From: dxf6@po.CWRU.Edu (Dean Fear)
Date: 21 Jan 1993 23:04:01 GMT
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: Building aquariums
In a previous article, A20076@waccvm.corp.mot.com (Dan Whitaker) says:
>I built a 90 gallon aquarium several years ago. I had no idea what
>kind or thickness of glass to use so I played it safe and used
>half inch plate glass with all the edges sanded smooth. It ended
>up costing me more than I could have bought it for at that time.
>It was a good experience though. I would like to attempt it again.
>Has anyone any idea about what is the best kind of glass and what
>thickness for different dimensions? Are there other suitable
>materials available? How about Plexiglass?
A couple of years ago, I attended a seminar at the local aquarium. They
provide us with information about building your own tanks. They suggested
using marine plywood for the sides back and bottom, and glass for the
front. (This reduces the cost greatly.) The wood is painted with epoxy
paint(?) the stuff they use for swimming pools, (making sure it is non
toxic.) Joints are sealed with silicone.
The basic assembly order was:
Build the wooden box
Paint it
Seal it
lay box on back side
place bead of silicone one front edges of the box
place glass on top, clamps are not necessary weight of glass is sufficient
let cure 24 hours
tank is ready to use!
They assured me that they have built many tanks this way.
As for the thickness of the glass, I am sure one of the engineers (amateur
or professional) out there can give us some info on the strength of glass
and water pressure etc. I would check to see what thickness of glass
comparable commercially made tanks use.
I have never tried this, but it sounds like it will work. I suspect that
this method is more cost effective the larger the tank. It probably
wouldn't be worth doing for anything <= 55 gallons.
Dean dxf6@po.cwru.edu Feel free to e-mail or post comments!
>
>
>
From: dbailey@bcarh673.bnr.ca (Douglas Bailey)
Date: Wed, 7 Apr 1993 20:01:10 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria,rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: tank fabrication
In article <1993Apr7.021918.25096@doug.cae.wisc.edu>, rudolf@cae.wisc.edu (Rob Andrew Rudolf) writes:
|> The dimentions will be 8ft X 2ft X 2ft
|>
|> I know that All Glass and Oceanic both make 7ft versions of this tanks but
|> I would like to know what thickness of glass to use or what thickness of
|> acrylic.
|>
|> Thank you.
I just happen to have a copy of "The Living Aquarium" by Peter Hunnam in my
office. This book has a variety of information concerning the construction
of aquaria. Unfortunately, the graph which shows glass thickness only covers
panels up to 2m long. However, I can extrapolate easily enough.
For a panel 8ftx2ft, you would need glass 1/2 in thick for a side panel, or
3/5 in thick for the bottom of the tank.
--
Doug Bailey
(dbailey@bnr.ca)
From: scol@scottsdale.az.stratus.com (Scott Colbath)
Date: 9 Apr 1993 14:10:05 GMT
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: Need Advice: 1)Resealing and 2)Driftwood
In article <1993Apr7.173240.18886@zoonews.bnr.ca> dbailey@bcarh673.bnr.ca
(Douglas Bailey) writes:
> In article <1993Apr7.093020.1@ualr.edu>, mlstrother@ualr.edu writes:
> |> Hi, everyone! I've been reading the group for about a month...
>
> welcome.
>
> |>
> |> 1 - I've never resealed a tank, and have just bought a used 55g which
> |> has a leak, so am undertaking to reseal it. I'm supposing that
> |> it makes more sense to do the whole tank now rather than patch
> |> this hole now and probably have another in a new spot later? Do
> |> y'all agree? Does anyone who's done this have any suggestions
> |> in addition to (or instead of) carefully following package directions
> |> on the tube of sealer? Helpful hints or warnings? Is it maybe not
> |> as big a deal as I'm afraid it's going to be? (I've caulked a
> |> bathtub before; is it much more difficult than that?)
>
> - More moderate suggestion: cut out all of the silicone inside
> the tank, but leave that which is gluing the glass together,
> then re-seal all inside corners (the original silicone acts
> as glue, the new silicone acts as a seal, and it doesn't
> matter if they bond together).
The above suggestion is what I did on my 55 gal for the office and it worked
like a charm. I would suggest that the old silicone be removed with a straight
edge razor and make sure to get every last bit out of all the corners and
joints. The better you do preping the tank, the more likely it is that it will
remain leak free. Apply two coats. The first being *very* thin, acting as a
filler for the joints and corners, and a second heavier coat to spread the
silicone over a wider area. Mash the silicone in with your finger. You will
find that it spreads very nicely. Take your time, do a good job. Test for leaks
after the silicone cures. I filled my tank in the garage in %25 increments over
two days until it was full, constantly looking for leaks. I found none.
|> Thanks for any help! And thanks for being here. It's great to find
|> kindred souls!
I agree %100.
**********************************************************
Scott Colbath
Stratus Computer
Phoenix, Az. (602)852-3106
Internet:scott_colbath@az.stratus.com
From: john
Newsgroups: sci.aquaria
Subject: Re: Wooden tank
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 1996 09:42:29 -0500
David Ward Rusnak wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> I'm looking to build a 35g tank and exploring all possibilities. One is
> wood. It should be pretty cheap. Any advice?
