making a custom aquarium questions

[Friendly]

getting an aquarium here, where I live, is really hard, unless it's Fluval.

 

so I'm seriously considering making my own 22 gallon long and have a few questions.

 

1) can you get low iron glass that's tempered?

- I have no intention of drilling, so wondering if it's worth it, for the added strength...

2) how many of you have made your own glass aquarium. is it really as simple as the YouTube videos show it to be?

3) any of you know about complications with renter/home owner insurance for custom made aquariums?

- in particular if an aquarium were to fail, the insurance could say, 'you made it, this invalidates your insurance'.

4) other than aesthetics, are there any structural/strength reasons to get 45 degree beveled edges cut on the glass?

5) for those of you who have made a glass aquarium, any regrets or tips to share?

 

 

[Variant]

I went through a similar though exercise...

 

Any reason why you wouldn't have a custom tank builder make you one? I decided not to build my own because I'm not experienced and did not want to risk having a tank leak because of my poor craftsmanship 😁

 

Good luck getting your questions answered!

[Friendly]

6 minutes ago, Variant said:

I went through a similar though exercise...

 

Any reason why you wouldn't have a custom tank builder make you one? I decided not to build my own because I'm not experienced and did not want to risk having a tank leak because of my poor craftsmanship 😁

 

Good luck getting your questions answered!

because couriers won't ship something so big and fragile to where I live...and while I can get some bulk freight couriers that have a run between Vancouver and where I live, they won't insure it, 'shipper's risk', and freight is 50% the cost of the tank itself.

[Variant]

5 minutes ago, Friendly said:

because couriers won't ship something so big and fragile to where I live...and while I can get some bulk freight couriers that have a run between Vancouver and where I live, they won't insure it, 'shipper's risk', and freight is 50% the cost of the tank itself.

 Sorry to hear about the inconvenient situation... 😯

[Friendly]

16 minutes ago, Variant said:

 Sorry to hear about the inconvenient situation... 😯

indeed. the bulk courier that just quoted me recommended I get the aquarium I'm interested in 'crated'.

 

EGADS!!! 

[seabass]

On 3/25/2019 at 11:36 AM, Friendly said:

1) can you get low iron glass that's tempered?

- I have no intention of drilling, so wondering if it's worth it, for the added strength...

I'm not sure, but for a 22 gallon tank, I wouldn't think it would be necessary.

 

On 3/25/2019 at 11:36 AM, Friendly said:

3) any of you know about complications with renter/home owner insurance for custom made aquariums?

- in particular if an aquarium were to fail, the insurance could say, 'you made it, this invalidates your insurance'.

Good question for your agent.  I wouldn't think it would matter if it were custom made or not, unless they plan on recouping their losses from the manufacturer (in this case, you).  You might need a rider for your tank.  They'll let you know.

 

On 3/25/2019 at 11:36 AM, Friendly said:

4) other than aesthetics, are there any structural/strength reasons to get 45 degree beveled edges cut on the glass?

In theory, the surface area of the joint should be slightly wider.  However, I don't see how you could cut it with standard methods.

 

Sorry, I've never made one.  I've considered making acrylic tanks before, but haven't done that either.

[This guy is extra salty]

On 3/25/2019 at 11:36 AM, Friendly said:

getting an aquarium here, where I live, is really hard, unless it's Fluval.

 

so I'm seriously considering making my own 22 gallon long and have a few questions.

 

1) can you get low iron glass that's tempered?

- I have no intention of drilling, so wondering if it's worth it, for the added strength...

2) how many of you have made your own glass aquarium. is it really as simple as the YouTube videos show it to be?

3) any of you know about complications with renter/home owner insurance for custom made aquariums?

- in particular if an aquarium were to fail, the insurance could say, 'you made it, this invalidates your insurance'.

4) other than aesthetics, are there any structural/strength reasons to get 45 degree beveled edges cut on the glass?

5) for those of you who have made a glass aquarium, any regrets or tips to share?

