Arapaima Gigas

[bmxer4ever]

I am going to leave it rectangular........very hard to do in block....could be formed in concrete but i am not sure about the amount of work and the loss of volume in the tank.

john

Just had a thought....to give your corners some curve, get a 2-3 foot diameter plastic pipe, the same length as the depth in your tank, quarter it lengthwise, bond into the corners and hey presto - curved, pima' friendly corners. You could hide inlets & outlets behind them too, drill 'em if you had to let water through 'em.... You could seal/paint them with the same stuff as the rest of your interior. Or am i taking this too far....?

 

[johnptc]

Just had a thought....to give your corners some curve, get a 2-3 foot diameter plastic pipe, the same length as the depth in your tank, quarter it lengthwise, bond into the corners and hey presto - curved, pima' friendly corners. You could hide inlets & outlets behind them too, drill 'em if you had to let water through 'em.... You could seal/paint them with the same stuff as the rest of your interior. Or am i taking this too far....?

i think that would work............i dont know if the fish care.......the current giga doesnt have problems with the corners........but i think matt's suggestions would make an ideal giga tank.

 

[Zoodiver]

Looks like it's coming along great.

I just put a window in one of my holdings (10' cylinder - 3' deep) last week and did the first test fill last night. It's always nerve twisting isnt' it - wondering if your seal job will hold?? I hate that feeling. So far so good. What did you use to bond your window? I used 795 sil with a row of bolts around the edge into the fiberglass pool side - but mine is a much smaller scale that yours.

 

[johnptc]

Looks like it's coming along great.

I just put a window in one of my holdings (10' cylinder - 3' deep) last week and did the first test fill last night. It's always nerve twisting isnt' it - wondering if your seal job will hold?? I hate that feeling. So far so good. What did you use to bond your window? I used 795 sil with a row of bolts around the edge into the fiberglass pool side - but mine is a much smaller scale that yours.

someone else asked here is my reply

This is what I did and it worked for me.





I made the tank of concrete block with a large rectangular opening for the ‘window’.



I used 4x4x1/2 inch stainless steel angle ( type 316 for saltwater ) to make a frame for the opening with one of the 4 inch flats to set the window against.



The stainless steel frame was epoxied in place after the cement block was waterproofed with a epoxy sealer called pond armor. http://www.pondarmor.com/



I used cell cast acrylic 2” thick x 120 x 60 inches. It weighs about 750 pounds and was handled with a forklift.



I used no bolts etc to hold it in place…………the weight of the plastic rests on the bottom of the tank on a few small plastic blocks to allow for movement. The pressure of the water will hold the plastic firmly against the sealing surface.





The plastic was placed against the stainless steel frame inside the tank and the opening was marked on the paper protecting the plastic. The plastic sheet in lager than the opening by at least 8 inches in each direction, leaving a minimum of a 4 inch overlap on all sides.



Next the plastic was moved away from the opening. The paper border which covers the sealing area was carefully removed on both sides of the plastic.



The sealing side of the plastic was sanded with 220 grit to roughed the surface for better adhesion.



I also ground clean the sealing surface of the stainless.



Next both surfaces were primed with “dow corning 1205 prime coat” and allowed to dry.



I used “dow corning 832 multi surface adhesive sealant”. I used a very heavy bead ( approx 1x ½ inch) applied all the way around the stainless steel sealing surface. I used and air powered caulking gun…..it would be very hard to apply this much sealant by hand and take way too long.



This is a fast paced event and I had two helpers opening the tubes of 832 ( aprrox 15-20 ) etc. Apply the top last as it can run a little and drip on you. Once the 832 is in place the plastic was slide in final position on the plastic supports. I used large c clamps on the top edge and 2x4 wood elsewhere to put GENTLE pressure on it… do not bend or strain the plastic. The reason for removing the paper from the back side of the plastic is it now allows you to see the 832 flow out into an even seal and not use TOO MUCH clamping force.





Now clean up the excess….



Leave it alone to cure for several weeks. It cures at about 1/8 inch per day so this takes awhile.




PLEASE NOTE THE DOW CORNING DOES NOT RECOMMEND ANY OF THIER PRODUCTS FOR CONTINOUS UNDERWATER USE !!!



THIS WORKED FOR ME BUT TRY IT A YOUR OWN RISK !!!

 

[Zoodiver]

Nice, thanks.

 

[johnptc]

Nice, thanks.

you are most welcome....

this is the same procedure i used for the 2400 tank and it has been trouble free so far ( 2 years)..........john

 

[johnptc]

water in and no leaks !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Zoodiver]

Sweet!!! That's awesome news.

 

[johnptc]

Sweet!!! That's awesome news.

any thoughts on moving a giga from one tank to another.....

knock out drops ( tricaine-s / ms 222/ finquel) has been recommended

 

[pophead]

any thoughts on moving a giga from one tank to another.....

knock out drops ( tricaine-s / ms 222/ finquel) has been recommended

got any really big fishing nets?
you could build a kind of a stretcher or just get a big board, put the fish on it, and put something over it so it doens't roll off or something.
having more than one man doing it is probably a given.
just some wanna-be advise from a