Is a trapezoidal glass tank possible? (Slanted "look-down" panels on a large tank?)

tonyespinoza · 05/20/2008, 01:26 PM

Anyone know if it's possible to do slanted panels like this in glass (starphire)? This one looks acrylic. Anyone ever seen a trapezoidal tank? :-) I could imagine some glare issues from overhead lights, but if that weren't a problem, it might be neat for a tank that's not situated too high (so you can look down into it easier).

Any thoughts on how much it might add to the cost, if any? Not sure if it's somehow physically less sound or if getting those pieces to seal properly at the joints would be hard with glass.

Thanks for any thoughts!

bag151 · 05/20/2008, 01:55 PM

how large of a tank are you talking about?

If you are talking small then yes because the silicone will have the tensile strength to keep the tank from blowing out in the bottom seam. In a normal tank you are transfering the water weight directly to the bottom pain and the force of water exerted on the glass walls is 90 deg from the water weight, in a slanted weight you wont transfer the weight at 90 but at some angle like 45deg. So you are using the water as a wedge to separate the side and the base pain. I would say silicone doesn't have the tensile strength and you would blow out the side of the tank. The larger the tank the more force exerted on the seam.

Glass you would have to water jet the edges at a angle to get a good flat seam to maximize surface area for the silicone. At least in acrylic you are chemically bonding the two sheets together so you get a very strong seam. It would most likely be pretty expensive if you could find someone willing to build it.

tonyespinoza · 05/20/2008, 04:25 PM

I wonder if AGE could do it using their method of "bonding" glass to an acrylic base... ?

I was thinking 250+ gallons...

:-)

d-town tony · 05/20/2008, 07:43 PM

I've thought of this before myself.

If you cut the glass and braced it right, I don't see any reason you couldn't do it.

The cutting and the bracing would be some pretty precise stuff.

Would you build a walk around, or have a 3 view side?

I've thought an open top pyramid would be really cool.

amehel0 · 05/20/2008, 10:29 PM

you'd need to either get it poffessionlly chamferd at the base to support slanting or get out an angle grinder(still though one wrong move and yopu have to start over. eg ....the glass wont break but instead of the glass being cut on an angle it just chips away). then youd need the sides top be cut at the right angle. floor bracing would help a lot in the structural integrity

FishtankAndy · 05/20/2008, 10:31 PM

There's a fish store, in a suburb of Chicago, called Scotts Fish. They have a large (200gal at least) trapezoid tank, that they keep corals in, for display.

I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work, building it just as you would any other large tank.

Ed Reef · 05/20/2008, 10:35 PM

I will not sleep well with a slanting glass panel for a tank 200g and above... what am I talking about?? I'm already not sleeping well with my current tank...

tonyespinoza · 05/20/2008, 11:11 PM

Emailed with Tom (AGE) today -- he said he's done it before and didn't seem concerned... We'll see how the quote comes out!

tonyespinoza · 05/20/2008, 11:17 PM

BTW, he calls it an "angled view"

Ed Reef · 05/21/2008, 12:14 AM

Going to be one COOL set-up...are you going to 'angel' the side panel or the front viewing panel??

tonyespinoza · 05/21/2008, 12:17 AM

i may angle both long sides of a peninsula.... if i can afford it... ;-)

Ed Reef · 05/21/2008, 12:20 AM

Should not cost much more as it's the same glass - only more skills involved?? I could be wrong??

tonyespinoza · 05/21/2008, 01:43 AM

yeah - a bit more labor to get the end cut to meet the acrylic bottom at an angle. but no - i'm hopeful that it's not a lot more.

i'm excited to see if i can make it work.

thinking dimensions (footprint) will be 60 x 42 x 30

Ed Reef · 05/21/2008, 03:01 AM

Let's us know once u're ready for a build thread as I'm taggin' along for sure

mcliffy2 · 05/21/2008, 08:51 AM

Awesome idea...one thing to keep in mind is on a 30" tank, maintenance under the angled part will be a pain, especially if its eurobraced...I might think about doing 24-26" high instead.

tonyespinoza · 05/21/2008, 11:07 AM

yup - you're totally right!

glassbox-design · 05/21/2008, 03:01 PM

A LFS here in Chicago has a slanted front tank... On the front pane there is a straight section that's about 12in and then it slants at 45* for ~30in.

