Need help Standing aquarium of 4 feet height

Gauraog · 03/06/2018, 05:51 AM

Hello friends,

I'm new to this world however I had a dream of creating different aquarium. Now I have decided to have standing aquarium (I know this is not new but rare) which is 4 feet tall and 1.5feet square base.

I need your help to guide me.
1. Which strong silicone should I use?
2. Regular glass or tempered glass?
3. Any idea about cleaning?
4. Shall I go for bend glass instead of joining glass by silicone?

Regards
Gaurav.

mcgyvr · 03/06/2018, 05:59 AM

1) RTV100 series at the least
2)either can be used if sized properly..
3)vinegar/water is a great glass cleaner
4)bending will be VERY expensive..

A few questions for you..
How thick of glass are you planning on using?
Are you planning on rimless or adding trim to the top?

Gauraog · 03/06/2018, 06:13 AM

Hi,

Please find attached pic.

Also I'm planning for rimless fishtank. Regarding cleaning.... I want to ask that how can I clean the bottom of fish tank? Can I have tap at the bottom? Will it be safe?

Gauraog · 03/06/2018, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

1) RTV100 series at the least
2)either can be used if sized properly..
3)vinegar/water is a great glass cleaner
4)bending will be VERY expensive..

A few questions for you..
How thick of glass are you planning on using?
Are you planning on rimless or adding trim to the top?

I'm thinking of 8mm glass width. Will that be good?

Also you saying RTV100 series. Can you please tell me exact name so that I can order online?

mcgyvr · 03/06/2018, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gauraog

I'm thinking of 8mm glass width. Will that be good?

Also you saying RTV100 series. Can you please tell me exact name so that I can order online?

Absolutely not... 8mm is a massive safety hazard and it will break..

You need MUCH thicker glass..
You need 25mm (1 inch) glass for a tank of that size as a minimum.

and wait till you price that out..

and its Momentive RTV100 series.. In whatever color you want..

and no offense but I'd suggest you let a professional build the tank for you since you clearly don't have even the most basic knowledge about doing so

nereefpat · 03/06/2018, 08:01 AM

A rimless 4 ft tall? Whoa. Lots of pressure there.

Gauraog · 03/06/2018, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

Absolutely not... 8mm is a massive safety hazard and it will break..

You need MUCH thicker glass..
You need 25mm (1 inch) glass for a tank of that size as a minimum.

and wait till you price that out..

and its Momentive RTV100 series.. In whatever color you want..

and no offense but I'd suggest you let a professional build the tank for you since you clearly don't have even the most basic knowledge about doing so

Yes i agree that I'm newbie in this. But professionals are asking too much $$ as no one generally goes for standing aquarium.

1 inch width of glass may be too much heavy and may dilute the visibility of aquarium. Also I came up with 8mm as per calculator.

Gauraog · 03/06/2018, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nereefpat

A rimless 4 ft tall? Whoa. Lots of pressure there.

Yes buddy. Something different.

Gauraog · 03/06/2018, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gauraog

yes i agree that i'm newbie in this. But professionals are asking too much $$ as no one generally goes for standing aquarium.

1 inch width of glass may be too much heavy and may dilute the visibility of aquarium. Also i came up with 8mm as per calculator.

or i can go for toughen glass

mcgyvr · 03/06/2018, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gauraog

Yes i agree that I'm newbie in this. But professionals are asking too much $$ as no one generally goes for standing aquarium.

1 inch width of glass may be too much heavy and may dilute the visibility of aquarium. Also I came up with 8mm as per calculator.

Your calculator is totally wrong...or you used the wrong safety factor..
The safety factor for a rimless tank should be around 7.6

1 inch IS the minimum thickness of glass you need because of the 48" height and rimless requirement..

Gauraog · 03/06/2018, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

Your calculator is totally wrong...or you used the wrong safety factor..
The safety factor for a rimless tank should be around 7.6

1 inch IS the minimum thickness of glass you need because of the 48" height and rimless requirement..

Thank you buddy. I agree with you. Can you please help me about final statistics?

I'll go with toughen glass. And I won't go with rimless.

Will that make a big difference?

mcgyvr · 03/06/2018, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gauraog

Thank you buddy. I agree with you. Can you please help me about final statistics?

I'll go with toughen glass. And I won't go with rimless.

Will that make a big difference?

big difference? nope.. not really..
The added cost of annealing the glass will likely put it just as expensive as if you kept rimless..

Not to mention that if you need to drill holes you cannot do that to tempered/toughened glass except for before annealing..

If you add a trim (not rimless tank) you can reduce it to use 17mm glass min.... still not even close to 8mm..

Gauraog · 03/06/2018, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

big difference? nope.. not really..
The added cost of annealing the glass will likely put it just as expensive as if you kept rimless..

Not to mention that if you need to drill holes you cannot do that to tempered/toughened glass except for before annealing..

If you add a trim (not rimless tank) you can reduce it to use 17mm glass min.... still not even close to 8mm..

Thanks for guide me. Do you have calculator link which you are referring?

mcgyvr · 03/06/2018, 10:01 AM

This one seems to work well..
I have an excel spread sheet that I use..

https://www.easycalculation.com/meas...calculator.php
Use 3.8 safety factor for tanks with trim or eurobracing and 7.6 for rimless

Gauraog · 03/06/2018, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

This one seems to work well..
I have an excel spread sheet that I use..

https://www.easycalculation.com/meas...calculator.php
Use 3.8 safety factor for tanks with trim or eurobracing and 7.6 for rimless

Thank you.

jkcoon · 03/06/2018, 10:22 AM

sounds cool... however, how do you plan to clean the glass toward the bottom, or the substrate?

