Transform a tall into a wide tank? Feedback please.

[clearwater]

Hello all,

My cousin got an extra tank laying around and I am thinking about picking it up when he drains everything. The tank is used but in very good shape. No issues at all. The only thing is that it is a tall tank. 72” Long, 40” Tall and 20” Deep. Acrylic thickness is 1”. Custom made.

As far as thickness goes, 1” is strong enough to support 40” Tall tank. It is def a nice display tank but I am looking at some GATF, VATF and Payara. They prefer to have open swimming space and the current tank is not the right set up for them.

I am thinking to lay the tank down to make it a wide tank. 72L x 40D x 20T. This will be a much better set up and of course, I have to mod the tank to make it work. First I need to cut off the braces on the tank now and either get an extra piece of probably ½” thick acrylic sheet 72x20 and weld it on or I can use the current wall 72x40, cut a piece across it 72x20 to make it the front side. I’m not sure yet but ½” thick will be strong enough for 20” Tall so there is no need to go thicker.

My question is, is it safe to have the tank on its side as mentioned? Any downsides? I don’t want and nobody wants to have a big tank burst in the house. The new tank will be only 20" tall and of course, water pressure will be much lower = less risk.

Thanks guys.

 

[TwoHedWlf]

Should be safe enough. Though if you're going to have to cut it up and rebuild it, it might be preferable to sell it as is and have a new tank built with the dimensions you want.

 

[clearwater]

I thought about selling the tank to get a new one but as we all know, price of a used tank will be much less than new ones. Honestly, I have been looking for a 3ft+ wide tank and they are all very expensive, which is understandable since other dimensions will play a role too. Normally 3ft wide tank will have 8ft in length and at least 2ft tall. And now, my cousin decides to let his tank goes and it is 40” wide which is like close to perfect for what I need. So I prefer to spend some time and effort to transform it into my dream tank. I know how acrylic works and what solvent to use. I am just a little worried about the structural integrity of the tank after the transformation. The good side is that the thickness is at 1” now so I have plenty of room to play around.

 

[wednesday13]

I thought about selling the tank to get a new one but as we all know, price of a used tank will be much less than new ones. Honestly, I have been looking for a 3ft+ wide tank and they are all very expensive, which is understandable since other dimensions will play a role too. Normally 3ft wide tank will have 8ft in length and at least 2ft tall. And now, my cousin decides to let his tank goes and it is 40” wide which is like close to perfect for what I need. So I prefer to spend some time and effort to transform it into my dream tank. I know how acrylic works and what solvent to use. I am just a little worried about the structural integrity of the tank after the transformation. The good side is that the thickness is at 1” now so I have plenty of room to play around.

its def. plausible and has been done before... ill try and find the member from ohio on here who had a shop flip his tank in this same fashion... extensive sanding/polishing/buffing will most likely be needed as ur front viewing panel would be the tanks old bottom which is probably very scratched from normal use...

the tank im referring to was flipped on its back, new lid holes were cut out and actually glued inside the old top holes so no new material was used or needed. depends what the top braces are like on the tank and how in tact the current seams are.... i would recommend weld on #40 to glue in the new back wall.. new lid holes can be cut out with a router and guides. i would not tackle this project thinking #4 solvent alone will work.

 

[wednesday13]

this is all i can gather unfourtneatly... photobucket isnt working on the old thread. its the 360gal tank.

 

[justarn]

Would it not matter that the panels are arranged wrong, on a standard tank the sides sit upon the base piece... I'm guessing not so important with acrylic?

 

[clearwater]

Thanks Wednesday13. Your info is good enough. I don't think extensive sanding will be required since I will cut around the inside of the old top which leaves the flat surface intact. I will then either get a new acrylic sheet and weld it on. Weld on 4 will work just fine IMO if the surface is flat for enough bond.

I don't think the arrangement of the pieces will matter in case of acrylic since once bonded properly, the 2 pieces will be like one piece. But that is a good point.

 

[clearwater]

The front viewing panel will be the new piece that I will be getting or the cut out piece from the current wall. I have 2 options, either use the old tank bottom or use the new piece as the front viewing panel.