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WTB / Trade for large CUBE 4X4X2 or BIGGER


dj_giantti

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At this point I wouldn't build one 6x6x4. The 4 is the biggest issue (I would guess at least 3/4" glass although I don't think anyone will build anything over 30" or 36" tall). At 30" tall it will require 1/2" glass which I don't have a price on yet so anything I said would be a wild guess. At 24" tall it can be made with 3/8" glass which would probably run between $1200 and $1800 for the parts depending upon how many sides would be starphire. This doesn't include the labor.

 

I was just wondering, are you saying you would use 3/8 inch thick glass on a tank that measures 4 foot wide x 4 foot deep x 2 foot tall ?

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I was just wondering' date=' are you saying you would use 3/8 inch thick glass on a tank that measures 4 foot wide x 4 foot deep x 2 foot tall ?[/quote']

 

The thickness is dependent upon the height of the tank (water level) rather than the volume. (The pressure at the bottom on the sides will be the same whether it is 2x2 or 4x4 or 6x6) Up to 18" can be 1/4", up to 24" can be 3/8", 30" needs to be 1/2". The longer spans do require extra support at the top though.

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The thickness is dependent upon the height of the tank (water level) rather than the volume. (The pressure at the bottom on the sides will be the same whether it is 2x2 or 4x4 or 6x6) Up to 18" can be 1/4"' date=' up to 24" can be 3/8", 30" needs to be 1/2". The longer spans do require extra support at the top though.[/quote']

 

Those #'s are for if you are building a standard rectangle tank with the depth of only 12 to 18 inches, How thick of glass do they use to build 120 gallon tanks with the dimentions of 4 foot long x 2 foot deep and 2 foot tall? I know this one and why! I wouldnt build a tank of 4X4X2 with anything less than 3/4 inch thick glass.

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How thick of glass do they use to build 120 gallon tanks with the dimentions of 4 foot long x 2 foot deep and 2 foot tall?

 

While some may build it with 1/2" most will be 3/8" thick. FWIW, My 125g which is 6 foot long and 23" tall is made with 3/8" glass.

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While some may build it with 1/2" most will be 3/8" thick. FWIW' date=' My 125g which is 6 foot long and 23" tall is made with 3/8" glass.[/quote']

 

I really dont know what to say!! I hope that another voice of reason chimes in! 3/8ths glass on a 240 gallon tank, I hope someone has insurance!

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I really dont know what to say!! I hope that another voice of reason chimes in! 3/8ths glass on a 240 gallon tank' date=' I hope someone has insurance![/quote']

 

Yea, I think 3/8ths is a move more to keep the cost of the tank down. I wouldn't do it.:eek: I'm going with 1/2" on my new 24" deep tank, I would worry everyday with 3/8". (scary)

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Rather than simply speculating I would like to see some technical documentation that indicates that water pressure will be greater as the volume increases when the height stays the same. Based on the documentation I have found though I would not hesitate to build a 4x4x2 using 3/8" glass. (Everything I have found that wasn't just speculation indicates that the volume of water will have no effect on the water pressure when the height stays the same) If I can see documentation that refutes it then I will rethink it.

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http://www.livingreefs.com/glass-thickness-calculators-t21048.html

 

Try this, and reed the whole thing. On a piece of glass 4 foot x 2 foot, it gives 9mm

(.354 inch) a 2.5 on the safty scale and 12mm (.472 inch) a 4.0 on the safty scale and they recomend a 3.8 on the safty scale as a safe place to be. They also use a rim or brace at the top but dont specify how big that is.

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Im just trying to save you Rick cuz if I payed you for a tank and you built it and it came apart/exploded, I would own you, everything that a drop of water touched you would replace. Thats why if I were to build something for someone, I would get the thichness of what would be safe and then bump it up a thickness. I wouldnt want to be sorry, I would want to be safe and to me 3/8 is sorry, 1/2 is accptable and 3/4 is safe. and thats just for the sides, the bottom, 1/2 may be sorry, I wouldnt do anything less than 3/4 on the bottom eather!

