TODD BUILDS HIS 2500 GALLON CEMENT AQUARIUM FOR STINGRAYS IN THE BASEMENT

Ocean Railroader

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jul 31, 2010
569
42
31
Richmond VA
How much did the sheets of ayrlic cost for it? After seeing this tank I'm now thinking of changing my dream tank idea from a 1000 gallon aylic tank to a 5000 gallon cement tank. Would building one these on a larger scale be like building a swimming pool with a set of windowos on the side of it?
 

Ocean Railroader

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jul 31, 2010
569
42
31
Richmond VA
How thick are the clear sheets that are holding back the water in the tank. In that I was able to run into a possible deal on a four foot wide eight foot long sheet of plexiglass aylic that is one inch thick. Would one inch thick plexiglass be able to hold back five feet of water?"
 

Anythingfish

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 23, 2005
163
8
0
Washington
Ocean Railroader;4466142; said:
How thick are the clear sheets that are holding back the water in the tank. In that I was able to run into a possible deal on a four foot wide eight foot long sheet of plexiglass aylic that is one inch thick. Would one inch thick plexiglass be able to hold back five feet of water?"
The quick answer to your question about using a 1” thick 4’ by 8’ sheet of Plexiglas (plastic) to hold back a 4 foot wall of aquarium water is NO!

Although I did not engineer the Acrylic windows for Todd's 2500 gallon aquarium, he used 3/4" thick Acrylic sheets for an unsupported window opening of about 30" by 72". The water level is at the top of the window and there appears to be very little bowing of the Acrylic. The overall sheet size was slightly larger to allow for the Silicone sealant.

My 8000 gallon aquarium: www.anythingfish.com has 1-1/2” thick Acrylic windows measuring 4’ by 8’ with the water level no higher than the top of the window. The recommendation from the window supplier was to use 2” thick material however I tried to save a little money. As a result of not using 2” thick Acrylic window material I have a little bowing but no stress cracks nor any sigh of the aquarium window failing.

There is a formula for Acrylic windows which I do not have at hand; perhaps another Monster Fish Keeper has the answer as to how much water a 1” thick 4’ by 8’ sheet of plastic can support with out failing? Remember, as you increase the the window's width as well as its height the window thickness must also be increased.
 

Ocean Railroader

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jul 31, 2010
569
42
31
Richmond VA
I'm woundering how did Tod get the windows to line up into the cement openigns. The biggest thing I've come to in planning the super fish tank in my mind is that how did you guys get the fames into the windows for the cement fish tank that I'm having troble with understanding?



I'm thinking about under taking building a super sized fish tank added to a dream living room I'm planing on adding to a 1900-1920's old farm house. The fish tank would be 3/4 imbeded into the earth while one side would have viewing windows that would look into a bran new living room eather built out of pored cement or cinder blocks.

My plan as of now would is to buy a small old farm house with two to five acres and see how much of it is above or below grade and then build a ten foot wide and ten foot long cinder block fish tank with one four foot by eight foot viewing window the tank would be first filled to five feet deep and it would look into one of the rooms. The fish tank would be built on it's own footing system and a small green house that would be built over it standing on the earth grade line to keep it warm and to keep the bugs out. I might even plan it to store some tropical plants in it. that would be phase one of my dream home project. I'm trying to collect as much info as I can on cinder block and pored cement fish tanks before I buy the house and start moving earth and buying cinder blocks and cement.

At a later date depending on how I like the place and funding I then plan to build a large garage that would have room for a car or two. But it would also be built up to house statards. Such as it would have a very large living room that would act as a large train set room. And next to the giant living room would be a supersized fish tank that would be at least ten to 20 feet long and ten to 15 feet wide and six to seven feet deep depending on funding and aylic suppy which would have large viewing windows in to the giant living room. The new garge and living room in it would provde all the things that the small 1900's farm house wouldn't have and would look on the modern look and feel to it while living the old part in the 1900's.
 
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