Hello All. I've always wanted to do a build thread with past tanks, but for one reason or another just never got a chance. This time I'd like to change that and post as I build my newest tank. While my reef is setup now since we've moved to our new house I miss having a freshwater tank and have been planning one for a little bit now. While I know this site is mostly about our Reefs my build could easily be adapted to a reef tank as well.
Anyways, on to the good stuff:
The tank will be a rimless 31g glass tank for a group of Lake Tanganyika shell dwellers, a fish I haven't been lucky enough to keep before but have always wanted to.
Tank dimensions will be 30Lx20Wx12H. It will be a small peninsula tank with one of the short ends featuring an all in one style overflow to house the equipment and keep the setup looking as clean as possible.
You'll see in the pics that I have added a glass divider that will be directly behind the black acrylic separating the equipment from the display. While this might be overkill or unnecessary I know that it's advised that acrylic wont bond to glass with silicone long term, and my first ever tank being an AIO style, I witnessed this first hand when it started to separate. While I know this is unconventional I'm hoping it will be successful. I plan to still silicone the two together to form a bond, but will rely on the glass for structural support. The glass is notched so that I don't need to drill it also.
The back compartment will feature only one baffle to form two chambers. One for media appropriate for the Cichlids ill be keeping and the other to house a heater, return pump etc. This is probably where I would add a second baffle if I was going to use this for a reef. Having just two compartments gives me plenty of space in the return chamber to avoid having the pump run dry.
Equipment list will follow as I move forward on the build. I started getting quotes on the glass and acrylic already so hopefully this build will move along at a steady enough pace.
I know it's freshwater, but I still hope you follow along with this build as it progresses.
Matt
Anyways, on to the good stuff:
The tank will be a rimless 31g glass tank for a group of Lake Tanganyika shell dwellers, a fish I haven't been lucky enough to keep before but have always wanted to.
Tank dimensions will be 30Lx20Wx12H. It will be a small peninsula tank with one of the short ends featuring an all in one style overflow to house the equipment and keep the setup looking as clean as possible.
You'll see in the pics that I have added a glass divider that will be directly behind the black acrylic separating the equipment from the display. While this might be overkill or unnecessary I know that it's advised that acrylic wont bond to glass with silicone long term, and my first ever tank being an AIO style, I witnessed this first hand when it started to separate. While I know this is unconventional I'm hoping it will be successful. I plan to still silicone the two together to form a bond, but will rely on the glass for structural support. The glass is notched so that I don't need to drill it also.
The back compartment will feature only one baffle to form two chambers. One for media appropriate for the Cichlids ill be keeping and the other to house a heater, return pump etc. This is probably where I would add a second baffle if I was going to use this for a reef. Having just two compartments gives me plenty of space in the return chamber to avoid having the pump run dry.
Equipment list will follow as I move forward on the build. I started getting quotes on the glass and acrylic already so hopefully this build will move along at a steady enough pace.
I know it's freshwater, but I still hope you follow along with this build as it progresses.
Matt