+BobcatReefer Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Serious question. Are you going to center the tank in that wall space? How's that OCD treating you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted January 10, 2016 Author Share Posted January 10, 2016 My hands hurt...... Ha...! Didn't help that I went home and did a major plumbing project on my tank. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Haha plumbing makes you strong! I went to buy some plumbing parts today, but they didn't have gate valves or marine paint. I have to dry fit what I can and then cut holes into the back of the stand. Do you think I should cut some ventilation holes? Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Wouldn't hurt Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 My hands hurt...... Ha...! Didn't help that I went home and did a major plumbing project on my tank. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Haha plumbing makes you strong! I went to buy some plumbing parts today, but they didn't have gate valves or marine paint. I have to dry fit what I can and then cut holes into the back of the stand. Do you think I should cut some ventilation holes? Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2 I would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted January 10, 2016 Author Share Posted January 10, 2016 Truthfully, every stand I've ever seen had an open back. How big of a hole would you guys make? Right now I'm planning to cut three holes for the drain lines, three holes for the returns and one hole for the top off line. Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 I would research options to put fans down there. One pulling one pushing out then cut the holes accordingly as far apart as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Don't forget a hole / holes for powercords. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted January 11, 2016 Author Share Posted January 11, 2016 Thanks for the cord reminder! Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+usuzukuri Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 Sascha, you may want to add some additional support to the stand build by glasscage. They build stand with very little or no brace at all. All rely on the plywood around the frame and with those doors/holes cut out, it'll weaken the structure. I got a used 240G build by glasscage and the stand was all rotten underneath and in the back panel, the tank will not survive long on top of that stand. I have to build a new stand as a result of that. Also, make sure you rest the tank on a 3/4 Styrofoam layer, glasscage will void the guarantee if you don't do that. Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted January 12, 2016 Author Share Posted January 12, 2016 Which section do you suggest reinforcement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+usuzukuri Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 you may want to add some 2x4's to the corners. Also, you may want to google this, I saw someone on other forums have the same 300g and he has to add some additional support to the stand as well. Just my 2c. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+BobcatReefer Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Interested to hear your first impressions on the tank build, Sascha. I've been playing w/ the build calculator on their website. You may have covered it earlier in the thread, but: Why black silicone? Why smooth overflow? Close up pics of both? All? Looks awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gig 'em @ NDstructible Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 The tank looks awesome Sascha. Sorry I wasn't able to help out, I would have much rather geeked out with fellow enthusiasts than work in the Houston Ship Channel on a Saturday night Glad you were able to move it all with no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted January 13, 2016 Author Share Posted January 13, 2016 I'm not an expert, but the inside of the stand looks solid to me. It looks like any other stand that I've had in the past. I searched around for stand problems but didn't find any. 99% of the complaints about glasscages have been workmanship. All of the tank failures I found were user error. Here's a look at the inside of the bracing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted January 13, 2016 Author Share Posted January 13, 2016 Interested to hear your first impressions on the tank build, Sascha. I've been playing w/ the build calculator on their website. You may have covered it earlier in the thread, but: Why black silicone? Why smooth overflow? Close up pics of both? All? Looks awesome! Well, this tank is what happened when I sat down and thought about what I wanted in a reef tank and added my personal experiences. I wanted a tank that wouldn't limit my fish selection and that meant that it had to be at least 6' long. I also didn't want to go too tall because my last 31" tall tank made it difficult for me to reach the sand bed. I wanted to keep the same viewing height so that my guests wouldn't have to bend down to see into the aquarium. Lastly, I wanted to do a coast to coast overflow. Without going into too many details, I had contacted six builders and glasscages.com was the only one that would build it. The black silicone is purely aesthetics. I like that it makes the vertical seams look clean. You can't see through it, which means no green tint from algae or purple coralline. I chose the smooth overflow because I'm tired of cleaning the weir teeth. The original design of the weir was to keep snails and fish inside of the aquarium and out of the overflow. Firstly, you need to have an overflow cover which most of us don't have. If you don't have an overflow cover then it doesn't matter anyway because the snails just crawl over the weir and end up in the sump. I've had too many fish jump into the overflow to think the weir is doing anything special. The other thing about a weir is that water backs up and raises against it. The water drains into the weir but from under the surface of the water. The smooth weir will allow a thin sheet of water to cascade over the overflow from the surface. One negative is that they placed the middle hole directly over the 2x6 center brace. I will have to angle that pipe slightly to avoid drilling through the center brace. This picture shows the blue acryllic overflow cover that they built for me. It's removable so I can raise it up or take it out for cleaning. The actual overflow is made of the same glass as the rest of the tank. Most of the glasscages complains are with the silicone work. I'll admit that this tank isn't as clean as my previous Marineland tank. The front pane and the side panes meet at a 90 degree angle with some silicone sandwiched in between. The silicone looks good, but it lacks the refinement that you would see in a more expensive tank. One example of this is the vertical seams. Most tanks have silicone work done like someone would caulk a bathtub, but this one has silicone done like you would glue two boards together to make box. The result is a gap where you can see through the half inch thick front pane through to whatever is behind it. You won't see it when it's full of water, but you notice it when it's empty. 