oh well lesson learned. on that note don't do that unless you have a breathing aparatus. I borrowed a spare from the fire hall ( I'm a firefighter) and used it the respirator I had did nothing for the Silicone fumes and I nearly passed out and my eyes where burning. the SCBA worked great though.

I do understand the concerns but IMO if I need to worry about the strength of the 2x4 then I might as well chuck all I have done cause it will be of no use to me. I am also going to state again please don't post a criticism if you don't have the experience in it. as I have been looking over some other threads it seams that a safety factor of 100 is the norm on here but far form necassary. I could go with 2" glass for this but that would be stupid and a big waste of money. this is also a build on the cheap. my goal is to have the tank built for $1 a gallon as I sit right now I have spent $54 on lumber and $22 on screws most of which I won't need but I would rather have to many than not enough.

 

[greengiant]

the tank will be staying against the wall. it will be out fromthe wall about 6" but will not look like it when I'm done. my long term goal on this is to put 1/4" oak on the outside of it and it will cover the gap between the tank and the wall. than I will trim it all out with crown and corner mouldings. the stand will get a cover also but that won't be for a while.

 

[nolapete]

You ought to try Dow 795. No nasty smell like silicone. My friend who had the 135K and 107K saltwater shark tanks in his restaurant and nightclub used it on those tanks and on the 2600 and 2200 gallon tanks he has in his house. It's not cheap in comparison to regular silicone, but it comes in different colors. We both used black on our tanks.

Your project gave me some ideas. I'm going to sandwich plywood between 2x lumber on my new project. Going to do a smaller version with this 30 show I have and turn it into a 60 gallon. Then convert a broken 90 into a 240.

 

[greengiant]

I will forwarn you the silicone is really hard to tell if you have 100% coverage unless its colored. I am not doing it on this build I was just saying I had done it. I plan on using zavlar the same stuff Pete is using on his 4300G and I believe it was cevermeulen used on his 600G the scrap lumber from the tank should be enough to build a sump or a biotower out of it. I just built a simple one out of those plastic storage bins for the 300G rubbermaid. well Happy newyears everyone and thanks for the advice. Pete are you gonna do the sandwiching deal on the 60G? that seams like major overkill to me unless its a 60G thats 3ft tall. anyway hope 2010 is a great yer for all the MFKers. ttyl