Check out "Captive Seawater Fishes" by Stephen Spotte - It has a large
and in depth section on tank construction - I remember seeing wood as a
building material. For tank so small though your best bet is just to buy
one - it'll cost you more to build a tank of this size on your own...
good luck - john.
From: pdeitik@bcm.tmc.edu (Philip Deitiker)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: Building Aquaria
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 1996 18:40:50 GMT
ccastwb@prism.gatech.edu (Bill Bouverie) wrote:
>Hello. I am considering building an aquarium. I was thinking of starting
>small, but I am wondering if anyone has any information or has had any
>experience building aquariums greater than 100 gallons in volume. I am
>particularly intersted in methods for ensuring a tight seal and what
>type(s) of sealer should be used as well as setup time. Recommendations
>for glass or acrylic would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance,
For a first time builder I recommend glass. Make sure that the side
pieces set on top of a bottom piece of glass. Starting with the bottom
piece on a level flat surface, place a bead of silicon down on one
side approximate 1/8 in thick. Very carefully lower the side down on
the bead, and fix its position perpendicular. Next, place a bead of
silicon on the one side of the new piece and along the adjacent bottom
side and very carefully add the next side, and make sure all angle are
exactly 90'. Add the next 2 pieces in the same way.
Inorder to build the aquarium properly you might consider using a
wooden form to tape the peices to will working with them. I recommend
a caulk gun with spring loaded pressure release, else the silicon
continues too ooze after manual pressure is released. Silicon
containes an acetic acid irritant (My nose suggests that the carrier
solvent is floro or cloroacetatic acid). I'm aclimatized to working
with it but most are not so use in well ventilated area. For large
tanks the glue needs to dry at least 48 hours before its ready for
water.
Use general Household silicon, clear (general electric), as the
selant. Allow 48 hours to dry. To select the glass, Allglass has
provided imfo for and aquarium faq Look for weights measures and
conversion tables in the aquaria faqs table of contents. If your
unsure read the label it will tell you its applications and drying
times for specific articles.
Philip
From: zzyyzz@mixcom.com (Vincent Mulhollon)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria.tech
Subject: Re: [Q]They do it with Mirrors?
Date: 5 Jul 1996 01:36:08 GMT
moi (garyoa1@microserve.net) wrote:
: Ok, can we get pros and cons here? A lot of kits are out there to put behind a
: tank to dress it up and to block sun etc. Is there any reason a mirror
: couldn't be placed behind the tank? Seems to me it would be much cheaper than
It'll make all the algae and crud that inevitably builds up on
the glass look twice as bad as you'll be able to see both sides
of it now. So you'll have to clean twice as often or it'll look
twice as cruddy.
This also has odd interior decoating problems, as most folks
set up their plants and stuff to look good only from the front,
and the reflection from the back will look weird.
This setup may be psychologically hard on the fish. Most mammals
like dogs and cats are smart enough to figure out what a mirror
is and not get territorial about the other critter in the mirror.
My sevrum used to look pretty weirdly at the mirror, however.
Schooling fishes don't seem to care. I hear "Siamese fighting fish"
really dislike mirrors.
Fishes are probably built to understand only a single, point
light source. With a mirror, maybe you'll have two, and twice
the shadows may confuse bottom feeders. Also, skittish fish
that get spooked by movement now will have twice as much movement
to hide from.
Finally, please please please do not turn the glass into a mirror
by plating it. Someone did that to my first (used) tank, and it
drove me insane trying to remove the mirror finish from the glass.
I gave up on scraping and solvents and saved until I could buy
a new tank. Just put a hanging mirror behind the tank or something.
After dealing with a mirror for about two years, I now have a
backdrop of black construction paper. But hey, your tastes in
decoration may not be the same as mine, so do what works for you.
--
Vince Mulhollon N9NFB
From: poora93@octarine.cc.adfa.oz.au (Richard Poole)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria.freshwater.cichlids,rec.aquaria.freshwater.misc,rec.aquaria.misc,rec.aquaria.misc
Subject: Re: [Q]They do it with Mirrors?
Date: Thu, 04 Jul 1996 21:38:22 GMT
garyoa1@microserve.net (moi) wrote:
>Ok, can we get pros and cons here? A lot of kits are out there to put behind a
>tank to dress it up and to block sun etc. Is there any reason a mirror
>couldn't be placed behind the tank? Seems to me it would be much cheaper than
>most of the idiotic scenes available and would add a lot of depth to a tank.
>Not to mention hiding the hangon paraphenalia on the back of the tank, if one
>gets one cut to size. I tried holding a smaller one behind mine and IMO, it's
>quite impressive. The question is, would it have any adverse affect on my
>African Cichlids, or any others, for that matter?
