Odd-shaped tank... advice? Especially about glass...

I will start off by saying... I am a craftsman, not an owner

I have a project in the works, and it's fun, beautiful, and interesting... but I need a little expert advice

I have never built a tank before... thus, I do not know much about the stresses water can put on glass, among other things. I did some conversions, and found that my tank volume will be about 276.4 gallons, give or take a tiny bit. Although this is just the first stage of design, and things may/are bound to change, as always It may end up a bit bigger or smaller, in the final draft...

Here I have drawn and attached a kinda schematic/blueprint thingy for the tank. You can see the shape is a bit odd...

There are only 4 pieces of glass, the rest of the project is wood. There is hardwood at every corner, 2" showing, with the glass slotted about .75" into the wooden corners on all sides (so about 1.25" solid wood holding all edges, holding it together). I am also probably putting a mirror in front of the back panel, as well as lining all the wooden sides with glass as well, to keep it dry But I am not too worried about any of THOSE pieces, as they will be supported by solid wood, so will doubtlessly be fine.

I am curious, mainly, what thicknesses and types of glass are best for the sides, top, and front, though. Not to mention, I am trying to figure out if the front is really possible as planned, or will I need to use three separate rectangles, with wooden supports as joiners? I would PREFER a single piece, but am prepared to bow to the inevitable, if it indeed IS inevitable

Please look at this outline, and let me know what you experts think? Thanks!

-Khay

 

I personally cant help you with any of your questions. But thats a pretty sweet tank you got planned! hope others chime in with your answers

 

welcome to 3reef cant help ya out but 276 gallons thats massive cant wait to see good luck

 

I can't offer any expert advice....

but I have to ask what the application for that design is?

 

very interesting project, it sounds like you need the advice of a few of the woody tank builders like Horkin.

subscribed so I can follow along







For those of you joining us that are new to the hobby - the best piece of advice you'll get around here as a saltwater newbie is 3Reef's slogan
"Go slow, let it grow."
And for those experianced hobbyists joining us - it's still good advice
good luck and post pics soon

 

You will probably need 1/2" if not 3/4" thick glass to handle the pressure crated by the depth.

That is one ambitious and exciting looking project.

Welcome to 3reef.

Look up diy glass aquariums you should find info on proper thickness for the depth of the tank. And call a glass company or three to see if they can cut a piece as you are planning for the front.

 

I would say 1/2" glass plus. whats going to go in the tunnel opening? might need support there.. like a brace

 

Thanks for the replies and encouragement!

@brew0688 - THIS picture was made in Adobe Photoshop 7.0, but I am doing my main designing in AutoCAD 2008. I am going to make a complete, final-drafted 3d model before I build it... lol! As stated before, I am a craftsman... an artist, sculptor, designer, etc., and I had this wonderful idea for a... well, it's my current project, and I never like to talk about them much until they are done But this is just one part of the overall design... the "tricky" bit, so I figured I could use some advice from folks who know whats' what!

-Khay

 

@Night-Rida - wooden drawers.

Hmmm... the current design has 1/2", but if y'all are saying "at least" so much, I might just ramp it up to 3/4". Lets see... I was planning on 2" square wood... boards? Poles? What's the word I am after here? for the joints, so that would leave only 1-1/4" solid wood in front of the glass. And actually, since I only had planned on 3/4" inset, that won't work... I may need to "upgrade" to 3" square boards, so they slot in better/further...

My BIGGEST concern is that the stress on the glass might be too much for concave corners, no matter HOW thick the glass is But if necessary, I am willing to stomach a pair of vertical joining-boards in the design, and have a 3-piece front. It would just look better without

 

I have a 29" tank and it uses 5/8" glass. I would definitely go with 3/4 glass.

Have you considered acrylic for this project? Would be a heck of a lot easier to make that front piece.