I'm not that clumsy!

[Parka]

The builds look great! The portholes on the ends of the tank look nice. What do you plan to keep in the larger builds?

Hello P phreeflow and thank you! Well, that's the best part, I don't know yet! Maybe in the near future, my new future friends can help me decide? ... Because I am a clumsy

 

[Parka]

Welcome aboard
Agree those builds are awesome.

Thank you kindly! My plan is to build both Chicago and Cleveland with the same styling or design.

 

[Parka]

Impressive stuff, just out of curiosity why do you name the tanks after cities?

I like this question! It's because I like simple geography and the lay of the land. And I love big wall maps and giant colorful globes... And it's because I'm from Akron and I been to Cleveland countless times and I did drive through Chicago in 1981 on my way to visit my Army buddy in Minnesota. I'm 64 now! Wow! Anyway, I just like to 'name' stuff. Thank you for your cool question, I enjoyed answering it! I will see you Monsters later.

 

[jjohnwm]

Welcome! I'm looking forward to watching these plans progress; I'm a DIY-er as well, so I am always looking for ideas that I can steal and use.

I love that tank...but not too sure about the minnow trap. Is that "decor"...or are you just trying to catch some fish?

And, okay, I'll bite...in the pic of the big stand, you have some puzzling stuff going on with the 2x4's at the right side of the pic, on the end. A chunk missing from the top one...and just a short piece in the center of the bottom one. What's going on there?

 

[phreeflow]

What did you coat the die cast cars with before you put them in the tank?

 

[Parka]

Welcome! I'm looking forward to watching these plans progress; I'm a DIY-er as well, so I am always looking for ideas that I can steal and use.

I love that tank...but not too sure about the minnow trap. Is that "decor"...or are you just trying to catch some fish?

And, okay, I'll bite...in the pic of the big stand, you have some puzzling stuff going on with the 2x4's at the right side of the pic, on the end. A chunk missing from the top one...and just a short piece in the center of the bottom one. What's going on there?

All right, thanks for the welcome too! Ah, the hoop net. I only used that to catch my goldfish one day because I wasn't having much luck with my net. Man, that hoop net was the ticket! I will show some other older and also more recent pics so you can get a better feel for the set up.

So those chunks of 2x material you accurately described... those are simply there to make the stand 1 1/2" longer at each end. It will eventually get covered in 3/4" plywood with the front covered in 8 small doors.

These are two large builds that I plan and shoot, I am not an expert know it all about anything and I just don't want to be considered rude or arrogant about making a Monster Splash with these builds. I already read the rules and I don't even want to get one reprimand! I hope I never even get a warning. Because the proscribed topics Shan't be broached by the likes of me, no way, not me!

Anyway, I have a build problem already and I'd like to share! So I got these two big ole great big pieces of tempered glass delivered just inside the front door, very happy! They are packed separate in heavy cardboard wrapped with a thin wooden frame and they are 72" x 42" half inch thick tempered and each piece weighs 125 pounds. I want to remind all that from a wheelchair I got both boxes most of the way down the basement stairs all by my self. What I did was, I made a crush box filled with more boxes and styrofoam and hung it at the proper height on the wall at the landing and then I moved one box at a time, I got it to teeter on the threshold on the door to the basement, I let my end tip up and I let it slide down the stairs, I did that twice and the crush box did its job like a champ!

But this was a few days ago and the darn boxes are too heavy for time being. So for the past few days I have been having to go to the basement from our deck and those deck stairs for whatever reason are much more difficult that the basement steps inside the house.

All that aside, I should be ready to start cutting the plywood any day now. All the plywood is in the garage and I will set up a cut table during the day in the driveway and get after it. I will need a helper to carry the cut pieces to the basement.

 

[jjohnwm]

I applaud and admire your ingenuity and determination; I am forever figuring out how to use levers, pulleys, come-alongs and chainfalls to help me do tasks that any sane person would get some help for, so I love to hear someone else doing the same.

Now, a question: what is your intended purpose for a 72 x 42 inch piece of half-inch glass? Because any tank deep enough to require 42 inch glass...needs more than 1/2-inch thickness. Alarm bells started ringing as soon as I read that; explain please?

 

[Parka]

What did you coat the die cast cars with before you put them in the tank?

I'm sorry I didn't answer this! I didn't coat 'em with anything at tall, we all seem quite happy with my choice of decor, me & my Swimmers!

 

[Parka]

Now, a question: what is your intended purpose for a 72 x 42 inch piece of half-inch glass? Because any tank deep enough to require 42 inch glass...needs more than 1/2-inch thickness. Alarm bells started ringing as soon as I read that; explain please?

The purpose for both pieces of 72"x42" - half inch tempered glass, are for the front windows in Chicago.

I did contact a retired mechanical engineer with my plans, detailed specs etc. before I made purchase and he assured me in no uncertain terms that my choice of glass was MORE than sturdy and strong enough for this build. This guy has vast knowledge of the physical limits of many different materials and he knows all kinds of formulas and maths and stuff that I never think about... that being said, sometimes on paper things don't play out the same in practice.

Do you have a real life experience of witnessing the failure of 1/2" thick tempered glass in any type of situation, especially related to aquarium or pond builds? If so please share, it's possible you know things that the engineer is not privy to. If not, can I ask what your qualifications are to doubt the integrity of the material I plan to use?

 

[jjohnwm]

If I were any less qualified, I wouldn't be able to type out my posts on MFK! My comment was based strictly upon the assorted charts and references I have seen over the past few decades of DIY tank building.

I have always used half-inch glass for my builds up to a maximum water depth of 24 inches. I've never seen one fail, either my own or someone else's, when built within those limits. I think I have seen some commercial tanks up to 28 or 30 inches depth that use half-inch glass...but not many. I think it's safe to say that most builders go with thicker glass by the time they hit the 30-inch depth.

Now, admittedly, one of the benefits of thicker glass is a wider footprint for the silicone seal at joints, and this is immaterial with a plywood build as opposed to all-glass, since the pressure is not pushing against the joint and trying to separate it. Plywood tanks just don't fail in the manner that most defective all-glass tanks do, i.e. having a seam give way.

I also don't know what safety factor your engineer friend is considering acceptable. I'm pretty conservative and don't like to take chances of this type.

So my apologies if it sounded like I was peeing on your corn-flakes; that wasn't my intention. Hopefully a few other builders can chime in here and prove me totally wrong.

But, even if that happens, I stand by my statement: IMHO, a 42-inch depth calls for thicker glass than a mere 24 inches.