using stainless steel for a monster build? is it dumb?

dragonfish1ca

Candiru
MFK Member
Dec 13, 2005
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So im in the design phase of my forever tank for arowana and rays. Ive got a 380 acrylic and a 300 glass now and there is no way anything bigger will get in lol so its time to build. I already have a few aqua ultimas and pumps ect ect.... so i just need to build it and switch the gear and fish over.
I would like to build a 12x4x4 or thereabouts using 2 pieces of glass and a brace in the middle for the front.
I dont know how you guys sleep at night with plywood but i see it works and looks great!!! I want it but dont trust my abilities.
I am however a stainless welder....... and could easily build the box out of stainless and just add the window.
Is this safe? Will it corrode? Is it overkill? Can the glass be mouted to it with no problems?
Or should i just get back on the search bar and start learning about epoxies and carpentry?
Thanks in advance guys i trust your experience over google any day of the week!
 
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boldtogether

Polypterus
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Sep 25, 2008
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When you're done with yours, come weld for me!!!
Seriously.
SS framed monster aquarium...are you kidding? Of course that would be awesome....albeit expensive. ....but waaay awesome.
The only thing I would worry about would be proper bracing and steel rigidity.
 

DIDYSIS

Mantilla Stingray
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Feb 9, 2012
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Great ideas and thoughts, Couple of my thoughts and i am planning a 12x7x3 pond myself at this point, I would be worried about it coroding myself, but maybe a coating over it? , steel is steel no matter what and changes when wet over time, if you are like me you want something to last 7-10 years at a min keep researching and thinking about it and ask people about stainless and what it might leech into the water over time

- 4 feet tall is well lets just say very tall and not many that tall have held up, i am planning 32inches of water myself which is plenty for what you are planning to keep and more,

- Stainless is an interesting option but overall very expensive, also you need to think about the frame and everything you are going to build for the sheets, and also that tall will make everything need to be that thicker and stronger, including the window will need to be 1 inch or more acrylic or thick glass

- YouTube is your friend, I have not done much with fiberglass but a little and you can find a lot of show and tells on youtube, Ive watched a ton, read over every build on here so many times and always look for the tips and hints for help, do similar,

- Price check/ drawings/ Planning. Wood and fiberglass really is not that expensive compare pricing to see whats best for your budget. I draw out my plans over and over and look for ways to make it better and better, im about 2 months out from starting and I keep finding better and better changes all the time and new things I want to ask questions about. Also I visited a local fiberglass place where I will get my materials and found a very nice owner who shared some tricks and tips and also said he would be willing to show me and help me a bit, after all as he said its not that hard to do.
 

dragonfish1ca

Candiru
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Dec 13, 2005
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alberta canada
Ive been researching this for 10 years ha ha ha and still when i pick up a tape measure and lay out where its going i go blank with fear....
There arent too many guys up here that have one running more than a few years so i dont know whos info to borrow for my own. Ive heard more horror stories than praise unless someone just filled it then its all good.... never see an update years later tho.
Thats why i thought stainless. I have access to 304 and 316 SS so its food grade and ive heard fiah safe.... but i dont know in that large amount. I can go thick plate with reinforced sides and bottom that wont bow a mm... thats no problem its knowing if it will even be safe? Or if the glass will work in it even if i make the frame for the panels out of 3/4" so there is zero flex. I know it will be solid and water tight.... after that im lost lol
 

DIDYSIS

Mantilla Stingray
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Feb 9, 2012
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West Jordan Utah
im my opinion if its food grade and been said to be fish safe it has to be good enough, Whatever bio and fish junk gets in the system and setup will make it a fish tank and good enough to support life. Now a window is doable but im not sure in what way.
 

dragonfish1ca

Candiru
MFK Member
Dec 13, 2005
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My plan was if i could go 14 feet long 2 7 foot x 32" pieces of glass with a center brace then glue/silicone them to the frame inside??? Lile the do with the plywood tanks build a frame in front then epoxy em in with pressure. I dunt dont know if any will stick to stainless?
 

skjl47

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
May 16, 2011
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Hello; I have a stainless framed tank siting in my basement. It is from the 1970's. The stainless is still in good shape as far as corrosion goes. The tank has not been in continuous use however. If the glass were not scratched so much, it would be set up today. I think of these tanks as classics.

I had some painted angle iron framed tanks in the 1960's. The frame rusted away after about ten years. This was before silicone and the tar like seals would harden and leak.

I had a home built 125 with an angle iron frame. The glass was set in silicone in the frame. It lasted around ten to twelve years. The frame was still in good shape as it had been coated with a decent paint. The failure was from the center cross brace.

The cross brace was also angle iron. It was fastened to the top rails of the tank with machine thread screws. The fatal error was in not using stainless screws and nuts. It was fastened with screws so as to be removeable. Over time the nut and screw rusted. The nut was a tad too close to the glass panel. Turns out rust is not only unsightly but as it takes on oxygen atoms, it swells. Swells with enough force to crack glass has been my theory. A secondary theory being that the rust was close enough to the glass that thermal expansion played in.

A large stainless framed tank should be a beauty. Stainless stand? Metal framed tanks were often bad for giving me an electric nip that got my attention.
 

dragonfish1ca

Candiru
MFK Member
Dec 13, 2005
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alberta canada
That is great info to know!! I dont mean to frame it however. I mean actually use the stainless plate inside the tank instead of glass or wood. So 75% of the tank would be bare stainless and the rest glass.
 

skjl47

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
May 16, 2011
4,397
3,777
179
Tennessee
Ive been researching this for 10 years ha ha ha and still when i pick up a tape measure and lay out where its going i go blank with fear....
There arent too many guys up here that have one running more than a few years so i dont know whos info to borrow for my own. Ive heard more horror stories than praise unless someone just filled it then its all good.... never see an update years later tho.
Thats why i thought stainless. I have access to 304 and 316 SS so its food grade and ive heard fiah safe.... but i dont know in that large amount. I can go thick plate with reinforced sides and bottom that wont bow a mm... thats no problem its knowing if it will even be safe? Or if the glass will work in it even if i make the frame for the panels out of 3/4" so there is zero flex. I know it will be solid and water tight.... after that im lost lol
hello; Metal framed tanks were the norm in the 50's, 60's and early 70's. Stainless being the better. Light hoods were also made from stainless. I still have one.

Not that I have done a build as ambitious as you plan, but the silicone can be used to seal the glass panes and should also be a cushion for the glass. The glass could cushioned so that it does not touch the metal at all, that the way the old tanks were made. The cushion was a tar like substance.
 

skjl47

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
May 16, 2011
4,397
3,777
179
Tennessee
That is great info to know!! I dont mean to frame it however. I mean actually use the stainless plate inside the tank instead of glass or wood. So 75% of the tank would be bare stainless and the rest glass.
hello; I see. Saltwater or Freshwater? While my old metal framed tanks were not in so large of contact as you plan, there was some direct water contact with the frame. My guess is that freshwater might have a chance. Just a guess. A lot of stainless in direct contact with the water, I just do not know for sure.

I watched a few episodes of those TV shows. Tanked and one other. They would place large objects in the tanks, some metal. I think they used some sort of transparent coating on the objects. Not sure what the coating might be.

Maybe line the inside with thin acrylic or use the type lining they use with plywood. Just need enough to keep water away from the metal
 
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