Hey guys I just thought this would be a good topic to talk about since most of these diy tanks I've noticed that are 300 gallons and more have either been all acrylic, or made by a plywood/wooden frame, or a concrete one. My issue that I wanted to bring up into this thread was, why not make an all glass 300 plus gallon tank, but more imporatantly is it in anyway less reliable than any other of these forms of tanks being made, if so is there ways around that problem. So essentially I really want to discuss the safety issues of these large glass tanks that are being made if any... What I want to get at the end of this thread is if its plausible and if its comparably as safe as the other forms of tanks being made.
Is there any issues in building an all glass 300gallon++ tank?
- Thread starter puz84
- Start date
Only issues I have with doing an all glass monster are:
1) glass is expensive, so using it for the back and bottom seems like a waste
2) the common DIY methods use mechanical fasteners, and frames to hold the glass in place, instead of just silicone bonds.
3) glass is really heavy. I have a single 60"x36" window in my tank and it's like 200lbs. Altogether the tank only weighs 350-400, so more than half of the mass of the tank is the single window. If it was all glass it'd be like 600+lbs.
1) glass is expensive, so using it for the back and bottom seems like a waste
2) the common DIY methods use mechanical fasteners, and frames to hold the glass in place, instead of just silicone bonds.
3) glass is really heavy. I have a single 60"x36" window in my tank and it's like 200lbs. Altogether the tank only weighs 350-400, so more than half of the mass of the tank is the single window. If it was all glass it'd be like 600+lbs.
plus you have to get the right thickness of glass. there is a member here who has an all glass monster, and the glass is a little to thin. Started to bow out and has a weird magnification effect
i have a 450 gal all glass tank measures are 330 cm X 75 cm X 70 cm (in inches is 129.9 X 29.5 X 27.5) it´s made of 1/2" thick glass with a lot of glass reinforcement in the sides and the bottom.
cvermeulen do you know specifically what mechanical fasteners they were using or how this frame was built to reinforce the glass. It seems like saganeers' tank is reinfroced around the frame, and without this reinforcement the glass thickness must be at about an 1" thick, so it it will save me some money but also seems more secure this way as well.
The reinforcement looks to be siliconed on glass on the inside, with a top and bottom frame supporting the tank. On a long, not so tall tank, the main issue will be the strength of the corner seams, and bowing of the long sides... so if you can beef those up, 1/2" glass is fine. If I was DIYing though, I'd go another route.
the main issue are two fold, I think -or at least- I'm thinking that 
first you have the price issue -glass (or acryllic) is expensive.
And then you have the weight thing. Glass is heavy. How do you go about putting those hugh and heavy glass sheats together? It is one thing to put a single glass in a frame, and get that secure. Another thing is setting up a hole tank, with spacer's between the sheets and silicone and stuff. How do you do that when each glass weighs in at 100, or even 200 kg? I know how to build a tank when I can lift the glass myself and hold it in place with some help. But if you need a crane?
Im thinking of tanks 1000+ gallons with watherdept of a meter (or more).
first you have the price issue -glass (or acryllic) is expensive.
And then you have the weight thing. Glass is heavy. How do you go about putting those hugh and heavy glass sheats together? It is one thing to put a single glass in a frame, and get that secure. Another thing is setting up a hole tank, with spacer's between the sheets and silicone and stuff. How do you do that when each glass weighs in at 100, or even 200 kg? I know how to build a tank when I can lift the glass myself and hold it in place with some help. But if you need a crane?
Im thinking of tanks 1000+ gallons with watherdept of a meter (or more).
puz84;1517969; said:
That`s correct puz84 my tank has top and bottom frames and fasteners made of 1/2" thick glass, this prevents the large glass sides to bow
My 450g is all glass and it's made from 3/4" glass. It's 120 x 24 x 36. 3/4" glass weighs 13 pounds per square foot. I had to order a replacement piece for the center brace which is 2' x 2' and I paid $200 for just that small piece to be cut, edged, and shipped.
This whole tank weighs around 1,100 pounds empty.
This whole tank weighs around 1,100 pounds empty.