Seal-less Tank

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Too true, chemical influence will be impossible but it's the chemicals it will be exposed to that we are concerned about.

That being said, there are some health concerns about using teflon inside the tank, however the dangerous side effects of chemical degridation caused by heat won't be anywhere close to the temps we'll be hitting. On the other hand, the teflon slowly being worn away will remain harmless (or if not at least another variable to measure for) and shouldn't cause problems. As the epoxy holding the sides together becomes exposed we will be able to detect their presence in the water chemistry.

So, ultimately you are right. I'm talking with some companies in the areas for custom glass parts and equipment but the expense is somewhat prohibitive. This is an area that requires more exploration.

I'm still working on an algae scrubber that will be acceptable with these restrictions!
 
Ya that's true about the abraded teflon still being inert, but my point was reffering to the exposure of what was underneath as you mentioned. You are right about it being possible for a seemless glass tank with using specialized equiptment, but I assumed you ment DIY which I don't believe is possible.

Don't get me wrong I like the concept, its just really hard to do. as I'm also trying to create an almost self sustaining system myself (going to start with a 200-500gal then move up to a 1000), usind only DSB and scrubbers for filtration (along with some macros and general cleanup crew). That said I intend to stock it more heavily then the tank could sustain so I plan to culture pods, phytos, macros etc to be added to the tank on a regular basis as a supliment to help maintain food levels for my fish.

Over all I'm not overly concerned about the chemical leaching from my plastics, as the acrylic I use as the 4 non viewing sides, is covered either with aragocrete or will be covered by coraline algeas. The only other plastic is minor ammounts of piping and the powerheads I for current.
 
wont you need a huge kiln to heat glass properly? i dont see this being possible, but i want to see it if you can pull it off
 
At the end, the idea of a seamless tank only seems possible starting from a custom casting and accounting for each possible seam. Not at all cost effective, though without the resources available, neither would teflon coating be.

We're somewhere around a month away from starting, and I may begin a new thread to do so but as we start I'll give the operations and make-up of the teflon being applied. As this continues I'll be able to pass along the long-term degradation of the teflon and the time frame in which it happens.

For pre-builts (which seem to be the cheapest for what we're after(that is through the retailer in which we see %10 of all purchases back)) cad lights looks like a good option though I may still fabricate out the lighting system myself.

Still shopping out a glass blower, both professional and personal (BAM!) and I'll post what the total cost is as we acrue.
 
As to the other posts:

Most of the chemicals won't be problems, but we're looking at filtering out a plethora of secondary toxics that aren't regularly considered. Such as, the level of hormones, anti-depressants and anti-psychotics that are returned to the water table via ingestion, digestion and evacuation(excretion) are actually causing more problems than the conspiracy theorists "dosing" in the water. In short, deranged college students are polluting the waterways. PV, like teflon at high temperatures degrades into some really nasty stuff (even at low temperatures!) and the unfortunate truth is, plastic as it exists today is unsustainable.

So, to make a short story long, grant money will cover a hell of a lot of DIY projects but the end goal is dual. So few biologists have any experience dealing with waste and filtration in a closed system, and so few aquarists are pursuing biology degrees. I'm hoping that we can erect a DIY system with slightly more funding that us MFKers normally has on hand, and actually tie it into a municipal or rural water supply.
 
metalyx said:
Most of the chemicals won't be problems, but we're looking at filtering out a plethora of secondary toxics that aren't regularly considered. Such as, the level of hormones, anti-depressants and anti-psychotics that are returned to the water table via ingestion, digestion and evacuation(excretion) are actually causing more problems than the conspiracy theorists "dosing" in the water. In short, deranged college students are polluting the waterways. PV, like teflon at high temperatures degrades into some really nasty stuff (even at low temperatures!) and the unfortunate truth is, plastic as it exists today is unsustainable.
Click to expand...

I smell a grad student. :grinyes:

There is a very well known kiln under the stadium at one of the universities in Colorado. Ask one of the Astronomy professors where it is.

After anything is done to glass that involves heat, the glass then has to be annealed. Otherwise it will shatter when it cools.
 
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