Glass/Acrylic Alternative? Please Help
- Thread starter J. H.
- Start date
Just like he said. Also, if you can't afford to build, you probably cannot afford to maintain the tank. Heating a tank and filtration can be very expensive. Even if you alot of DIY, it will be expensive to setup, and then maintain.
You are planning a 12x2.5x3 tank and are complaining about $1000. I am planning a 10x4x30in tank and am struggling to keep it under the budget of $8,000-$10,000. Even if I was go to plywood, it would still be $5,000-7,000 probably.
I slept on the idea. I can't do it because I would not be able to access the tank at all if it were sealed like that.
I am not complaining, I just flat out don't have money.
I can cut up my 90 and get four panels (2x 4' and 2x 1.5') of 1/2"+ glass. I would use that marine vinyl to seal a box and stand of wood (I intend to buy a roll anyway to build a greenhouse and a canoe) that I already have and coat it with deck sealant keep it from rotting(I already have that too) and use one 3200gph powerhead to run a pvc canister filter made of 6" diameter pvc and a pair of big plastic tool boxes. I know this will work as I someone on DIY Fishkeepers built a canister filter using a bladed powerhead got 3/4 of the rated gph out it, plus they draw only 18w. Lighting would from a window and some cheap LED strips my father bought to light the living room but my mother wouldn't let him install because she didn't like the look. The top lid would be 1/4" acrylic, so I could use the room's lighting also. Plants would be form a local lake and do part of my filtration, maybe even with some emergent growing through holes in the lid. How's that?
I think in theory the water would stay in place, I'm highly dubious of the water pressure on the top/bottom/longer panels being reduced.
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The proposed tank would work as it 1/2 the water would drop to the sump if the vacuum failed. The only problem is it would be impossible to access the inside of the tank. Oh, I forgot to add in my last post, the tank would be insulated on the back, bottom, and sides with Mylar/Space Blanket. I want to be able to use a 200w heater, and I think with that kind of insulation, I can. I also want to use a outdoor stone veneer facade as a 3D background. Playsand substrate, like in my 55, and get some of those rough stone bricks people put along their driveways to silicone together into holey walls and pyramids for decor / hiding places.
What is the largest tank you have had? I doubt that single DIY canister is going to be sufficient. You need to ensure water movement and filtration across a 12ft span and 3 ft depth. A single intake and output with only 3200gph I suspect will not cut it. When you get beyond 4ft you normally have multiple intakes.
