Salt water aquarium glass

[corrosionjerry]

Ok this is the question... I am new to saltwater so this may sound a bit silly...

I am in the process of choosing a tank / thinking 55-75G

Can I use a freshwater aquarium ... is there any difference in the thickness of galss between freshwater and saltwater tanks?

[reefwars]

Ok this is the question... I am new to saltwater so this may sound a bit silly...

I am in the process of choosing a tank / thinking 55-75G

Can I use a freshwater aquarium ... is there any difference in the thickness of galss between freshwater and saltwater tanks?


you can use a freshwater tank no prob there is no difference in glass as its done by the amount of water it will hold and over what span.i would make sure that the freshwater tank has been cleaned good and absolutely can never of had copper used in it for medications,the silicone soaks it up and leaches into the saltwater.

if you get a freshwater tank get it drilled theres lots of people who will do it and youll be thanking yourself everyday that you do:) cheers jerry buddy:)

[corrosionjerry]

Thanks for the advice / I am starting to think I should be getting a tank built... with it being drilled as you suggest / I am not all that keen on going the route of an overflow the more I think about things...:idea:

any suggestion of how it should be drilled?

I want the tank to be about L48 x W16 x H20

[reefwars]

avoid hang on overflow boxes that syphon water to a sump they are very very unreliable.theres alot of places that will drill glass for you and its very easy to do your self as well and the bits can be got at princess auot for cheap.you dont need to get a tank custom made as most tanks on here are drilled anyways.just post an ad with the dimensions you are looking for and ask if anyone has one for sale or if anyone wants to build one for you.a tank that size should cost you less than $100 second hand but if you get it made it would cost more depending on the style of overflow you choose and type of glass work:)

any advice jerry and feel free to ask its what were all here for:):)

[reefwars]

Thanks for the advice / I am starting to think I should be getting a tank built... with it being drilled as you suggest / I am not all that keen on going the route of an overflow the more I think about things...:idea:

any suggestion of how it should be drilled?

I want the tank to be about L48 x W16 x H20

steve at redcoral edmonton has some 30g i believe they are 36l x 18h and 12 or 18 w just a guess lol but he sells them for around $30:):)

[lockrookie]

avoid hang on overflow boxes that syphon water to a sump they are very very unreliable.theres alot of places that will drill glass for you and its very easy to do your self as well and the bits can be got at princess auot for cheap.you dont need to get a tank custom made as most tanks on here are drilled anyways.just post an ad with the dimensions you are looking for and ask if anyone has one for sale or if anyone wants to build one for you.a tank that size should cost you less than $100 second hand but if you get it made it would cost more depending on the style of overflow you choose and type of glass work:)

any advice jerry and feel free to ask its what were all here for:):)


i have used a life reef overflow box for over a year now withno problms whatso ever would haveloved todrill this tank but regretfully it was made with tempered glass. andi hate the look of the overflow box inside the tank but all in all for functionality it works flawlessly.

[abcha0s]

Work out a realistic capital and operational budget first and make sure that you can make it work.

Go with the biggest tank that you can possibly afford or you are going to be upgrading in a year. Big tanks (to a point) are also easier for beginners.

Don't try to stock pile all of the equipment before you start setting up your tank. Buy what you need as you need it. You may find that as you learn more, many of the things that you thought were needed, really aren't.

- Brad

[bignose]

I am not all that keen on going the route of an overflow the more I think about things...
Out of curiosity what is swaying you from an overflow box?

[corrosionjerry]

the look of it and the chance that it will not siphon if there is a power outage.

[abcha0s]

the look of it and the chance that it will not siphon if there is a power outage.

+1 : If building a proper overflow is possible, that is what you should do. With the hang on overflows, I think there are ways to restart the siphon if the power fails, but I wouldn't gamble my tank on it working every time. If you take short cuts setting up the tank, you will be limited by them down the road. Be prepared for some hard work. Start with designing a proper overflow.

[DiverDude]

Can I use a freshwater aquarium ... is there any difference in the thickness of galss between freshwater and saltwater tanks?

Be careful that the bottom pane of glass is not tempered (can't be drilled). Otherwise, you're ok.

For dimensions, a 4' tank with a volume of only 50-75 gal is going to be very narrow (front to back) and will make aquascaping and flow VERY difficult.

I don't know if you're trying to fill 4' of wall space or trying to keep to a specific maximum number of gallons, but a 4' tank will 'normal' dimensions will be at least 90 gallons. I would concur with what others are saying about the tank size, too. Go for the largest tank you can practically afford -it will save you from the constant upgrade syndrome we all go through (I'm starting the upgrade process from a 40 gal to around 110 gal now).

[reefwars]

+1 : If building a proper overflow is possible, that is what you should do. With the hang on overflows, I think there are ways to restart the siphon if the power fails, but I wouldn't gamble my tank on it working every time. If you take short cuts setting up the tank, you will be limited by them down the road. Be prepared for some hard work. Start with designing a proper overflow.


+1


this argument comes up alot around here and its a proven fact or else wed all be using syphon's.

fact of the matter is sure alot of people have used hob overflow boxes like cpr's and even my self have never had a flood with one and i ran a 180g off one, but its not like they are safer by no means, theres alot more variables with those types of set ups and yes some people make em work just fine but the more things that make something work and the more chances it can break or fail.

thats the whole reason a herbie overflow has an emergency drain, it never is wet untill a flood its never used untill its needed.the force syphon works just fine with a gate valve matched to the pumps flow and is super quiet but still allowing alot of flow butttttt.......since we added a gatevale thats a variable that could fail since were only using one drain thats a variable that could fail.so a second emergency one was added in case any of these "variables" were to god forbid fail which we all fear wont but its never off our minds.



i guiarantee the next post is going to be another person saying they are great and no issues but heres a test......call around all the saltwater fishstores in town and all the builders you can find and ask them this simple question......."if you could do either which one...??hang on back overflow or drilled overflow....." i bet you get 10 out of 10 for drilled. you dont even need to drill you can still add an external overflow box by cutting near the top instead of drilling with a dremal or similar router. just notch out some and make a small overflow box to mount on the back of the tank.....and as far as i know theres very tanks that are all tempered glass most tanks are tempered bottoms

the possibliities are whatever you want them to be .....and more so if you have your tank made to what you want,do it now and not need to change it later is the best advice youll get and save you lots:)

most cases for tempered glass it would be the bottom but there are ways of telling anyways using polarized glasses there was a thread on here a while back about it i liked i couldnt find it again but maybe someone else could clarify on how it works exactly.cheers:)

[bignose]

Do yourself a favor and avoid HOB overflows. If your worried about the look install an external overflow box. Do it right before your tank is setup and you will save yourself the headache thinking about the water on the floor. Actually the overflow box will be the least of your worries, wait until you get new tank syndrome:lol: