a 500g one glass sided tank ..
- Thread starter zazz
- Start date
after mulling the issues of this approach i have come up with a revised plan to get the effect i am after.
proceed with constructing a reinforced concrete slab that rest on two reinforced concrete columns and is tied in with the surrounding walls, with rebars that insert themselves on all three sides.
include fiber in the mix to minimize cracking.
leave the existing wall finishes above the slab untouched.
insert silicone at the point where the slab meets the finishes.
introduce a thick 11ft by 2ft piece of plexiglass that will be held in place by more silicone.
paint the whole aquarium area ie the slab and the walls up to 2ft with epoxy.
what do you think?? could this be ok?
cost of the plexiglass concerns me but on paper it sounds great.
proceed with constructing a reinforced concrete slab that rest on two reinforced concrete columns and is tied in with the surrounding walls, with rebars that insert themselves on all three sides.
include fiber in the mix to minimize cracking.
leave the existing wall finishes above the slab untouched.
insert silicone at the point where the slab meets the finishes.
introduce a thick 11ft by 2ft piece of plexiglass that will be held in place by more silicone.
paint the whole aquarium area ie the slab and the walls up to 2ft with epoxy.
what do you think?? could this be ok?
cost of the plexiglass concerns me but on paper it sounds great.
zazz;3845246; said:thanks... studio max and vray.
its good to do a 3d model of it.. but reality is so much harder.
I agree. Personally, I spend too much time planning, and not enough time building. It's so much easier to make changes on the computer, than it is once you start really building something.
Is concrete an inexpensive construction material there? From my perspective, it seems excessively expensive and overbuilt.
Looking forward to see this project progress.
BadOleRoss;3839152; said:
while the design or one he just showed u is awesome it prob cost that guy at least 10-15k dollars to make and set up. also is theroy on pond filters is wrong as i have a pond set up on my 825 gallon tank and the water is crystal clear. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmLlyFjl95U
thanks for the responses.. and i am reading and weighing up all opinions ..really appreciate it even if it isnt what i want to hear!
here in the philppines everything is built out of rebars and concrete. Its probably not any cheaper than the us but its not a huge ammount of concrete.. a garden path would probably be a lot more.
My house is full of just this type of structure already.. worktops all over built out of concrete that is solid as a rock. If i had to remove them it would be a major task..but labour is cheap.
Only the other day i had to remove some huge concrete patio that had rebars in it.... that was a major job in itself that required jackhammers and this huge concrete cutter.
I am still a bit taken aback at how plywood on a wooden stand could ever be compared to a reinforced concrete slab sitting on reinforced concrete columns sitting on a concrete floor and tied into surrounding concrete walls. i just couldnt in my wildest dreams imagine that i fill the tank and the slab would crack under the weight..impossible...as long as the slab is thick enough.
Bear in mind that the water is only 2ft deep spread out over 11ft by 2 1/2.
More of an issue is leaking through cracks ect.
Thats why i was considering pouring the slab and the sides in one go ..(imagine something like a bath with one side missing) ..maybe the slab itself would have to solidify a little before the sides but not so far apart that bonding at the corner joint edges wouldnt occur.
as well as waterproofing.. the concrete mix would contain a hardener to boost the psi and this fiberglass like materiel that would bind the concrete and prevent minor cracks.
on the subject of just making a stand and placing a conventional tank on it ..well naturally it would work but it would not have the same impact as something that looked purpose built. I was going for something architectural as well ..
another issue is heat ..if i can have the water kept lower by maximising the contact with the building structure ..then that would be great... electricity bills in the phillipines are the highest in asia.
of course the elephant in the kitchen here is the 11ft span of glass across the front... i have been speaking to several guys on this and nobody really has a cast iron soloution. I dont really want a beam across the top of the glass . Also as far as i can tell 11ft plexiglass is impossible to get locally but could be shipped from the states.
I can get 11ft tempered glass ..12mm. I would be ok about treating the glass coventionally like a normal tank by having a return bracing on the top and tying it in with with strips of glass that tie in with the rear wall. Visually that would have little impact with the view from the front.
How i would bind the glass with the concrete is still up in the air... one suggestion was to have a groove cast in the concrete with same size wood... another was to bolt the glass to the front of the concrete with planar balaustrade fixings and a gaskett...you could apply another facia to hide the bolts ect.. That last suggestion came from a guy who did the aquarium in the manila ocean park so i guess it must work.
It goes without saying that silicone would be used aplenty ..and as said before a coating of marine epoxy might be needed on the concrete if after all is said and done cracks and leaks occur..hopefully not.
what do you think guys...trying something different here ..lol.
here in the philppines everything is built out of rebars and concrete. Its probably not any cheaper than the us but its not a huge ammount of concrete.. a garden path would probably be a lot more.
My house is full of just this type of structure already.. worktops all over built out of concrete that is solid as a rock. If i had to remove them it would be a major task..but labour is cheap.
Only the other day i had to remove some huge concrete patio that had rebars in it.... that was a major job in itself that required jackhammers and this huge concrete cutter.
