250 gal all glass pauldaruim

[The Foleys]

this is my first post on the forum. ive been around on a read only basis for quite a while. my wife and i have come up with a new idea that we feel the need to research a bit. Up till now we have never had a a question that the search funtion didnt fullfill.

So we have our toads and newts in a 125 gal pauldarium that wehave been meaning to spruce up for a bit. the other night a light bulb struck. we have a second 125 thats been just hanging around empty because we havent found a place we felt it looked right with our present furniture arrangement. plus at a certain point it just gets silly if they arent well incorporated. our old house just had tanks and stands friggen everywhere .

So the bright idea is to cut doors into the 1/2 glass invert the tank and set it ontop the other with sealant and screws through bracing. That would result in something like these exoterra and such flimsy vivs you see at the lfs, but made of thick glass and 250gal of volume. i have searched every where and cant find the info im looking for. Our concerns are saftey related. Obviously the set up will be balanced with the botom tank having 75% water in itand two rectangular bodies tipping isnt a concern. the issues are
1)how well would an aquarium handle being permanetaly upsidedown?
2)being the top tank will have nothing in it but walls will its weight be an issue for the bottom tank. one of our lfs says hey we stack em 4 high all the time. But i cant help but say hmmmm but the bottom has no water.....

im likely to dispose of the door cut outs and us a lighter glass for the doors. has anyone around here had any experience with this type setup? im sure im not the 1st to think of it. i maybe the first to mop it up!!
i couldnt find any threads that suited these issues here or anywhere else for that matter. looking to avoid building a rack that would inhibbit looks to the point of pointlessness, being the 2 are supposed to act as one if you know what i mean. my gut instinct says doit. a rational and educated guess says it will work well. but my experience is telling me think twice do once.
thoughts, ideas, opinions please. btw if you have a link that would be double awesome.

thanks in advance
tom + angie

 

[Justo23]

In my humble opinion, 1-an aquarium will have absolutely no problem being upside down... and 2-the weight of the tank on top will affect the bottom tank very little as the water alone in the bottom tank at 75% capacity will weigh about 750 lbs.

I have had doubts about how much weight my 65gal's glass will hold as i add rocks to it... check out this vid of the weight a 10 gal. sustains http://youtu.be/PgEwEiTyYcs (and the weight of your top tank will be distributed down the sides of the tank - the strongest parts for a top load - it won't even affect the bottom glass of the supporting tank)

I truly believe you have nothing to worry about, and your idea is a good one

 

[joe jaskot]

I am curious. How do you plan on cutting the doors into the glass aquarium without disassembling it? Why not just sell the 125 and use the money to buy glass?

 

[The Foleys]

thanks justo thats pretty much what i see too. in my searching i found a comment that when water is in the bottom tank it will bow slightly tranferring some amount of verticale force into horizontal load. the whole tank only weighs as much as 10 to 15 gallons of water. what do you think.

hey joe, well we looked around and found a couple of methods and are triing to pick one. slowly grind up and down scratching lightly with a steady supply of water. or scoring the box we want cut out then making cross scores then crack the center and clean up the straglers. lookin to do this on the cheap you know. we have tons of random supplies around our house. the way i see it if i crack the front peice well then ill remove it and have one peice made. still cheaper than 5 peices made. and theyre already sealed! i would like to hear opinions on this also. best cut method to get a cut in with out full tear down.

 

[ruddybop]

I have cut 1/4 glass before and it snaps in half kinda nice but never perfect. Try calling your glass store and ask them how much it would cost to cut an opening in the 125 with out taking it apart. Just to see what they say. They could probably drill holes in the glass for hinges also. The glass company can also smooth all the edges making it safe. Doesn't cost anything to make a phone call....

 

[The Foleys]

I have cut 1/4 glass before and it snaps in half kinda nice but never perfect. Try calling your glass store and ask them how much it would cost to cut an opening in the 125 with out taking it apart. Just to see what they say. They could probably drill holes in the glass for hinges also. The glass company can also smooth all the edges making it safe. Doesn't cost anything to make a phone call....

well cutting the glass isnt the issue we are pretty handy folks. and between our profession and hobby work we have virtually any tool we would need. including glazing related. drilling holes doesnt take much skill just the right bit at its designed rpm water and paitents. i will need to drill quite a few bulkheads as well. my question was to the purposed saftey of the seamed stacking. i plan to leave the plasticflat surface for mating.what do you think about stability? thats really where the concer lays

 

[ruddybop]

I don't see any issue. As long as you have exact tanks and the edges match up, and you have a strong level stand for it.. Even a bead of silicone will probably hold it once dry...