180 GALLON RIMLESS BOWING

[Nick2]

Just a bit low on money, I'll give the glazier a call and see how much it will cost for
The glass thanks for your help

 

[David R]

You might be able to get what they call "salvage" (at least that is the term for it here) which may not be quite as nice as new glass (scratches etc) but far cheaper. Doing the edge work yourself with sand paper will save you a few bucks as well.

 

[the_deeb]

Even with bracing, a 180g with 10mm glass sounds risky to me. I'd be hoping for at least 12mm glass on a tank that size. Another thing to worry about is the silicone that was used to build the tank. Rimless tanks generally have to endure much higher stresses on the seams (particularly if they're under-built with thinner glass) so they need to be assembled using really high quality high tensile strength silicone adhesives. If the builder cheaped out and went with thinner glass I'd worry that they also cheaped out and used inferior silicone.

Also, sorry if this sound harsh, but if you don't have enough money to brace this tank then I don't understand how you plan to afford to run the thing, let alone the money to pay for the repairs and new furniture if it explodes and floods your house. Equipment and utility costs on a 180g will quickly end up costing a lot more than the tank itself.

Maybe better to play it safe and consider setting it up as a reptile or amphibian tank or a shallow paludarium or riparium?

 

[David R]

With standard bracing [ie for a 6' tank braces around all four sides plus a centre brace] 10mm glass will give you a safety factor of 2.5, which isn't huge but by no means unsafe.
http://www.theaquatools.com/building-your-aquarium

 

[Nick2]

i have already bought all the equipment to run it, i will have the money but just not right now, i plan to brace it myself and use it as aquarium.