Building an aquarium question.

[Butterfly]

I might have got this completely wrong.... are you building a base for a standard glass construction fish tank?

Or are you building a fish tank/ aquarium out or steel and blocks?

If so.... how are you going to regulate the temperature and clean it.... two of the most important aspects of keeping any type of fish....

[W.olly]

Hi there, I am building a complete tank stand, well concret pillars in a fish house ( house/conservatory extension) next to the conservatory with a veiwing window from the con`y, and as with all tropical aquariums it will have heaters to keep control on the water tempand to keep it clean a filter system and the maintenance, well just get it when need be

I need a large tank for the TSNc x RTC and 2 stingrays i have, only babys TSN x RT is 3 inch and the rays are about 5 inch disc, so i have a good 12 months to build this big tank as they are in a 150 gallon at the minute.

The build at the minute is going to be steel outer frame with 18mm ply lined and layed up with GRP.



You seem to be thinking this is a mad idea?


wayne

[big-all]

the trouble is W.olly you don't answer questions so we can help you

you need a structural engineer to to say if the floor can support your fish tank ??

if you fish tank is in a conservatory dependant on size will get too cold in winter as conservatories can leak 6kw off heat with freezing outside if your trying to warm to around 21 degrees

it sounds like your'e building a room within a room with a glass wall at the front weighing perhaps 8 tonnes and you don't realise that floors are designed for people and furniture not the equivelent off a double decker bus ??

[W.olly]

Hi Al, same here i ask a Q and get a Q back, i tell you what to make it easyer i will tell you exactley what i am doing with pics and lets go from there hey.
I am not sure if this is the place for it though as it will consist of brick work, foundations, steel work, plumbing and electrics. So if you wish move this to the correct place but as folk are here i will begin here.

NOw i have this cony i finished a few months back and i was going to build a Koi pond but since i have space now for a big fish tank i will be doing his, my biggest dream ever a si have always kept fish in the past.

This is my cony when i had near finished it



The tank will be going to the left in a brick built fish room of its own with one viewing window into the cony.

Now the tank room will be sat on its own slab of atleast 6 inch thick C35 reinforced concrete and the tank will be sat on 3 concrete block pillars around 24 inch high.

The fish room will be around 16 x 7 and the tank around 10 x 6 x 3 to 4 foot. and 1200gallons weight of water roughlty 4 tons, the rest depends on the concsruction of the tank. in concrete a good 10 tons.

I first priced up the tank to be made on site from glass but with 2 quoates at £4k upto £5k i will rather do it myself. they can be built from all wood a sin timber braces and ply lined with resin or grp/resin to seal the inside, concrete bocks as in a pond build, or as in the idea i ahve for more security and steel frame with a ply line and grp on the inside to seal it.

I have to back to work now but any Questions please feel free.....and Al i will answer them direcetly


wayne

[big-all]

thanks it all make sense now

we are not trying to be awkward we just see so many dreams that aren't practical so we throw things in that the person should be aware off
iff the points are answered we know its not a pipe dream and are aware off the pitfalls

we also like to expand the subjects to include other connected points so any body reading the thread will have a better chance off getting all the connected information
with minimum questions

[kellys_eye]

Now if you'd added this latest post to your first post we'd have got your gist immediately

I take it you're making the tank 'top viewing' only?

[W.olly]

Now if you'd added this latest post to your first post we'd have got your gist immediately

I take it you're making the tank 'top viewing' only?

All i asked at first was a suggestion to seal a tank with, like the powder coat suggestion given, well now you know

And as said it will have one viewing window into the cony.

The idea upto now is a C channel frame of 100mmx50mmx6mm spaced at 600mm centers, back sides and bottom, the viewing window will be roughly 2440mmx900mm. i was wanting at first to go with steel sides as the reason for the first post i did, but thats going to be way to expensive, so now its ply and grp.

Anyone think that will be over kill on the 100mmx50mmx6mm for the frame, the glass is going to be 19mm thick and supported all around by a frame, if i go 1200mm high then i mite need to increase the glass to 25mm, i need to lookinto that a bit more.

Oh and Al, i understand what you say,

we are not trying to be awkward we just see so many dreams that aren't practical so we throw things in that the person should be aware off
iff the points are answered we know its not a pipe dream and are aware off the pitfalls

But when somebody asks a question, as in my case what does it matter what the intended use is for as its just to seal tank water from the steel. Also whats cleaning the tank got to do with what i asked.

Folk dream and like to try and make dreams a reality some day, we all dream at times and ask question about there dreams.

I may have not worded a few things correctly but i have asked the exact same thing on fish forums and all understood fine.

Now lets see if i am just barmy

[Hitch]

Its a job to say, ive done a good variety of steelwork for many different things, but never come across a steel fish tank!


Youd be looking at PFC really, (paralell flange channel)
Price wise, youd be looking at around £10/m.


I think you are right to avoid hollow sections,
If i was faced with this task, i think id make it in a series of frames that bolt together.

When you meant seal, i assumed you meant seal from leaks....i now assume you mean paint.
You want a good coat. Start of with shot blasted material, and a good two part epoxy paint.

[Stoday]

The fish room will be around 16 x 7 and the tank around 10 x 6 x 3 to 4 foot. and 1200gallons weight of water roughlty 4 tons, the rest depends on the concsruction of the tank. in concrete a good 10 tons.

Sorry, only 5/10 for your sums.

There are 6¼ UK gallons/cubic foot, so 1,200 UK gallons is correct.

But, a UK gallon weighs 10lb; a US gallon 8.34lb. Your weight calculation can only have assumed a US gallon.

[W.olly]

Hi Hitch, as i am now just doing the frame out of steel i will just be treating the frame with basic red oxide maybe, if i was goping with the full steel tank then i as you have said use an epoxy, will be darn expensive though all steel. I am thinking about getting the frame galvanised but then thats a big cost which is maye be not needed.
I didnt think of bolting the frames together but its wirth thinking of, as i will be building it all on site though it will take some drilling of all them holes of atleast 12mm, more like 16mm.


Sorry Stoday, the sums i gave are for the tank when i first came up with the idea and it was 800 gallon, this 1200g will be around 5.4 ton of water.
But whats in a few tons with this project

[Hitch]

If you do go down the bolted route, you would generally use 14mm holes for 12mm bolts.
If you have a half decent drill, 14mm shouldnt be hard to drill with a twist drill, or get one of theese...

http://www.armeg.co.uk/metal-cutting-ca ... lesaws.asp

Paint wise, i wouldn't leave it in red oxide, i assume there would be a fair bit of moisture in the air.
At least use a zinc rich primer, goes on nice and thick and looks like galv.