Hi all, I'm planning a new tank along the following lines: (To be built by pros, not me ) - 1800 mm x 700 mm x 700 mm tank in 10mm glass (?) - 1200 mm x 400mm x 450mm (h) sump in 8 mm glass with sliders (already have) - Steel stand - Cabinet and hood DIY to be done around the setup once it is in place Is 10mm glass, double bottom, plus bracing enough for a 6 ft or is thicker glass required? Triple glass sliders (thinner glass). I'm thinking high flow, i.e. 2 x 50mm Dursos - one in each rear corner. Each rear corner also to be drilled for 25mm return pipe (connect the two horizontally for a black spraybar at top rear.) Now, I don't like hardware to be visible, so obviously each of the rear two corners in question would have to be blocked off. Are there alternatives to mirror glass? Black plexi? I'm also torn between overflow and vertical slit intake. I've found that the vertical type does a better job of keeping the gravel clear of detritus. However, it would require the corner partition to be re-partitioned for an intra-partition overflow (am I making sense?) and therefore a greater part of the tank space would be sacrificed. In my experience there is a bit of a problem with big tanks and the Styrofoam stuck to them when they are transported. Quite frankly, the weight and bulk of the tank wreak havoc on the Styrofoam when the transporters move the tank into place. It might be nice to have a chipboard layer under the Styrofoam and that can rest on the metal stand - further distributing weight. (I cannot provide this, as the drill holes need to align perfectly.) Now the stand: 32mm square tubing? How high should it be? I'm thinking 800mm would be more aesthetically pleasing by putting the tank at a more appropriate viewing height, BUT there is a lot of plumbing to be done down there. Apart from converging the Dursos, diverging the pump (7000l/h) outflow, fitting a 55W Ultrazap Pro, I also like doing a closed loop (with valves naturally) which allows the sump to run undisturbed during water changes. Would 1000mm be too high? Now I come to think of it, it would also be nice to have a third hole drilled in one rear corner with a bulkhead, valve and hosepipe quick-connect for water changes.... Any thoughts or suggestions?
Good luck Lady I like the idea of this setup. Just some minor suggestions. Stand to be 50mm square tubing (reduces the amount of support bracing required) my 4ft is on a 32mm square and I had to add an additional brace in the middle. (Might be in the way of your sump) Otherwise 32mm thick walled sqaure tubing will be fine. As for the block off plates go with Black Acrilic. Will send you details of a supplier in Klerksdorp if you need. Was nice meeting you yesterday. Your current tank is a stunner. Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-TL10 using Tapatalk
Is the 700 deep tank going to be planted? Lighting that depth becomes interesting. I wouldn't suggest chipboard as it swells when it gets wet and holds water for awhile like a sponge
O and i see the recommended glass thickness for the tank size is 13mm i used this calculator when i built my tanks http://www.theaquatools.com/building-your-aquarium
Yes that will be rimless, I assume that the glass can be thinner with bracing etc, but i normally used this Calculator recommendation and still added bracing for safety. You can specify the Safety Factor in the Calculator so you can play around with it. I just feel better with a Braced / Rim Tank than with a rimless tank.
Thanks all for the comments thus far! @WeirdStream: Thanks for the stand advice and the compliment @Waldip: I do agree that braces are always a pain, but eish, I'm a bit paranoid to go without! @JoshuaTree: The only plants will be big anubias, amazons and java fern (all potted) as nothing else does well with Malawis. Nothing too light demanding and if a plant struggles in a certain spot, I can always move it to a higher light area. I once had a planted 750mm deep discus tank, so bring it on!
Really like this build! Can't wait for it to be done. Just a couple of questions and suggestions. Why not build the stand from wood? wood is much more forgiving IMO. or are you going to clad the steel stand with wood afterwards? I wouldn't put the tank directly on the steel stand, rather install a layer of Marine Plywood (12mm-15mm)on top, then take out the Styrofoam and get a lekker piece of yoga mat as base (buy from any China shop, much cheaper). Then you wont need double bottom glass then (save some costs) Why you want to go with Dual Durso? all you need a 1 x full siphon and 1 x Durso. Or alternatively, take a look at the "Bean Animal overflow design", I run that on my Malawi setup. Regarding the height... my stand is 1m high, tank 450mmH, I'm 1.83m tall. It is very awkward trying to work in the tank at that height. You want yours at 1.7m H, it is going to be nice, but difficult to maintain. In addition, my return pump is a 6000lt/hr, and at 1.5m the flow rate reduced to at least a half. You will need to either get uplift pumps or 2 x return pumps to have a high turnover in your tank. And also, take note of the head height limit for the returns, it could be rates 6000lt/hr (like mine) but at 2.1m, there is no flow and the max head height. I would go for another hole for WCs! wish i thought of that on mine. Overflow is good because of surface skimming, so should keep the water highly oxygenated. Haven't seen a vertical intake before (you got a pic?) I really do love my Malawis, but wow they give so much headaches .
