120 gallon questions

[midnight]

sorry if this is in the wrong section.

im thinking of building a 120 gallon
my dad and grandpa are great with glass and aquariums
but its been a while for them.
for a 120 gall,4'x2'x2',what thickness of glass should i use?
and if i make my own wet dry for it,will a 10 gallon tank be right?
and does anyone know how much a 4'x8' sheet of glass will cost roughly?
im sure i will have more questions,not going to start for a month or so.
thanks in advance

 

[Carl D]

1cm thick, and double on the bottom. I have the exact same tank. Sorry they are the only questions i can answer.
Carl.

 

[Dr Joe]

Hey Midnight,

You should have atleast a 20g sump for your w/d. You'll need it to flow 750g - 1200g a hour depending on your bio-load.

Make sure you take pix of construction fun.

As far as glass prices, call your local glass shop, everyones prices will vary depending on their shipping costs from manufacturer.

Make sure you tell them what it is for so you get the right stuff.

Have them cut it and smooth the edges. Thick glass is not that easy to work with. Plus you only pay for what you get.

And see if they can drill it for you if you want an overflow & return for a sump.

If they break it, it should be their problem not yours.

Have you thought about a wood tank with windows?

 

[midnight]

dang was wanting to use an 8 dollar aquarium as the wet dry lol

so then im looking for a pump that does 750g - 1200g ph?

will take pics if this happens

ya i figured i would have to call just was curious
my pops has a few freinds with glass shops so it will most likely be cheaper

and to have them cut it is more cash,my dad and gramps have cut glass for many years

If they break it, it should be their problem not yours.

that is a good point but im cheap

and the first wood one i ever seen was on here,i like glass

 

[Dr Joe]

Use two $8 tanks and the outside ocers that they made on here.

 

[skillzdatkillz]

heres an option for making a wetdry.

Take one of these http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...n=B0006O0 EE2

Drill a a bunch of holes in the bottem each drawer say 3/8 in. Fill the first drawer with foam/floss, second with efisubstrat/efimech or whatever and fill the 3rd with bioballs. For the 4th drawer just put a pump in it that pumps water up to the tank. The water starts at the top and runs through all you media then gets pumped back up.

 

[midnight]

talked to gramps.he said ok
hes the man with the plan.
i never said this part,he has made hundreds and hundreds of custom tanks.
a while ago tho.his shop is made to make aquariums with all the tools.
he does his filters different.
he adds them to the actual tank,dont know if its inside or on the outside.
he knows tanks tho so im not arguing with him.
he says to go with 3/8" or 1/2" glass to be safe

 

[dpetit]

my 120 gal(4x2x2) uses ten mill glass with a brace in the middle on top as for sumps go with something around 20 gal, you need a little room for water to move around if you happen to have a problem with it

 

[Dr Joe]

talked to gramps.he said ok
hes the man with the plan.
i never said this part,*he has made hundreds and hundreds of custom tanks.
a while ago tho.his shop is made to make aquariums with all the tools.
he does his filters different.
he adds them to the actual tank,dont know if its inside or on the outside.
he knows tanks tho so im not arguing with him.
he says to go with 3/8" or 1/2" glass to be safe

*Yea, you kinda left out that minor detail.

Lets see some of his design ideas.

Is he familiar with sump systems? I used in-tank and hang on filters with the tanks I built / bought for years and I know they have their place but I'm sold on bio/sump filters now. Especially with MONSTERFISH.

It's great to have that kind of help available to you. Pay very close attention, you can't get that info from a school (nobody teaches it). I learned from my Dad and it just amazed me the first time (and second) that I saw it. He explained it to me and it just stuck.

I'd take that kind of help for a Christmas present any day (don't let my family read this).

 

[Dr Joe]

heres an option for making a wetdry.

Take one of these http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...n=B0006O0 EE2

Drill a a bunch of holes in the bottem each drawer say 3/8 in. Fill the first drawer with foam/floss, second with efisubstrat/efimech or whatever and fill the 3rd with bioballs. For the 4th drawer just put a pump in it that pumps water up to the tank. The water starts at the top and runs through all you media then gets pumped back up.

With this system you have to make sure it's level. A small mod to the drawers and you don't have to worry about it.

Mind you I did this with what I had at hand...

Drill the holes in the botton of the drawers 2-2.5in apart and 2in from egde. Support the drawer by its sides, then set a BOWLING BALL in the drawer and apply heat from a hot air gun (I did't try a blow dryer) momentarily to the bottom to create a slight sag in the drawer bottom. You have to use heat to make the sag permanent. Its just enough sag to have water flow to the center but not have the drawer hit hard when its pulled out. I did it to the top too, it helped with condensation drips.

This system is very compact and functional and the drawers come in several sizes.