I was in a aquarium shop in Queensland Aust. last year and what they
had done was put the sort of tint that is used in double glased
windows so if the light is shining from one side, that side becomes a
mirror. They did this so that the fish couldn't see out and therefore
wouldn't get spooked by people staring at them all day. Anyway, the
fish didn't seem too afected by it. Some of them would try
'attacking' their reflection but they didn't appear to be doing
htemselves any harm and it kept them from attacking their real tank
mates.
Rick
From: Frank Manno
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria.freshwater.cichlids,rec.aquaria.freshwater.misc,rec.aquaria.misc,rec.aquaria.misc
Subject: Re: [Q]They do it with Mirrors?
Date: Sat, 06 Jul 1996 01:30:54 +1100
Matt Anderson wrote:
>
> i've seen several tanks in stores with mirrored backs...one thing that i've
> always wanted to try is to tint the front to make it so that i can see in, but
> they can't see out...
The problem with mirrored backs on tanks, is that if you have even the smallest
spot of dirt or alge or whatever, it's going to stand out like dog's balls.
The back of my tank is black and even when the glass there is filthy, it still
looks clean :)
-Frankie
From: dspicer@chattanooga.net
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria.marine.misc
Subject: Re: Plastic Laminate Liner for Big Plywood Tank
Date: 9 Aug 1996 02:57:09 GMT
In <4u73ni$5d3@news.preferred.com>, dgiles@preferred.com (Doug Giles) writes:
>Does anyone have any experience using plastic kitchen countertop laminate
>to line the inside of a large DIY Plywood marine aquarium? I've heard of
>using thin sheet acrylic, but laminate is cheaper and much easier to work
>with. I'm thinking of building either a 6x2x2 or a 8x2x2.
>
I have a tank that I lined this way. I used silicone sealer to glue the laminate
to the wood. The only problem that I see is the silicone on the inside of
the tank seems to be losing its grip with time (a common problem with most
plastics). You can reduce chances of leaks over time by placing a bead of
sealer in the corners before you set the laminate in place.
------------------------------------
- David Spicer
- dmspicer@chattanooga.net
- -
- OS/2 Warp
- Going boldly where no
- documentation has gone before!
------------------------------------
From mar-facil-error@ac.dal.ca Fri Apr 25 03:32:48 1997
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 15:48:22 +0900
From: "Corey R. Johnson"
Subject: calculating aquarium panel thickness
To: MAR-FACIL@ac.dal.ca
Errors-To: mar-facil-error@ac.dal.ca
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT
Dear mar-facil'ers,
I am hoping we could start a discussion about aquariums and engineering. In
fact I was just working over a formula last night that I have to calculate
how to size, in thickness, an aquarium panel. I'll provide the formula
below and the source were I got it from and hopefully somebody could
propose a better one.
Here goes..
David Miller wrote an article in the May, 1969 edition of Drum and Croaker
an article entitled "Glass for Underwater Windows".
in this article he puts forth a formula which he ackknowledges is a liitle
flawed but says will work.
t= thickness
W= design load in lbs/sq. ft.*
B= Short dimension of glass in feet
F= the safety Factor (8-10 recommended)
S= average breaking stress of glass (3000 PSI for polished plate, 15,000
PSI for fully tempered polished plate for panels over 10 square ft.)
N= the number of plys in an equal laminate <- assumes you are laminating glass
Alpha= b/a
a= long dimension of the panel
b= short dimension of the panel
*design load may be calculated as follows:
d of c * D
d of c = distance from horizontal centerline of window to top of water
D = 62.5 lbs/sq.ft. or 64 lbs/sq.ft. for salt water.
when the top of the water is below the top of the window, the design load
(lbs./sq.ft.) = 1/2Pofd *D
where p of d = the distance from the top of the water to the base of the window
t= the square root of 0.75 * W * B squared * F
-------------------------
S (1 + 1.61 * alpha * 3) N
Now I want to calculate an aquarium panel made from acrylic so I looked up
the mechanical properties of acrylic from two different sources, they are:
Specific Gravity 1.19
Tensile strength
rupture= 9,000-11,000 PSI
elongation,rupture % 4.0-4.8
modulus of elasticity = 400,000 - 500,000 PSI
Flexural Strength
rupture = 14,000 - 16,500 PSI
modulus of elasticity = 475,000 PSI
Compressive strength
yield = 18,000 PSI
Modulus of Elasticity = 400,000 - 480,000 PSI
Compressive deformation
under load
4000 PSI, 122 F.,24 hr. = 0.7-0.8%
the formula is actually used to calculate the thickness of a beam suppoted
at each end under a uniform load. Since an aquarium panel is supported on
all 4 sides or at least 3, it is a very different situation. This formula
does not cover the increasing load on vertical panels as water depth
increases. Also it assumes that you want to use laminated glass. I want to
clculate for one panel of acrylic.
Can anyone suggest a more suitable equation?
supposedly Walter West, a NFCA engineer has proposed a better equation.
Corey R. Johnson
Chief Operations Officer
Rayben Industrial Aquaria Co., Ltd.
1329-4 WooNam Building. B2F
SeoCho gu, SeoCho dong. Seoul, South Korea.
TEL: 822-3471-5880 FAX: 822-3471-5883
E-Mail: fish@uriel.net