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Im just trying to save you Rick cuz if I payed you for a tank and you built it and it came apart/exploded' date=' I would own you, everything that a drop of water touched you would replace. Thats why if I were to build something for someone, I would get the thichness of what would be safe and then bump it up a thickness. I wouldnt want to be sorry, I would want to be safe and to me 3/8 is sorry, 1/2 is accptable and 3/4 is safe. and thats just for the sides, the bottom, 1/2 may be sorry, I wouldnt do anything less than 3/4 on the bottom eather![/quote']

 

"IF" you build the stand correct, the bottom (within reason) won't matter much. I think the distance between the bracing edges and corners is important also. I wouldn't be as worried about a 3' tall tank made from 1/2" that was only 1 foot long and wide as I would be about one that was 6' long. The added water volume will make it bow and be stressed more. Put 2 braces/euro brace in and suddenly I am less worried. Wheither you can see it or not 99.9% of aquariums bow but it is how much it bows and what stress that is putting on that piece of glass that is more important then the fact that it is bowed...

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You cant build for someone else on an "if" you gotta build for someone else as if they dont know or cant, because if they could, they would be building it themselves. The liability of building a tank for someone is great, you build one for yourself and it fails you pout and kick the dirt and prob. wont get any for a while but you get someone elses carpet wet and someone elses wife mad at ya and start saying you owe us this and this and ect. not to mention the hood, bulbs, balasts, livestock that are in and around the tank, ya got furnatur and god forbid it explodes and kills a little kid.

Ok, a story, about 18 years ago the first tank I built was 4 X 16 X 20. I was so proud, got all the glass 1/4 inch all arround, put it all together while it was curing/drying I built a stand. All the while not getting any suport from the fam. so when I was done I decided to set it up on the back deck to test it ( after all the nay sayers I was douting myself) filled it up and went into the other room to watch a movie while the rest of them went to costco, The tank was right in front of the sliding glass door and about 6 feet back/out. When it blew, 2 1/2 hours after I had put water in it and had just been out and checked on it, the door was open and water and glass went through the livingroom and into the kitchen. The water and glass traveled about 25 feet. and it tipped the stand and rest of the tank over backwards. If I were still standing in front of it when it went, I dont think I'd be here today!

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I've read that link and many others as well.

 

I also have a link that discusses the top side and cross braces in much more depth (The side braces should be 90% of the length or more by 5% of the length). A single cross brace at the middle of a 4 ft. tank increases the safety factor considerably (1.5 to 2 times as I recall) however I need to locate the technical data I read on it before stating an accurate figure. I've also come across a few places stating that the 3.8 safety factor comes from the figure used for calculating thickness for public aquariums. Several of the calculators (Including the Garf website) use 2.0 and above as a safe safety factor for home aquariums. 3/8" glass provides a safety factor of 2.5 on an aquarium with 24" of water (water level rather than glass height). Before building one for anyone else though at 3/8" thick I need to check with the glass manufacturer to get their recomendation and technical data on the glass to be sure 2.5 is a safe number to use for the safety factor.

 

Brandon, since the safety of 3/8" glass may be in question (I'm not convinced it is yet) then figure approx. double what I said in the PM to use 1/2" glass instead. This is based on figures I obtained earlier today at the glass shop.

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I think the distance between the bracing edges and corners is important also........ Put 2 braces/euro brace in and suddenly I am less worried. ......

Yes, the distance between cross braces and/or inclusion of side braces is even more important than the total length or water volume.

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[ Several of the calculators (Including the Garf website) use 2.0 and above as a safe safety factor for home aquariums. 3/8" glass provides a safety factor of 2.5 on an aquarium with 24" of water

 

The last Im going to say is, sea clone 150 skimmers are rated for 150 gallon tanks, do you beleave that? or do you beleave it may work and would skimm a 150 gallon tank but you wouldnt use one on your tank because it would be insuficiant?

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We definately got off track here. It has caused me to rethink things a bit (more from a quality standpoint than anything as I have always strived to make quality products and do not want this to be any different) but nevertheless it probably should have been in a different thread or been done via PM.

 

In an effort to get this back on track the original post was asking for leads on a tank that is 4 foot square and 24 inches or more tall. From what I can tell Brandon is still looking for leads on one.

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Actually Oxx155 this tank is not the one you used to have. I bought it from someone up in Portland more than 2 years ago.

 

I apologize, you don't see too many of these around and it sure does look a lot like my old tank.

Good looking tank though.

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No worries. Yeah they are hard to come by and that is why I am pretty firm on the price. I don't really want to get rid of it but it has been sitting around in my garage so long and I don't know for sure when I will get around to setting it up. It will make a great tank for someone or me eventually.

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