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sridharp77
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Joined: Dec 14, 2004
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Location: Bangalore and Palakkad
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 Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 11:58 am Post subject: Making a 5 X 1.5 x 1 feet tank |
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| I am going to try to build a 5 X 1.5 x 1 feet tank. I think that for this type of tank 8 mm glass are ok. Can you please advise me on that. I also want to where can i get the slicone used to stick the glass together (in bangalore) and how many tubes will i require to build this tank and what is the approximate price of the same. |
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nvenkatramani
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| Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 12:32 pm Post subject: |
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HI,
Couldn't help noticing that the Height is one feet and that is quite less unless you are planning to keep low profile fishes like rays etc.
I will go for 18" height minimum , you will appreciate the extra viewing area , and the fishes get a great er volume of water for the same footprint..
But these are my thoughts . Check out the GARF website for a glass thickness calculator. Pick up GE silicone from the hardware shop .
Narendra |
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murthy
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| Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 1:02 pm Post subject: |
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 hello shridhar!8mm glass will do fine for the dimensions you mentioned,so long as you use glass beading along the top edges of the front and back glass.(infact with 1 foot height even this glass reinforcement may not be necessary,but just to be safe!)
Request your glass dealer to cut two long strips of glass 8mm,3 inches width,5 ft lenght.paste these strips flat on top of the front/back glasses(get the idea?)
Carefully done,one tube is enough(but if you do it messily like me,one and half tubes required!)you will get the tubes from your Local fish shop,ask for Wacker,or Dow Corning.(though he will take a slightly higher price..)
All the best!  |
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sridharp77
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| Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 1:05 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Narendra,
The main reason why I choose 1 feet height is because I am going to place this tank on the bottom of my stand which is already holding a 5 x 2 x 2 feet tank. I have a gap of only 2 feet. What I will do is increase the height to 15 inches rather than 12 inches. Can someone suggest whether it is better to make a tank alone or get it from LFS. These LFS guys are charging like anything. I enquired and they told me that it will cost 5000 for the tank itself. I do not think that price is a reasonable one. That is why I decided that I will make one myself. Is it that difficult to build a tank on your own. Can someone please give me a few tips which needs to be taken care while building one. |
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nvenkatramani
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| Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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Hi , now i understand. But why not try to use the same footprint of 5X2 and keep the height as 15" . It is indeed nice to have the space and the water for keeping 5 feet tanks so why compromise on the volume . The additional width will help you for almost all fishes .
The price quoted is very high in my opinion .
If you are trying to build your first tank it is better to take the help of someone experienced. I am sure there are some real experts in bangalore who are members on this forum who can guide you.
narendra |
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murthy
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| Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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| it should not cost you more than 1800.(i guess the cost of 8mm glass is Rs.55 per square foot?)....get someone to help you to make this tank!one pair of hands is just not enough.Care to be taken is that the edges recieving the silicon should be wiped clean,preferably with a good solvent to remove any traces of oil,dirt.Another point to note is all the vertical glass sheets should be placed on TOP of the base glass.Hence ask the glass dealer to cut the base glass in the following dimensions:60 in x (18in +16mm) to accomodate the 8mm each for the front and back panes. |
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sridharp77
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| Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 1:19 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Murthy,
I did not understand why we need to do this. I think i have not got your idea. Are you suggesting that i put a small joint between then front and the back glass (just to be safe so that the water pressure will not effect the glass). Because in my other tank there are two glass pices joining the front and the back glass at two differnt places. |
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murthy
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| Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 1:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Have posted the pic in the gallery.....option of using cross strips is also there,but it gets in the way of catching fish,and maintainance.This beading also prevents bulging of the tank,looks neater! |
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sridharp77
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| Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 1:50 pm Post subject: |
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| OK, I got the idea now. I think this will also help to prevent fishes jumping out of the tank because there will be a 3 inch projection towards the inner side. Thanks a lot for your advise and tips, this is a better idea than the crossstirps also because i am planning this tank for Oscars (and they are know to be jumpers sometimes.). Maybe i will put this beading in the side glass as well. What do you suggest so that i have a protection on all the sides of the tank. Is it advisable to increase the width or 3 inch is fine. |
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oscar-lover
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| Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Hello sridhar,what matters the most is the kind of fish that you are going to house in that tank,if it were to house two or three full grown cichlid like a oscar then i think the height would be appropriate as cichlids are know to be bottom dwellers and they do not use much of the surface area. Belting the tank is another way to reinforce that will help the tank to not bulge out because of the water pressure,as narendra as mentioned belting the tank on the front and the back of the tank would do a lot of help. |
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zap2jai
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| Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 5:24 pm Post subject: |
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A belted tank is very much recommended if you are going for a 5 feet tank with 8mm glass. This is only as a precaution. And if you opt for a belted tank pls make sure to have 2 belts on top and 3 in the bottom. This will give the tank a lot of strenght and is always good if you intend to move the tank.
And regarding building a tank, if it is your first attempt I would recommend you to have a experienced peron with you during the gluing process.
It is a two person job if you are not a professional and doing a DYI. The main job of the other person is to hold the glass in place when you are applying the silicone to the corner. Use a corner of the room to start so that you could use the wall as a support. This will help you a lot while the tank is kept for drying. use a thick thread to hold the corners together and tie it tightly and dont remove it till the silicone is set. Leave the tank to set for atleat 24hrs. And one more important thing, always go for a higher grade silicone which is available in big hardware shops in bangalore which would be around 250 bugs and the thickness of the glass is mentioned in some tubes and go for the best glass.
All the best |
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sridharp77
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| Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 5:48 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Vijay,
Can you please tell me some of the shops where i can get the high grade silicone mentioned by you. |
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zap2jai
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| Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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Sorry that I dont know the names of the Hardware shops. But you get it in most of the hardware shops and in glass shops and but Avenue road is the best place.
I will just check on the same and give you the address tomorrow.
Could you tell me which part of bangalore do you stay????
But make sure to check whether the thickness of the glass is mentioned on the tube and the price is around 250.
You could also ask an LFS guy to get it for you. This will save a lot of problems. |
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sridharp77
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Posts: 542
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| Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 6:50 pm Post subject: |
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THanks Vijay,
I stay in B.T.M Layout. My house is near to Adip house but now adip is shifting to another house near IIM. THese LFS gyus charge a hell lot of money. For a 5 X 1.5 X 1.25 feet tank alone they were charging near 5000 rs. That is why i decided why not build a own tank. I would be helpful if you can please tell me the names and address of the hardware shop (never mind where it is.. i mean need not be near to my place). What i understood is that the silicone differs for the thickness of the glass. I am going for a 8 mm glass for this tank. I might sometime also decrease the length of the tank from 5 feet to 4 feet. But that depends on the approval i get from my home minister. |
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madhu_ulysses
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Joined: Oct 28, 2004
Posts: 2450
Location: Salem, TN
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| Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2004 7:15 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Sridhar,
You can go for a 8mm, 5 ft tank. But provided with belting on the top and at the bottom. I would suggest you a 10mm glass at the bottom and the rest to be 8mm for extra safety because it won't cost much for the bottom alone. While making, take utmost care on alignment. All the best. |
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