45 degree angle from the left I really like the bracing on the tank. For one, I asked for eurobracing around the top of the tank. They also added bracing along the whole bottom of the tank. This will make the top and bottom seams stronger. Originally I hadn't wanted a center brace because I didn't want any shadows cast with my lights above them. They told me that it would be necessary because the tank is so wide, but that they would be made of glass. I've had glass center braces before and they grow algae when water splashes up on them. I'm going to have to keep them clean, but it's a necessary evil for the depth that I wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+usuzukuri Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 This stand look much better than the one I got. Mine is without any 2x4 or center brace, just 4 pieces of plywoods brad nail to each other. Great choice on the options btw. I really like it. Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+BobcatReefer Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Thanks for that detailed reply and pics Sascha! Much appreciated! My goal tank is a ~4'x2'x2' 120gal and from what I can tell, I can get a Starfire from Glasscages for roughly the same price as an Aqueon (not including shipping). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted January 13, 2016 Author Share Posted January 13, 2016 This stand look much better than the one I got. Mine is without any 2x4 or center brace, just 4 pieces of plywoods brad nail to each other. Great choice on the options btw. I really like it. Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk Thanks! I'm sorry to hear about your stand. Are you going to seal the inside? I plan on using a sealing primer or a marine paint on the inside of the stand. I'd like to paint it white so that it doesn't look so dark in there. Also, I don't want any moisture problems. Thanks for that detailed reply and pics Sascha! Much appreciated! My goal tank is a ~4'x2'x2' 120gal and from what I can tell, I can get a Starfire from Glasscages for roughly the same price as an Aqueon (not including shipping). Honestly, I love that size tank. My last tank was the same dimension except that it was 31" tall, which I didn't like. Taller tanks look cool but they have water flow issues and it's hard to reach the bottom. I was using grippers every time I needed to do anything. If you can, go 60" long so that you can house tangs better. In a 48" tank you'll be limited to the smaller species. I thought about going starfire glass on the front and sides, but after talking to some people I decided it wasn't worth it. They say low iron glass is prone to scratching similar to acrylic. That and the price are the reasons I've avoided acrylic tanks in the past. I compared a standard tank to a low iron tank and didn't as much difference as I thought that I would. They say that a piece of sand in between the glass and the algae scraper is enough to cause significant damage. Everyone is different, but I'm not that careful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted January 13, 2016 Author Share Posted January 13, 2016 Bobcatreefer you're welcome to come by and check it out if you want to see what it looks like before buying. I know that I would have liked to have seen a glasscages tank before buying. I went with them because they do custom work. If not for that then I would have purchased another Marineland tank because they're cheaper. That's one of the benefits with going with a standard size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+BobcatReefer Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 If you can, go 60" long so that you can house tangs better. In a 48" tank you'll be limited to the smaller species.True, but I'm restricted by the living space. Not too worried about not having tangs, as I love the smaller fish. We'll see - it'll be a couple of years until I'm ready for that tank, so maybe I'll be big pimpin' by then! Bobcatreefer you're welcome to come by and check it out if you want to see what it looks like before buying.Thanks! May just take you up on that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted January 13, 2016 Author Share Posted January 13, 2016 A couple of years is good because you'll get to see how the tank fares with water in it. From what I've read the tanks are built very sturdy as long as you use their stand and put the styrofoam under it. Almost all of the tank failures that I've been reading about are on homemade stands or weren't on level ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+usuzukuri Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 This stand look much better than the one I got. Mine is without any 2x4 or center brace, just 4 pieces of plywoods brad nail to each other. Great choice on the options btw. I really like it. Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk Thanks! I'm sorry to hear about your stand. Are you going to seal the inside? I plan on using a sealing primer or a marine paint on the inside of the stand. I'd like to paint it white so that it doesn't look so dark in there. Also, I don't want any moisture problems. Thanks for that detailed reply and pics Sascha! Much appreciated! My goal tank is a ~4'x2'x2' 120gal and from what I can tell, I can get a Starfire from Glasscages for roughly the same price as an Aqueon (not including shipping). Honestly, I love that size tank. My last tank was the same dimension except that it was 31" tall, which I didn't like. Taller tanks look cool but they have water flow issues and it's hard to reach the bottom. I was using grippers every time I needed to do anything. If you can, go 60" long so that you can house tangs better. In a 48" tank you'll be limited to the smaller species. I thought about going starfire glass on the front and sides, but after talking to some people I decided it wasn't worth it. They say low iron glass is prone to scratching similar to acrylic. That and the price are the reasons I've avoided acrylic tanks in the past. I compared a standard tank to a low iron tank and didn't as much difference as I thought that I would. They say that a piece of sand in between the glass and the algae scraper is enough to cause significant damage. Everyone is different, but I'm not that careful! I just use regular latex paint for the interior since moisture is not my concern (freshwater tank with covered sump). I found a roll of heavy duty plastic liner, 6f for $12, at homedepot and use that for the liner. You can use shower liner as well for more $$. I really recommend use some liners for the bottom, save my floor many times with water spills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted January 13, 2016 Author Share Posted January 13, 2016 I normally use a shower liner on the floor of the stand. Since the tank is so long I can fit a big sump into the stand and put all of my equipment into it. I wonder if the liner is necessary though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Never owned a glass cages product but the structural integrity and design of that stand looks pretty sound to me. I'd trust it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+BobcatReefer Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 The lack of a 2x4 box frame would make me nervous, but I'm not sure how I'd address it at this point. My guess is 3600lbs+ easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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