Is this a stupid idea?

[Reef Newb11]

Ok someone let me know if this is a dumb idea or not….

So I want to get a tank, something about the size of a 40 gallon breeder. But I want it to be a little different. I don’t want excess space to be consumed by an internal overflow because ideally I want a much bigger tank but it is just not in the cards right now. So I want to do a coast to coast style external overflow. Then because of that coast to coast overflow I don’t think it would look right with a big black rim so I would like it to be rimless as well.

I was wondering if I could get some input on building this type of tank. Also any recommendations are always welcome.

[hyrumbradshaw]

not sure what you mean by coast to coast???

[Reef Newb11]

sorry that is what I have seen it called, basically an overflow that would be very long almost taking up the lenght of the back wall of the tank. Then since it is external it would be relatively shallow collection area on the outside of the tank where the drains would be. hope that clarifies. Sorry for the confusion.

[Rhodophyta]

Rimless tanks without any plasic framing are built commercially. More popular in Europe than the US, but they are available from US manufacturers such as Glasscages. So there is no reason not to DIY one.

[8BALL_99]

Biggest issue with that is going to be cost. Since you said you want a larger tank but its not in the cards getting a custom tank might be a problem. You can't just take a 40 breeder and remove the trim and take out a notch on the entire back wall.. Rimless tanks have thicker panels to make up for not having proper bracing. You could DIY one sure. But it will still cost you more then if you just bought a 40 breeder. Infact you could probably find a 75 gallon setup for what it will cost you to build or buy a custom 40 gallon

[Reef Newb11]

Its not so much the cost that I was thinking I could not do a bigger tank it was more the space in which I had to work with at the time. Im not thinking about getting a regular 40 breeder, I was definately thinking of a custom set up. I was just wondering it would be to hard to DIY something as I have described.

What thickness of glass would I need?

Also how would I do a DIY Coast to Coast external overflow as I had described?

[Otto2]

I dont remember where I saw it, but someone took the top plastic trim off of the tank and used a dremel to cut out the top of the back glass. They just took off about 1/2" accross the whole back of the tank. Then they siliconed an external glass box on the back side of the aquarium. I think they might of reinforced the tank somehow too.

[reverendmaynard]

I've seen the coast to coasts where they left the trim in place and cut a slot in the glass and removed material from the trim as necessary as well. If you leave occasional gaps in the slot where the glass stay's connected (sort of like overflow teeth, but only about 1" for every 4" of slot), I imagine that will keep it stronger than a full slot all the way across.

[Reef Newb11]

Thats a good idea...but would taking the trim off the back wall make the tank less sturdy? and would that be a better option than making my own??

[fishoutawater]

The external overflow itself will considerably strengthen the back pane of glass. You are adding a brace across most of the back pane that is 4-5" thick.

[Reef Newb11]

nice. didnt really think of it like that. Thank you.

[2_zoa]

I am doing this to a 20L I have right now and the overflow will add strength to the panel that you cut out. Take a look at GlassReef's build as he ordered the tank that way and is a good representation of what you are wanting to do.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1482007

[Rhodophyta]

I've seen Critter cages modified this way. They already have one long side lower than the other three, but they are not rated to hold more water than half full, so it is a big risk.

[jim.l]

If you're going custom, why not add the depth of the overflow to the inside of the tank and just build a wider tank? 2 inches inside or 2 inches outside takes up the same amount of floor space and the standard overflow setup is fairly foolproof.

[Reef Newb11]

Thanks for the thread it looks really good.

I might go custom, and I not really tied to the dimentions other than the Length. So if I go custom it will allow me to go a little wider and taller. But I was wondering about modifying a 40 breeder to see it that might be a good way to go. I dont really want the overflows inside of the tank only because I want to maximize display space.

What size thickness of glass should I use if I do go custom?

[NanoReefWanabe]

i kinda like the look of thicker glass....i would say 1/2" for a non braced tank...but you would be able to likely get away with 3/8's glass too..

[coralfragger101]

You could take a regular 40 gal and do what you want to do to it.

Take the trim off.
Cut the weirs.
Add an external overflow box.
THEN - add eurobracing to the top of the tank (instead of going rimless)

You'll have more than enough stability.

I've done this to a stock 150 xtra high.

[2_zoa]

thickness depends on the height you want. once you settle on that then you can determine the thickness.

[wwace]

I believe a 40 breeder is 4.5 mm thick which is like 3/16 or so. but the trim is structurally neccesary on it. If you build your own 1/4 inch glass is ok as long as you dont go over 20-22 inches deep if you have euro bracing I have a 55g tank i made from 1/4 without bracing that is 20 inches deep and i cannot detect any bowing whatsoever. Make sure you use the right silicone and make nice fat seams. There is an Aussie glass web site that explains process in detail with engineering. The hard part would be cutting the notch for your exterior overflow, I would just have your local glass co cutt all the pieces and drill the holes if your not comfortable doing it your self. good luck

[Reef Newb11]

Thanks all, I am going to go price glass this week and see what I can figure out.

I think I might go with slightly larger dimentions like 36x20x20 roughly 62 gallons or so. and rimless.

What do you think I should be expection for cost of glass?

[Rhodophyta]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13714623#post13714623 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reef Newb11
Thanks all, I am going to go price glass this week and see what I can figure out.

I think I might go with slightly larger dimentions like 36x20x20 roughly 62 gallons or so. and rimless.

What do you think I should be expection for cost of glass? It varies widely depending on market and distance from the glass production sites. Here is a place that will ship 1/4" glass anywhere for $3 a square foot base price, not including shipping, seaming, swiping, or polishing, or low iron.

http://www.glasscages.com/?sAction=ViewCat&lCatID=42

Local sources may be able to beat their final price when you add in shipping and you will want polishing on at least the top long edges in a rimless tank. I usually get the short edges that butt against each other polished since they will form the most visible seams, but I build with half inch most of the time. Quarter inch is likely to be pretty straight and square even just seamed. Razor sharp too but if you let is rest for a while before handling, it loses a little of that initial sharpness. If you do any sanding or polishing on your own, use a wet process. The dust from glass is exactly the same stuff chemically as the active ingredient in coal mine dust that causes black lung disease.