Custom 6 Foot Tank Build Questions

[LifeOfAquatics]

Hello, so I really want to build a shallow reef tank. My main goal with this tank is to house tang(s) and some other slightly larger fish. I want the tank to be roughly 5-6 feet in length and about 12-18 inches in length with about 12-18 inches in height (note: for the height and the width if one of them is 16 then the other will be 12, etc. I don’t really want them both being 16. Right now I am leaning towards the height being either 12 or 14 and width maybe being 16). Another alternative to the tank dimensions is a tank that is about 4 feet by 4 feet by about 12 inches to 18 inches (with 16 being more common). I plan on building this tank using glass sheets from Home Depot and Lowes. However, their glass sheets are not past .125 inches in thickness. I am worried because I obviously don’t want the tank to burst. I am also unsure if the glass is tempered or not. Will this matter too much (the glass being tempered or not)? If the glass is too thin, I am OK with the tank being only 12 inches tall because I saw on a few forums that if the glass in thin, then the tank needs to be shallow. If the glass is .125 in thickness, could I accomplish something like a 72 inch length by 16 inch width by a 12 inch height? I really want to build a nice shallow saltwater tank, this is also going to be my first saltwater tank as well. Also, the glass sheets are going to have to be connected together. As in, if two sheets are 36 inches long, then I will silicone them together for both the front and back panel. And the bottom panel will also be a combination of 3-5 separate sheets all siliconed together. Will this be an issue if the individual panels are made up of separate sheets? To increase the glass thickness, is there anyway I can layer two sheets on top of each other to increase the individual panel thickness or will this not work? I do not plan on going smaller then .125 or 1/8 inch thickness glass and if need be, I am fine with the tank only being a foot tall. Thank you in advance! 

[Clown79]

The more sheets siliconed together, the more chances of issues, especially the larger the tank gets.

 

Glass thickness is another important factor. 

 

If you have never made a tank, my suggestion would be, buy one

 Its a lot less work and a lot less issues, especially if you wanted to build a 4 ft tank using multiple glass panels to make it 4ft long

[LifeOfAquatics]

On 3/29/2021 at 11:21 AM, Clown79 said:

The more sheets siliconed together, the more chances of issues, especially the larger the tank gets.

 

Glass thickness is another important factor. 

 

If you have never made a tank, my suggestion would be, buy one

 Its a lot less work and a lot less issues, especially if you wanted to build a 4 ft tank using multiple glass panels to make it 4ft long

Hello, so I changed up my idea a bit. Instead of 6 feet, I'm going to do a 4 foot by 1.5 foot (width) by 1 foot (height) tank. I plan on using non-tempered 1/4 in thick glass for this build and I might use tempered for the base (would the tempered on the base work fine?). I'm cool with 3/8 inch glass I'm just leaning towards 1/4 because one, it is cheaper, and two, normal 55 gallons have 1/4 in thick and this tank will be roughly 45 gallons plus it is shorter so 1/4 should work fine. My plans with this tank are to get a Kole tang as the main fish and since this tank does have the footprint of a 75 and a 90-gallon tank, the Kole tang should be fine. I would love to do a bigger tang but I'm going to be reasonable and choose not to bc a 12-inch height is just not a lot. I might also do a Foxface or a butterfly (might not due to the fact that I am going to be putting corals in this tank). Aside from that, I might just do a bunch of basic fish (i.e. clowns, gobies, blennies, jawfish, and maybe a dwarf angel). What do you think? And the glass is going to come from a local glass shop.

[Clown79]

Tangs need a lot of room because they constantly swim, i wouldn't put one in anything under 90g.

 

 in a tank under 90g, you won't be able to have many fish with it.

[mitten_reef]

1 hour ago, LifeOfAquatics said:

I'm cool with 3/8 inch glass I'm just leaning towards 1/4 because one, it is cheaper, and two, normal 55 gallons have 1/4 in thick and this tank will be roughly 45 gallons plus it is shorter so 1/4 should work fine.

What you seem to be missing is most of the off-the-shelf sized tanks are built with plastic frame to reinforce its rigidity from the weight of water. Most things in life are over engineered, yes, but when you have a 45 gallon tub of living things, you don’t want it to suddenly give out without notice either.
If you have done enough research on glass flex and strength against the weight of water pushing out, then by all means have at it. Simply saying, yeah x, y, z tank size use 1/4” glass, so it’s cool for me too.  well, not saying it can’t be done, but that’s your floor and home that you’re risking not mine. If I were you, I’d want/need to have some better supporting argument on why it could be done beyond what you’ve given. 

[LifeOfAquatics]

53 minutes ago, mitten_reef said:

What you seem to be missing is most of the off-the-shelf sized tanks are built with plastic frame to reinforce its rigidity from the weight of water. Most things in life are over engineered, yes, but when you have a 45 gallon tub of living things, you don’t want it to suddenly give out without notice either.
If you have done enough research on glass flex and strength against the weight of water pushing out, then by all means have at it. Simply saying, yeah x, y, z tank size use 1/4” glass, so it’s cool for me too.  well, not saying it can’t be done, but that’s your floor and home that you’re risking not mine. If I were you, I’d want/need to have some better supporting argument on why it could be done beyond what you’ve given. 

Would you recommend it if I had cross beams and eurobraces? Im also willing to make the height shorter if need be. 

[Clown79]

2 hours ago, LifeOfAquatics said:

Would you recommend it if I had cross beams and eurobraces? Im also willing to make the height shorter if need be. 

He's recommending you do thorough research on how to properly build a tank that size because 1 wrong mistake and its a disaster.

 

 

There is alot to consider. Seams must be perfectly level and no mistakes in  siliconing the seams, the correct amount must be used.

 

Certain glass, can it be drilled, are you planning on drilling. The thickness of the glass vs the amount of water, rock, sand, life it needs to support.

 

Consider, 50g of water is 416lbs. 

 

possibly needs bracing.

 

there is a whole lot of prep to be done and if not researched, planned, or built correctly the seams can burst and you have 50g of water everywhere.

 

In all honestly, its probably cheaper buying a tank that size in the end especially if you have never made a tank. 

[Jungle_vip]

Not to beat the same drum over and over but it is a risky situation. I personally have seen two friends build larger tanks. Both of them busted in the 6-12 month mark. One was smart and had it is his climate controlled detached garage. The other in his living room. 125 and a 180. Time, money spent, and damage to your property can be demoralizing when failed. Neither of them are back in the hobby. DIY can be very rewarding but with this item of that size it can be a disaster. On the other hand none of us know your skill set or ability to complete such a task. It’s imperative that every detail is perfect. If you commit to this I hope it all comes to together and will follow along. Also with tangs you can never go too big. Agreed anything less than 90 is not enough space. It’s like keeping a lion in a shipping container instead of roaming free. Food for thought. 

To address glass thickness I would recommend going to a glass center where you can order whatever you want cut precisely to size, polished, beveled, etc properly. I recommend building at least one smaller tank tank first with common dimensions. Like a 10 gallon. That way you can get a feel for it. Me personally I would do 2-3. Materials are so expensive now with the housing and remodeling boom. Even a 8x2x4 that use to be $2-3 is up to $9 now and will more than likely continue to rise. You won’t come out cheaper on this in the end. Not sure what tools you own but all things should be considered. Once again good luck!