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RockStarFish
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Topic: Glass or plastic Posted: September 19 2005 at 11:40am |
I am thinking about making a new 180gl tank. does anyone out there have one if so can you give dementions? has anyone made a tank of there owne?What is less money(glass or acrilic)?What is the best product to use (glass or acrilic)and easyest to work with? there will be more ?'s to come but if there is anything anyone can answer that would be most helpful.
Thanks
Mike
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coreyk
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Posted: September 19 2005 at 11:50am |
Acrylic will be less money ... Personally I think glass is better ... I
think Acrylic is easier to work with anmd will cost less.
I built a 24" glass cube .. It was fun, but I wont build another tank. You can buy them cheaper in most cases.
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Mike Savage
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Posted: September 19 2005 at 12:07pm |
One popular size for 180g is 72"X24"X24" www.GlassCages.com lists many popular aquarium sizes with dimension.
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coreyk
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Posted: September 19 2005 at 12:29pm |
One popular size for 180g is 72"X24"X24"
That would be a really nice size tank! My 120 is 4x2x2 .. would love the extra room!
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Adam Haycock
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Posted: September 19 2005 at 5:39pm |
my 180 is that size.
I built a tank out of acrylic (30"x30"x24"). Acrylic is cheaper, lighter, easier to work with and clearer. If you can be careful and not scratch it, it has many benefits.
http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1854& KW=94+gallon&PN=0&TPN=4
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Adam Haycock
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Posted: September 19 2005 at 5:43pm |
I agree with Corey though, it was fun but i wouldnt do it again.
A 180 that size would probably be just as cheap as building one and would save you A LOT of reasearch and construction time. If I were to buy a tank, id go with glass.
For acrylic you should use Acrylite GP (sold at Regional Supply).
If you are doing it to save money and dont want any unusual tank shape, then maybe look for a used tank.
Edited by BananaTropics
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Kull
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Posted: September 19 2005 at 6:02pm |
I few thanks that are hinted at there is that
#1 Acrylic is softer than glass and will scratch really easy. The year or sp with the tank would be great , but then the scratches would start to add up.
Also you can not use any type of cleaner with amonia in it on acrylic surfaces it will crystalize the plastic (cloud the plastic)
As for clarity there is a enw glass called Starfire* that is super clear and refracks light the same as water. If you have seen it is is truely awesome.
I have called a couple of places around the valley and most can order it, I know that it is procey bbut didn't get any proce quotes, but if you want the best there is starfire is the way to go.
* Starfire Clear Glass is a lead free, low iron product that represents the very best in glass trophies although not clear enough to be called “crystal”. A slight blue tint is evident in the most-clear product. ( http://froogle.google.com/froogle?lnk=next&q=starfire&am p;sa=N&show=dd&start=10 )
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"So this is what gives meaning to your life." -Unknown
Daniel in Santaquin
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Xacttech
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Posted: September 19 2005 at 6:11pm |
I bought Adams said tank (Acrylic 30X30X24) He did a great job on it very
professional, but I wouldn't own another acrylic tank.
As for building, I built a sump out of acrylic, 24X18X15, w/ baffles. And I
definitely could have bought a tank for cheaper.
Building it was fun, fairly simple, but not that cheap.
Save yourself some headache, buy a lemar  My next tank will be one.
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: September 20 2005 at 1:37am |
Xacttech wrote:
Save yourself some headache, buy a lemar My next tank will be one. |
LeeMar tanks are the most expensive I know. They are starfire glass, but when the aquascaping is complete and the fish and coral go in, the effect of the pricey glass is negligible.
Save yourself some trouble. Buy a used, but not too used, glass tank from someone on this MB, but before you lay down the cash, ask the MB if this person has a good reputation.
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Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks:www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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KeoDog
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Posted: September 20 2005 at 8:03am |
I am going to be replacing my plywood tank in the near future with glass. I received quotes from most of the stores around here for a 300g. Randy at MSM gave me the best price but then he has not followed through. I emailed him again last week but if I don't hear anything soon, I will be ordering from www.glasscages.com. They have the option to do low iron glass on the front panel only. The price including shipping to the airport freight terminal is about $1500. The size is 96"L x 25"H x 30"W
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Kevin Kunz (Sandy, UT)
300g reef
"A trade by which one gains and the other loses is a fraud." Ayn Rand
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jbruse
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Posted: November 16 2005 at 4:55pm |
KeoDog wrote:
I am going to be replacing my plywood tank in the near future with glass. |
Kevin what is the reason for dumping your plywood tank? And when you do are you going to sell it?
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-=J=-
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Sand Bubbler
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Posted: November 17 2005 at 7:45am |
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Shaun Duke
60g reef
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KeoDog
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Posted: November 17 2005 at 8:09am |
All sides of the tank are made from plywood except the glass viewing side. The reason I am changing it out is because I have had some problems with it. When I built it, I should have not built the overflow out of plywood as well. I had the paint crack on the overflow and begin to seep into the wood. I fixed the problem but to be on the safe side I've decided to change it out. I should be getting my new tank shortly. Sand Bubbler, if you want to call your tank a paper bag tank I'm sure no one would mind. 
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Kevin Kunz (Sandy, UT)
300g reef
"A trade by which one gains and the other loses is a fraud." Ayn Rand
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Sand Bubbler
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Posted: November 17 2005 at 10:04am |
Wow that would just make me nervous, especially 300 gallons. So you just put an aquarium safe paint on the plywood to make it water proof and ta daa you have a plywood tank. Thats pretty cool, I wouldnt trust my engineering enough to build my own tank. I have to buy mine pre-built and then if anything goes wrong with it I can blame it on someone else 
Shaun Duke (west Jordan)
60 Gal Paper Bag tank 
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