Tank build. From scratch.

[rgvEddy]

Hi ladies and gents.
About to start my first marine tank.
I was born 1/2 mile from the sea on 3 sides and work in sea on and off.
Only ever done fw inc ponds and tanks though.
I have bought a 210l tank with a cracked bottom. Iv started stripping it down so i can cut and reuse the glass.
The plan is for a 60 high by 32cm deep by 50cm wide. 8mm glass in good condition. Thats all the space i have.
Tank will be on custom stand/cupboard with small sump as plug sockets are in the way of the tv socket.
Im posting as will be drilling beananimal drain plus 2x return feeds.
Thats 5 x holes.
I plan on a mostly sps tank with some lps ant the bottom.
Light via noopsyche mini. Not ordered yet.
I have magnus mini q skimmer
Old pump and heater until upgraded.
I have been aging my sand and filter medium gor 6months in salt water with lots of pods.
Water will be filtered sea water. I collect shellfish for a living
Will need to idiot proof my plans
Thank you

 

[Peace River]

#WelcometoR2R!!! Congratulations on the new adventure!

 

[Crabs McJones]

Welcome to R2R! Can't wait to see the build :)

 

[Shanel]

Welcome, Someday I'd like to build one from scratch.

 

[rgvEddy]

Thank you.
I dismatled the doner 4ft tank this morning.
Cut bottom out 1st then easy.
Next is to cut the glass.
I will need help with the drain size. Id like to use 20mm rather than 1inch to save space.
What kind of flow can that handle? Bean animal drain.
My next question is how the water level sits. I will cut (hopefully) slots in the glass to make the wier. How far from surface or does this not matter?
Thanks

 

[rgvEddy]

 

[rgvEddy]

 

[rgvEddy]

 

[rgvEddy]

Nearly there. Only the silicone is new id say for the tank and screws for the stand.
Obviously somenew equipment going in. Will be set up in the house as soon as a few bits arrive

 

[rgvEddy]

Final resting place. Need handles and door magnets to keep doors shut

 

[p1u5h13r4m24]

Awesome very cool. I’m hoping this works out well for you!

 

[rgvEddy]

Next step is get it set up in place.
Build the top out of the matching wood i have. All electrics and future dosing stuff will live up top.
Roller filter on its way and nano skimmer that fits snug in the sump
At some point this week il pound all the sea shells i have collected and make my rockwork out of it. Soak in the sea for a few weeks and all should be good.
Setting up quarantines for fish and coral too

 

[p1u5h13r4m24]

Looks really deep. Make sure those pits are clean before sticking your arm in there

 

[UncommonSense]

This is an awesome project!

I do, however, have concerns about the thickness of the glass used for the bottom of this custom aquarium…

Here’s what I got back when I calculated your dimensions for a rimless tank:

Your wood stand encapsulates the bottom of the tank like a plastic rim would, which probably helps, assuming that it is a tight fit to the glass tank!

The issue here is the thickness of the silicone seal between the bottom glass pane, and the vertical panes… consider adding strips of extra 8mm glass to act like a bottom eurobrace; effectively doubling the bottom silicone seal’s thickness!

 

[rgvEddy]

Thanks for the comments.
Its 2ft(60cm ) deep
I ran that same calculator. I did however run other calculators that gave the glass i have. 8mm.
Weird thing is is that i stripped an 4ft long by 2ft high tank to make this. It was 8mm glass bottom and sides. It was however cracked on the bottom. Basically i worked out that iv just made the same tank smaller.
Middle tank is 8gallon ish and 6mm and sump is 6mm.
Theres still time and spare glass to brace the bottom

 

[UncommonSense]

Thanks for the comments.
Its 2ft(60cm ) deep
I ran that same calculator. I did however run other calculators that gave the glass i have. 8mm.
Weird thing is is that i stripped an 4ft long by 2ft high tank to make this. It was 8mm glass bottom and sides. It was however cracked on the bottom. Basically i worked out that iv just made the same tank smaller.
Middle tank is 8gallon ish and 6mm and sump is 6mm.
Theres still time and spare glass to brace the bottom

Did the original tank have a plastic bottom rim? This allows the manufacturer to use significantly thinner glass, as the rim is part of the structural strength of the tank!

 

[rgvEddy]

 

[UncommonSense]

I wonder if this calculator is only considering vertical pane thickness?

 

[rgvEddy]

Donor tank was a 210l aquaone oakstyle
The guy before bought moved and installed it without ever removing the large amount of wet sand in it. Cracked the bottom in the process. Was surprised i wanted to turf out the extra weight when moving it.
I dont want to say that bottom thickness is wrong. I want to believe its wrong as hoping to be done with glass cutting etc. Its not been as much fun as i thought.
The tank sits on a structural stand. What you can see is asthetic cladding that matches our other furniture

 

[rgvEddy]

The other doner tank was 2ft sq and was all 6mm. It had a seam leak but was very badly cut compared with the aquaone