I am still a bit taken aback at how plywood on a wooden stand could ever be compared to a reinforced concrete slab sitting on reinforced concrete columns sitting on a concrete floor and tied into surrounding concrete walls. i just couldnt in my wildest dreams imagine that i fill the tank and the slab would crack under the weight..impossible...as long as the slab is thick enough.
Bear in mind that the water is only 2ft deep spread out over 11ft by 2 1/2.
More of an issue is leaking through cracks ect.
Thats why i was considering pouring the slab and the sides in one go ..(imagine something like a bath with one side missing) ..maybe the slab itself would have to solidify a little before the sides but not so far apart that bonding at the corner joint edges wouldnt occur.
as well as waterproofing.. the concrete mix would contain a hardener to boost the psi and this fiberglass like materiel that would bind the concrete and prevent minor cracks.
on the subject of just making a stand and placing a conventional tank on it ..well naturally it would work but it would not have the same impact as something that looked purpose built. I was going for something architectural as well ..
another issue is heat ..if i can have the water kept lower by maximising the contact with the building structure ..then that would be great... electricity bills in the phillipines are the highest in asia.
of course the elephant in the kitchen here is the 11ft span of glass across the front... i have been speaking to several guys on this and nobody really has a cast iron soloution. I dont really want a beam across the top of the glass . Also as far as i can tell 11ft plexiglass is impossible to get locally but could be shipped from the states.
I can get 11ft tempered glass ..12mm. I would be ok about treating the glass coventionally like a normal tank by having a return bracing on the top and tying it in with with strips of glass that tie in with the rear wall. Visually that would have little impact with the view from the front.
How i would bind the glass with the concrete is still up in the air... one suggestion was to have a groove cast in the concrete with same size wood... another was to bolt the glass to the front of the concrete with planar balaustrade fixings and a gaskett...you could apply another facia to hide the bolts ect.. That last suggestion came from a guy who did the aquarium in the manila ocean park so i guess it must work.
It goes without saying that silicone would be used aplenty ..and as said before a coating of marine epoxy might be needed on the concrete if after all is said and done cracks and leaks occur..hopefully not.
what do you think guys...trying something different here ..lol.
Personally, I think that your idea will work out nicely, as long as you can figure out the viewing window issues. I'm not sure what thickness glass/acrylic you would need to have it unbraced, but if you include braces tying it into the back wall, it shouldn't be a big deal at all.
Concrete, if prepared correctly, is extremely strong, and can hold quite a bit of weight. From what you're saying, I think you know what you're talking about and should attempt to make it the way you want. Maybe others are skeptical, but until you do it, who's to say who's right and wrong?
Concrete, if prepared correctly, is extremely strong, and can hold quite a bit of weight. From what you're saying, I think you know what you're talking about and should attempt to make it the way you want. Maybe others are skeptical, but until you do it, who's to say who's right and wrong?
Silicone WILL NOT adhere to plexiglas or acrylic with enough strength to be used for structural purposes.
I concur with the reccomendations that say that plywood/glass construction and a framed tank support would be a better approach. If you were aiming for an 800+ gallon tank size, I would modify that reccomendation to welded steel and acrylic construction. But with either glass or acrylic, the water pressure is used to force the glass/acrylic against a resilient seal on the the inside of the frame of the viewing window.
You were not explicit about the floor construction, but I have experience with reinforcing underneath wooden floors with telescoping steel columns that incorporate adjustable screw jacks. This is preferable IMHO since you will likely not own the property your entire life and demolition of a concrete tank will be expensive.
The floor reinfocement is quite simple. Two columns would be used, one at each end of the tank, and on top of these in full contact with all the floor joists is a longtudinal beam (steel or wood) that is in contact with all the floor joists above. The lower end of the columns rest upon a concrete slab. The columns are adjusted util they press lightly against the floor joists and prevent them from deflecting downwards from the weight of tank and water.
I concur with the reccomendations that say that plywood/glass construction and a framed tank support would be a better approach. If you were aiming for an 800+ gallon tank size, I would modify that reccomendation to welded steel and acrylic construction. But with either glass or acrylic, the water pressure is used to force the glass/acrylic against a resilient seal on the the inside of the frame of the viewing window.
You were not explicit about the floor construction, but I have experience with reinforcing underneath wooden floors with telescoping steel columns that incorporate adjustable screw jacks. This is preferable IMHO since you will likely not own the property your entire life and demolition of a concrete tank will be expensive.
The floor reinfocement is quite simple. Two columns would be used, one at each end of the tank, and on top of these in full contact with all the floor joists is a longtudinal beam (steel or wood) that is in contact with all the floor joists above. The lower end of the columns rest upon a concrete slab. The columns are adjusted util they press lightly against the floor joists and prevent them from deflecting downwards from the weight of tank and water.
colwellsoddballs;3849039; said:
I stand corrected! Thank you for acknowledging that is was a theory!
I still think wood is the way to go but this is not my build and I wish you all the best. I will certianly be following it!