 

 

Insurance doesn’t cover fishtanks regardless 

[Friendly]

here in Canada u can get insurance with $1 million coverage from flooding damage caused by an aquarium incident, but that may be with a specific rider.

[This guy is extra salty]

I see! Well yes you can do that with any insurance with a specific coverage and clause it will be insured but with everyone “normally” chooses basic renter/homeowners insurance it isn’t covered

[Beer]

Low iron glass is slightly softer, but you aren’t building a huge tank. As long as the glass is sized appropriately (tempered allows manufacturers to use thinner glass and save on transportation costs as well as add strength to mitigate owner mistakes setting the tank up). You may find it difficult finding low iron glass. I was told by one place that I would have to buy a full sheet. They would cut it and keep the rest. I needed less than half a sheet.

 

The 45° angles are done mostly for aesthetics, but it does change the loading on the silicone joint slightly. Instead of one pane putting stress on the joint in shear and the other tensile, it biases the stress from both slightly more towards tensile. The tensile strength of silicone is typically much higher than the shear strength.

 

The difference likely isn’t worth the added cost. Assembly might be easier in some ways, like getting the corners alligned, but unless the glass is coming from somewhere that is willing to grind the angles precice enough to have a truley square tank is not very likely. I haven’t looked into it though, so that it mostly speculation. Using proper thickness and a qualitiy silicone adhesive, not caulk, will go further to create a solid tank than mitered corners. If you prefer the mitered corners for asthetics, go for it, but if the reason is purely for strength, I’d say the cost and effort likely aren’t worth it.

 

Use something like the Momentive RTV 100 series. It is an acetoxy cure silicone with really good adhesion to glass and a high shear, tensile, and tear strength. I did some research a few years ago and this was in the top two or three, but the other two were difficult to source and the difference was pretty minimal.

 

 

Assembly was pretty straight forward. Lay down craft paper or something similar. It is much easier to toss the paper than scrape it off of everything. Also the paper is easily removed from the tank. Decide if you want traditional gusseted seams or minimal seams (may need slightly thicker glass). I cut and finished the raw glass edges myself on a couple of tanks. It probably would have been better to have the glass shop do it. It wasn’t difficult, but wet sanding glass by hand in an apartment was a bit tedious and time consuming. Also ask the glass shop what their tolerances are. Some will only guarantee +/- 1/8”, which is rediculous. Let them know it is for an aquarium, though I have heard of some people that got refused because the shop was concerned about liability. Not sure how true that is.

 

If you are going with traditional seams, there are a few methods. Wet finger to smooth them out and hope they come out nice and even (takes practice). Tape the seams and peel once the silicone sets, then re-smoth areas where it looks like the edge lifted slightly (make sure the silicone is fairly thin at the tape line for cleaner edges). Or get some fancy cake making supplies (I forget what they are called, but it is a stainless steel ball on a stick) to smoth out the seams, then go back and scrape the excess with a blade once the silicone fully cures. The ball will create a very clean, very straight seam with a defined gap between the seam and waste. Use a larger diameter for the bottom seam for a larger gusset if you feel it is necessary. It adds a little buffer if scraping algae with a razor (low iron scratches easier than standard plate glass, incase you didn’t consider that)

 

Building standard tanks usually isn’t worth the time and effort of collecting the materials, but it can definately be worth it for custom dimentions. I would consider making the width of the tank longer than the height. I prefer long and low tanks that are pretty deep front to back. You can do so much more with the rock work and give lots of open space with plenty of spaces to hide where fish can behave a bit more naturally, cruising through the rockwork. I like that a lot better than the rock wall with everything crammed between the rocks and glass, forced to be on display. I’d go something like 30 x 10 x 18, which puts you just over 23 gallons.

[Friendly]

thanks for all that insight, Beer!

 

my only other option for getting a tank is a rimmed one from Marineland., which the local pet store carries. they should be able to order a 20 gallon long that's 30" x 12" x 12" or a rimmed 30 gallon breeder that's 30" x 18" x 12"...the middle dimension is the depth.