sump vac?
- Thread starter YahooFishKeeper
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Hyunelan is right Yahoo, your gonna need to find someone to build the stand out of steel and weld it for you. I would suggest probably 2x4 tubular steel. I have used it to build hotrod frames( which still dont weigh that much,but when you calculate in tourque and road stress, it can handle alot). its just gonna require some work. My home computer is in pieces on my dining room table right now or I would scan in the plans that I have for the frame for my 180gal stand, I'm using 2x2 (inches) steel tubing covered with .75" birch plywood and stainless accent panels on the outside with storage and cabinet space on the inside. The frame is not that big of an engineering feat just need to make sure whoever does the welding is reputable and that they understand what you are using it for and that they make sure it is good and square. I will try to use the art programe here at work to produce a rough sketch for you but it will be tommorow before I post it. BTW I'm a Materials Engineer and I also have a building science degree as well, so you can trust my drawings to be structurally sound, the end product will be able (theoretically) to hold the weight of the tank you want to build. Only thing is will you be able to get it into where you are planing on putting the tank?
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probably... i will take it in through the garage since it will be in my basement. the tank itself will be three feet high so the stand will only need to be about 2 feet high(?) if that's the case then i can turn it on its side to get it into the house.
Edit:if you can supply a drawing and measurements i could probably get it built. thank you very very much. MFT is the best site ever with lots of people to help less smart people who are still in highschool without structural ingineering smarts.
Edit:if you can supply a drawing and measurements i could probably get it built. thank you very very much. MFT is the best site ever with lots of people to help less smart people who are still in highschool without structural ingineering smarts.
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big red -- if his sump is next to his tank (that is, both will be on the floor), i would think that the siphon would be very weak and may require a pump to get the water from the tank to the sump.....?
yahoo - the siphon will break once the water level drops below the intake of whatever you are using to siphon water down to your sump.
yahoo - the siphon will break once the water level drops below the intake of whatever you are using to siphon water down to your sump.
IMHO building a tank this big out of glass or acrylic isn't going to be very effecient. In the case that your family moves, something tells me that you probably won't be able to take this tank with you, and even if you did, my money would be on it getting broke or weakened to the point that it will not be able to hold water safely.
If I were going to do this, I would at least think of a more non-traditional type of tank. On the web I've seen several people build tanks out of concrete/concrete blocks. They make the three walls (back and the two sides) solid, and only use glass or accrylic for the front viewing side. I've not done any research on the cost of this method, so I'm not sure how it would compare to a glass tank. This type of tank could not be moved, only torn down.
If I were going to do this, I would at least think of a more non-traditional type of tank. On the web I've seen several people build tanks out of concrete/concrete blocks. They make the three walls (back and the two sides) solid, and only use glass or accrylic for the front viewing side. I've not done any research on the cost of this method, so I'm not sure how it would compare to a glass tank. This type of tank could not be moved, only torn down.
probably cheaper to build out of glass. we are not moving! me soon. the only thing that would happen is when i move out... not for a few years. we as in my family is not moving... ever. so that is not a problem. my welding teacher agreed to weld it for me too. as long as i give him materials and a drawing of what i want he will do it for free.
a lot of our tanks at work are built out of some type of very strong and durable plastic-type of material with only glass or acrylic as the viewing window. makes for a very strong tank. if it's not going to be in a living area anyways, who cares what it looks like. i think the concrete idea would definitly be durable and strong. my guess is that you cold go to a salvage yard and find a lot of hte materials for free/cheap. you'd just want to be sure that you seal the concrete otherwise, the concrete will leech into your FW and mess with your pH.
If you chose to use the concrete method it would actually probably come out cheaper than glass, and you can use a 2 part epoxy coating (I get it from ICI Dulux paint stores for about $60 for a 2 gallon kit) to seal the concrete then you only have to buy 1 piece of glass/ acrylic. May end up being alot cheaper to go this route. cement blocks arent that expensive and bags of concrete are cheap too.
Its definitely another option to look at Yahoo
you could even go larger (taller) with this set up than you originally planned. Think about it your very own mini sea world
Its definitely another option to look at Yahoo
you could even go larger (taller) with this set up than you originally planned. Think about it your very own mini sea world
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HELLO!!!! this is my freaking basement we are talking about!!!!! no way in heck my parents are gonna let my do that!!! our basement is set up like a living room! you wouldnt put a giant tank monstrosity in your living room. i would like to... but thats not the point. maybe when i move out. any ideas? by the way... i have decided to go back to acrylic, who ever said that glass was cheaper was wrong... $1200 for one sheet of 5/8 inch! acrylic it is! oh well. it will be lighter. how thick for acrylic?
i agree with orion, even though it was concrete, there are ways to make it look more like furniture. btw, i didn't realize your basement was a living space. i assumed it was a **basement**, you know, the gross, damp, concrete storage room for your utilities. hahah that's what mine is like! 
you dont think your parents would be able to see to teh finished product? even if you explain that even though it was made out of concrete, it would look great at the end after sheetrocking etc it? that's too bad. would have been insanely strong.
you dont think your parents would be able to see to teh finished product? even if you explain that even though it was made out of concrete, it would look great at the end after sheetrocking etc it? that's too bad. would have been insanely strong.
Yahoo, I'm the one who said glass was cheaper, And I said it because here in my area, Birmingham, Al, it is cheaper. I bought all of the glass for my 180 gal for less than $600 ($542.00 to be exact). My dimensions are 6'x2'x2' and enough scrap pieces for top braces. With a glass thickness of 1/2". One 4'x8' sheet of 1/2" acrylic was almost $500 by itself. Another suggestion about the glass is to check with construction salvage places in your area and see what they have. If nothing there then by all means use acrylic but just remember at that size its gonna have to be thicker than the glass to minimize bowing and the possibility of a relatively messy mishap.
I take it that you do not go to the www.garf.org page beacause it says that you cannot make an acrylic tank more than 30" high. is that correct? that you intend to make it more than 30" high and are looking for a way to make that work?
Maybe calling around to some places that sell acrylic may help.
How about your local aquarium clubs?
Maybe your lfs owners may know someone with the knowhow you need.
Here is a very good article on builiding an acrylic tank. http://www.duboisi.com/diy/BNdiytank/bndiytank.htm
I'll continue to brainstorm, but it sounds like a daunting project for a beginner... not impossible, but improbable, you know.
Maybe calling around to some places that sell acrylic may help.
How about your local aquarium clubs?
Maybe your lfs owners may know someone with the knowhow you need.
Here is a very good article on builiding an acrylic tank. http://www.duboisi.com/diy/BNdiytank/bndiytank.htm
I'll continue to brainstorm, but it sounds like a daunting project for a beginner... not impossible, but improbable, you know.
