pond windows generally are frames either stainless or aluminum that the window glues into. the pond liner then is attached to the frame the same as you would with a skimmer or bottom drain.
New tank
- Thread starter Tobiassorensen
- Start date
AFAIK, using aluminum even for lids has been shown to kill fish in a fish tank. Not sure about the pond. Must depend on the pond size. In any case, I avoid any aluminum in contact with my fish water.
my wife and others have small galvanized trough ponds that have fish in there for years with no ill affects???? we've heard people say that the galvanizing will kill them, but that hasn't happened either. back when I was a kid most aquariums had aluminum frames and lids too.
My plan with this tank is to quickly assemble it for now. Then im gonna rebuild it prob around next summer to make it deeper and higher.
The plan is then to cut the glass loose and put in an rubberliner instead of an pvcliner and screw an stainless frame over the liner to silicone the glass to the frame instead. I just need this tank up and running so i can pour some gasoline and light my pool on fire to get rid of it. Ive got glasspanels for some other large tanks just waiting to get used but to make that happen i need to get rid of the pool to make room for two new tanks around 3000L each
I find this comment intriguing. May I suggest you make a thread on this knowledge containing a complete and concrete info, visuals, etc., please, especially if this project is still ongoing but not necessarily?
This may change the way we think about these things. No one ever makes fish tanks of aluminum or galvanized steel making up any portion of the tanks in contact with water, only stainless steel can do.
I wonder what others think about this, others with much more or wider experience than me.
For now, if I have to guess, you got away with this with certain type of fish (not sensitive to heavy metal or aluminum metal pollution) and short term because "years" means more than one year, which is particularly ill defined. Metal toxicity is often not acute but is expressed in tumor growth that takes time but this time is far shorter than the fish expected lifespan. Same in humans BTW.
Aluminum frame probably won't be in contact with water. As for aluminum lids - there has been a scientific study on the matter that discovered the fish sickening agents as various compounds containing aluminum oxide ligated by various inorganic and organic ligands, IIRC, or some such. It's getting dusty.
Oh goodness, while I generally try to avoid just about any metal contact with water in my tank as I can, I wasn't aware about aluminum in this regard -- and my 2 Arowana tanks have custom lids with (I'm pretty sure) aluminum frames. Usually the metal doesn't actually have contact with the water itself except an occasional splash -- do you think these are ok Viktor?
Sounds iffy, Tobias. I'd give it the best shot from the getgo. Chances are you will find no motivation to redo the same work later or the tank won't hold water (for long enough).
Needless to say, do as you will. Your perspective is better than mine. I am just very highly allergic to redoing the same things but find myself every now and then having to do it. It's extremely irritating to destroy what you have done and spend much time and money on and redo it to the point that it is better to aim to do it earnestly once and for all (even though it may not pan out like that anyway).
In the study that I recall, the lids weren't in continuous contact with the tank water either but splashing and condensation leached aluminum oxide into the fish tank water. Perhaps this is not always the case that you'd see a deleterious effect but I'd avoid testing this with my fish and opt for known 100% inert materials. Why gamble if there are options?
But those that gamble also learn things
however painful or not...
The thing is with this tank is that i havnt spent either time or money on it. I got this tank from a friend almost for free. When i have this tank up and running i have put in about 100usd in it.
But i do hear you on allergic to have to redo thing. But for now i have to do it this way to get the other tanks up and running since ive got more fish coming in soon and need the space my pool takes up. My pool almost takes up 3x2m in my 10x5m room. And when i did put it up i just put it up quickly since i moved the pool and gish the same day and had all the fish in styrofoamboxes atm.
As long as this tank holds water without leaks about 6months im more then happy with it cuz by then ill have at least one plywoodtank more up and running.
In the study that I recall, the lids weren't in continuous contact with the tank water either but splashing and condensation leached aluminum oxide into the fish tank water. Perhaps this is not always the case that you'd see a deleterious effect but I'd avoid testing this with my fish and opt for known 100% inert materials. Why gamble if there are options?
But those that gamble also learn things
Thx for input Viktor -- it was a good amount of work to make those lids, but I'm going to have to replace them with stainless steel or wooden versions, better safe than sorry as you say.
