Help with large acrylic tank Please!

[Mtlgallardo]

So i have been on the lookout for a few months for a 8-12 foot long tank..I finally found something that interests me..

the tank was built new by ******* in 2010.
Its 10'x48"x30" High
the owner told me he bought it new and did a water leak test and never used it since.. My question is among others.. he tell me the top and sides are 3/4"
and the bottom is 1/2" Acrylic.
Most tanks i am looking at that size are 1-1.25" think

Should I be concerned?

 

[cromag27]

Run away!

 

[Mtlgallardo]

Run away!

Seriously?

 

[cromag27]

Yeah, if I were to a build a tank that size I would use 1.250" acrylic with a euro and several center braces.

 

[Mtlgallardo]

can i Pm you a Link to the Tank?

 

[cromag27]

I don't have pm capabilities at the moment.

 

[Mtlgallardo]

http://nh.craigslist.org/for/5726201101.html

 

[cromag27]

I would be scared. the acrylic thickness calculator we use actually says 1" with a euro. and that's 1" for all panels.

 

[Mtlgallardo]

hmm I knew this was to good to be true..

 

[TherealplexiG]

the acrylic thickness calculator we use actually says 1" with a euro. and that's 1" for all panels.

And those thickness are recommended for annealed tanks i believe. So might wanna up the thickness on those recommendations. As experienced cromag stated he would up it for 1.25" it would be an ideal choice.

 

[Lowell Lemon]

So i have been on the lookout for a few months for a 8-12 foot long tank..I finally found something that interests me..

the tank was built new by ******* in 2010.
Its 10'x48"x30" High
the owner told me he bought it new and did a water leak test and never used it since.. My question is among others.. he tell me the top and sides are 3/4"
and the bottom is 1/2" Acrylic.
Most tanks i am looking at that size are 1-1.25" think

Should I be concerned?

I would not buy this tank it should be 1.25" thick on all panels for the best performance and the top should be a full piece with routed out access openings. There is a reason this tank is not a good deal...unless you like the look of a 10' water balloon ready to burst. It could be used at half the water height. I would not touch this tank.

 

[Mtlgallardo]

ok guys thanks.. Im out for this tank

if anyone knows if a large tank for sale let me know
Thank you again!

 

[kcnick89]

I second the run away option, that sounds way to thin.

You would end up hating that tank anyways, take a closer look at those ridiculously small access holes on top. A 6" euro-brace should be more than enough if the acrylic is thick enough. Looks like its closer to 10" if the tank is 48" front to back. I see two problems with this, one, the bigger the tank, typically the bigger the base/live rock is, how are you going to get a 30" wide piece of rock through a 24" hole? Second, and more importantly, are you going to be able to reach into all areas of the tank for maintenance easily, or are you gonna be doing yoga stretches just to clean the algae from the corners.

 

[Mtlgallardo]

im running!

 

[Outdrsyguy1]

I might have a line on just the tank for you. 1" thick 118" x 56" x 33" tall. Manufacturer made it but never got to sell it so just sitting in his manufacturing shop. Pm me your phone number and I'll get you in touch with the manufacturer owner.

 

[Lowell Lemon]

I might have a line on just the tank for you. 1" thick 118" x 56" x 33" tall. Manufacturer made it but never got to sell it so just sitting in his manufacturing shop. Pm me your phone number and I'll get you in touch with the manufacturer owner.

The acrylic is to thin for the height of the tank unless you like the front panel bowing out at you!

 

[Outdrsyguy1]

For anyone following this thread I want to let you know that 1" is a perfectly acceptable thickness for a 118 x 56 x 33 tank. MRC made me one and I have it installed and full with ZERO bowing. I measured before and after filling at several specific cross sectional dimensions and there was no difference. It is 1" all sides and 7" euro brace with two 7" cross members.
Here's a couple pics to prove it.
Before

After filling

 

[Lowell Lemon]

@Outdrsyguy1 ,
So what is the actual water column height. It looks like you are at least 2"-3" from full plus the loss of 1" on the bottom and an 1" on the top. So you actual water column height might be 28" or less in the picture is that about right? Also did you measure the deflection at the center of the tank and at the center of the panel? If so there is going to be some deflection it is just a question of how much. You would have to use a Dial indicator set up on a jig parallel to the face panel for measurement before and after filling. Given the actual water dimensions of 116" x 28" the minimum thickness is .997" and most sheet stock is .944 so the recommended sheet to use is the next thickness up of 1.236" or greater to meet the 750psi target for long term use.

This is on the thin side for long term use and the panel will start to deflect after it reaches its maximum water adsorbtion of about 2% to 4% after months of being in use. This is when the panel will deflect further. While the tank looks good at initial filling it may change over time and use.

It is not a bad looking tank and I am glad you are enjoying it. There is a difference in performance due to the actual water column not the outside dimensions of the tank. So I tend to design around the maximum water column in the tank due to the unknown of the final water level when a customer fills up their tank.

 

[cromag27]

Check for bowing again in six months.

 

[Outdrsyguy1]

30" water height including 1" of sand or so. I've got my measurements written down and detailed exactly where on the tank they were taken along with pictures along every face. I don't have the tools to set up a complicated measuring system but I can visually see it's flat across the face and my tape measurer only goes to 1/32. If it's still dead on and I can still see there's no bowing in the face that's good enough for me. I'll try to remember again in 6 months.