Gauraog · 03/06/2018, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkcoon

sounds cool... however, how do you plan to clean the glass toward the bottom, or the substrate?

That's new challenge for me and that's why looking for suggestion.

Also planning to make the aquarium on the basis of this.

https://youtu.be/VH3gccVPTO4

Gauraog · 03/06/2018, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

This one seems to work well..
I have an excel spread sheet that I use..

https://www.easycalculation.com/meas...calculator.php
Use 3.8 safety factor for tanks with trim or eurobracing and 7.6 for rimless

Can think of making like this.

https://youtu.be/VH3gccVPTO4

krazyk148 · 03/06/2018, 11:11 AM

I use an rc submarine fixed with scrub pads to get 6ft deep in my aquarium haha Be creative with it!

mcgyvr · 03/06/2018, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krazyk148

I use an rc submarine fixed with scrub pads to get 6ft deep in my aquarium haha Be creative with it!

Magnetic cleaners don't care what the depth of your tank is..
If you can maneuver the magnet there on the outside of the tank the internal magnet will follow..

Get one suitable for the thickness of the glass and depth is not an issue..
A long handled scraper may be a bit of a challenge to find though but nothing insurmountable..

and a rc sub will not have the needed force to press up against the glass to be useful.. not to mention I don't believe your tank even has water in it..

Gauraog · 03/06/2018, 11:48 AM

Which kind of glass should I use? Is there any specific name of glass which I should mention while buying?

mcgyvr · 03/06/2018, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gauraog

Which kind of glass should I use? Is there any specific name of glass which I should mention while buying?

Well... Starfire or Low Iron glass gives the best optical clarity.. its also a bit more expensive
Other than that "float glass" is just generic glass...

Good luck.. I'm going to guess you are looking $1000-1500 in glass.. Total guess though as I rarely quote glass anything..
IDK... maybe $40-50 sq/ft

Gauraog · 03/06/2018, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

Well... Starfire or Low Iron glass gives the best optical clarity.. its also a bit more expensive
Other than that "float glass" is just generic glass...

Good luck.. I'm going to guess you are looking $1000-1500 in glass.. Total guess though as I rarely quote glass anything..
IDK... maybe $40-50 sq/ft

I don't know the rate for starfire glass in India. And not sure where its available here or not. I will check on that.

I am planning to prepare standing fish tank with the help of steel metal frame. Same as in Youtube video mentioned above. Whats ur take on this?

Also to make it more robust, I am planning to have L shape steel corner stips at the edge of the aquarium. In above video its used for Base. so I will use for Base as well as edges of the aquarium.

What do you think on this?

oldhead · 03/07/2018, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krazyk148

I use an rc submarine fixed with scrub pads to get 6ft deep in my aquarium haha Be creative with it!

Does this mean you filled the octo tank?

Sharpimage · 03/07/2018, 12:33 PM

The pressure and thickness of glass is based on the height of water, not the volume. A short fat tank can be thinner than a tall skinny tank. I would be hesitant of doing this myself as a first tank.

03/06/2018, 05:51 AM	#1
Gauraog Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 31	Need help Standing aquarium of 4 feet height Hello friends, I'm new to this world however I had a dream of creating different aquarium. Now I have decided to have standing aquarium (I know this is not new but rare) which is 4 feet tall and 1.5feet square base. I need your help to guide me. 1. Which strong silicone should I use? 2. Regular glass or tempered glass? 3. Any idea about cleaning? 4. Shall I go for bend glass instead of joining glass by silicone? Regards Gaurav.

03/06/2018, 05:59 AM	#2
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	1) RTV100 series at the least 2)either can be used if sized properly.. 3)vinegar/water is a great glass cleaner 4)bending will be VERY expensive.. A few questions for you.. How thick of glass are you planning on using? Are you planning on rimless or adding trim to the top? __________________ Who me?

03/06/2018, 08:01 AM	#6
nereefpat Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Central Nebraska Posts: 3,190	A rimless 4 ft tall? Whoa. Lots of pressure there. __________________ Pat Current Tank Info: 125 in-wall , 40b sump. 6 bulb T5. ASM G2 skimmer. LPS and leathers

03/06/2018, 10:01 AM	#14
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	This one seems to work well.. I have an excel spread sheet that I use.. https://www.easycalculation.com/meas...calculator.php Use 3.8 safety factor for tanks with trim or eurobracing and 7.6 for rimless __________________ Who me?

03/06/2018, 10:22 AM	#16
jkcoon Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Missouri - KC area Posts: 218	sounds cool... however, how do you plan to clean the glass toward the bottom, or the substrate?

03/06/2018, 11:11 AM	#19
krazyk148 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 121	I use an rc submarine fixed with scrub pads to get 6ft deep in my aquarium haha Be creative with it!

03/06/2018, 11:48 AM	#21
Gauraog Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 31	Which kind of glass should I use? Is there any specific name of glass which I should mention while buying?

03/07/2018, 12:33 PM	#25
Sharpimage Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Posts: 324	The pressure and thickness of glass is based on the height of water, not the volume. A short fat tank can be thinner than a tall skinny tank. I would be hesitant of doing this myself as a first tank.