Help with Acrylic window for DIY tank

[DFishFox]

So, I'm trying to move from the dream stages to planning phases for a DIY project. I realize the cost of this would be quite substantial so opening a savings account after setting some goals would be ideal. I'd like to build a slice of Africa. At the moment the biggest variable in question is the window.

Rough dimensions would be 6'x10'x4' which if I'm not mistaken would be just under 1500g.

From what I've read, it seems Acrylic would be the obvious choice. Problem is I have no idea where to start shopping(or get quotes) for a piece about 5.5'x4'. [nor do I know how thick it'd have to be]
Any ideas?

 

[DFishFox]

OMG... found one place that sells a 2" thick piece for $3,221.64 guess I should be saving like yesterday.

I hope someone out there knows a cheaper solution. Again I don't know how thick it should be (hopefully not more than 2").

 

[wcc963]

if im not mistaken, a window 66"x48"(5.5'x4') is about 22sq ft... glasscages prices 2" acrylic at $95.00 per sq ft. so it would be about $2100 before shipping, might want to give them a call or check out their website and try and get a quote from them

if your tank is 4' tall why would you get a piece of acrylic 4' tall?

 

[DFishFox]

if im not mistaken, a window 66"x48"(5.5'x4') is about 22sq ft... glasscages prices 2" acrylic at $95.00 per sq ft. so it would be about $2100 before shipping, might want to give them a call or check out their website and try and get a quote from them

if your tank is 4' tall why would you get a piece of acrylic 4' tall?

Thanks for the tip on glasscages

I'm not entirely concerned about the exact height of the rest of the tank; as i plan to make it out of concrete and the walls could always go just a bit higher if your suggesting the glass is going to be too tall for the fit. Otherwise I'm missing the dilemma.. sorry

I'm by no means ready to break ground on this now. Currently in the works to buy a house. This project factors in because it will become part of the whichever house we choose. In the event I were to sell the house, it would be emptied and finished off as a storage closet. Before all that.. is the feasibility of the project.

So the reason for this post was basically to gather feedback about where I should go with the window i.e. Structural integrity, dimensions, fitting design, and above all cost because it's likely going to be the biggest chunk of the budget. Now if the loan for the property could encompass this expense then I'd better lock down a few other specifics soon however the most complicated part of the equation IMO is the window.

 

[wcc963]

Thanks for the tip on glasscages

I'm not entirely concerned about the exact height of the rest of the tank; as i plan to make it out of concrete and the walls could always go just a bit higher if your suggesting the glass is going to be too tall for the fit. Otherwise I'm missing the dilemma.. sorry

I'm by no means ready to break ground on this now. Currently in the works to buy a house. This project factors in because it will become part of the whichever house we choose. In the event I were to sell the house, it would be emptied and finished off as a storage closet. Before all that.. is the feasibility of the project.

So the reason for this post was basically to gather feedback about where I should go with the window i.e. Structural integrity, dimensions, fitting design, and above all cost because it's likely going to be the biggest chunk of the budget. Now if the loan for the property could encompass this expense then I'd better lock down a few other specifics soon however the most complicated part of the equation IMO is the window.

- no dilema with the height of the window, just saying most people only put about a 3in overlap on the window frame, and on a window that large you could possibly shave a $100 or more off the cost of the final window by going with a 3in overlap rather than just matching the height of the tank. but it will also depend on how you deisgn the tank.

- im in the same stages with a bigger tank as well. 450g if i stay living with my dad, 800-1000g if i move can move out to my own place. so i know what you mean about figuring out cost and such.

ok for feedback a question:
- what are the dimensions of the viewing window? (not the glass or acrylic)

- for fitting, your best bet (and the most common) is to have the acrylic placed behind the viewing window with silicone sealing the gaps this will also have the water pressure helping hold the wondow in place.

i'd suggest building a shelf or frame that the window can sit in, since silcone is designed to seal it against water not hold the weight of the window, like during water changes or initial setup.

- im sure some others might be able to chime in as far as cost for the window and the thickness nedded as im not 100% sure on that... glasscages is what i use to price out my projects in the design stage, but you might be able to order glass or acrylic through your LFS too which will save you on shipping. and i havent built or seen a 4ft high windw in a DIY tank so i cant help much on thickness, but 2" does sound safe.

*Unrelated, but it's my 200th post... WOOT!*

 

[DFishFox]

- no dilema with the height of the window, just saying most people only put about a 3in overlap on the window frame, and on a window that large you could possibly shave a $100 or more off the cost of the final window by going with a 3in overlap rather than just matching the height of the tank. but it will also depend on how you deisgn the tank.
ok for feedback a question:
- what are the dimensions of the viewing window? (not the glass or acrylic)

I see what you mean .. I want the window as big as possible.. basically. Train of though: The rough dimensions of the tank(6'x4'x10') is what I imagine to be large and spaced out enough for many different kinds of African Cichlids to claim territory and spawn. The front face being 6x4. Biggest I can fit in there without compromising the structural integrity of the frame the window is seated, nor raising demands for the acrylic strength and cost to the point it's no longer feasible, is what I aim for. Remember its 10' from window to the back. Seems far and just might be pushing it, but I need floor surface area to promote more territory opportunity. And I don't want it to look like a porthole and tunnel. But I'm sure spanning the length 10' and the height being 4' would exponentially increase the demand for thickness of the acrylic. Not to mention cost.
^^^ this dilemma is what I'm really stuck on about acrylic choice.

 

[wcc963]

hmmm... well if you going to be keeping cichlids the 4' height of the tank isn't really necessary (unless its just because you want it of course ) if you drop it to 3' you could go with a thinner acrylic or even 3/4" glass and save a lot more and still have plenty of depth for any cichlid... with a 5.5'x3' viewing window and 4" of overlap for security, a 74"x44" piece of glass in 3/4" starphire would be about $724 plus shiiping from glasscages.

3/4" might even be enough for 4' height... but i'll let someone else confirm that

 

[DFishFox]

Thats a crazy difference in cost...

 

[wcc963]

Thats a crazy difference in cost...

yea when i was researching cost on my future tank i realized that glass would be cheaper than acrylic. everyone seems to rave about the clarity of acrylic over glass but starphire glass is super clear as well, it doesnt have the green tint that regular glass has.

some quick math and the window i sized in my previous post with starphire glass is about 4.5 times cheaper than your original quote, but that was for 2" acrylic comapred to 3/4" glass

 

[DFishFox]

yea when i was researching cost on my future tank i realized that glass would be cheaper than acrylic. everyone seems to rave about the clarity of acrylic over glass but starphire glass is super clear as well, it doesnt have the green tint that regular glass has.

some quick math and the window i sized in my previous post with starphire glass is about 4.5 times cheaper than your original quote, but that was for 2" acrylic comapred to 3/4" glass

I remember hearing that acrylic is stronger than glass.. But how could that be if I'd need 2" thick if acrylic and 3/4" if glass. I thought the weaker material needs more of it...