05/20/2008, 01:26 PM	#1
tonyespinoza Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: santa cruz mountains Posts: 1,268	Is a trapezoidal glass tank possible? (Slanted "look-down" panels on a large tank?) Anyone know if it's possible to do slanted panels like this in glass (starphire)? This one looks acrylic. Anyone ever seen a trapezoidal tank? :-) I could imagine some glare issues from overhead lights, but if that weren't a problem, it might be neat for a tank that's not situated too high (so you can look down into it easier). Any thoughts on how much it might add to the cost, if any? Not sure if it's somehow physically less sound or if getting those pieces to seal properly at the joints would be hard with glass. Thanks for any thoughts!

05/20/2008, 01:55 PM	#2
bag151 Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 279	how large of a tank are you talking about? If you are talking small then yes because the silicone will have the tensile strength to keep the tank from blowing out in the bottom seam. In a normal tank you are transfering the water weight directly to the bottom pain and the force of water exerted on the glass walls is 90 deg from the water weight, in a slanted weight you wont transfer the weight at 90 but at some angle like 45deg. So you are using the water as a wedge to separate the side and the base pain. I would say silicone doesn't have the tensile strength and you would blow out the side of the tank. The larger the tank the more force exerted on the seam. Glass you would have to water jet the edges at a angle to get a good flat seam to maximize surface area for the silicone. At least in acrylic you are chemically bonding the two sheets together so you get a very strong seam. It would most likely be pretty expensive if you could find someone willing to build it. __________________ -Brett Current Tank Info: 336g Penninsula Reef Tank

05/20/2008, 07:43 PM	#4
d-town tony Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Novi, MI Posts: 310	I've thought of this before myself. If you cut the glass and braced it right, I don't see any reason you couldn't do it. The cutting and the bracing would be some pretty precise stuff. Would you build a walk around, or have a 3 view side? I've thought an open top pyramid would be really cool. __________________ _______________ Waiting for summer.........

05/20/2008, 10:29 PM	#5
amehel0 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia Posts: 232	you'd need to either get it poffessionlly chamferd at the base to support slanting or get out an angle grinder(still though one wrong move and yopu have to start over. eg ....the glass wont break but instead of the glass being cut on an angle it just chips away). then youd need the sides top be cut at the right angle. floor bracing would help a lot in the structural integrity __________________ AUSSIE NATIVE PREDATORY FISH ROK!! 1100g 170g 90g 40g Current Tank Info: 170g 90g packed with aussie natives highly filtered, 40g a few natives and a few oddballs, i mainly keep predatory fish and 1100g is a pond and has barramundi and mor enatives in it

05/20/2008, 10:35 PM	#7
Ed Reef Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Currently Based in China Posts: 4,060	I will not sleep well with a slanting glass panel for a tank 200g and above... what am I talking about?? I'm already not sleeping well with my current tank... __________________ Ed ~ Art is an adventure into an unknown world, which can only be explored by those willing to take the risks. ~ Current Tank Info: Ed Reef’s Shallow Crest Inspired ART

05/20/2008, 04:25 PM	#3
tonyespinoza Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: santa cruz mountains Posts: 1,268	I wonder if AGE could do it using their method of "bonding" glass to an acrylic base... ? I was thinking 250+ gallons... :-)

05/20/2008, 10:31 PM	#6
FishtankAndy Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 49	There's a fish store, in a suburb of Chicago, called Scotts Fish. They have a large (200gal at least) trapezoid tank, that they keep corals in, for display. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work, building it just as you would any other large tank.

05/20/2008, 11:11 PM	#8
tonyespinoza Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: santa cruz mountains Posts: 1,268	Emailed with Tom (AGE) today -- he said he's done it before and didn't seem concerned... We'll see how the quote comes out!

05/20/2008, 11:17 PM	#9
tonyespinoza Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: santa cruz mountains Posts: 1,268	BTW, he calls it an "angled view"

05/21/2008, 12:14 AM	#10
Ed Reef Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Currently Based in China Posts: 4,060	Going to be one COOL set-up...are you going to 'angel' the side panel or the front viewing panel?? __________________ Ed ~ Art is an adventure into an unknown world, which can only be explored by those willing to take the risks. ~ Current Tank Info: Ed Reef’s Shallow Crest Inspired ART

05/21/2008, 12:17 AM	#11
tonyespinoza Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: santa cruz mountains Posts: 1,268	i may angle both long sides of a peninsula.... if i can afford it... ;-)

05/21/2008, 12:20 AM	#12
Ed Reef Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Currently Based in China Posts: 4,060	Should not cost much more as it's the same glass - only more skills involved?? I could be wrong?? __________________ Ed ~ Art is an adventure into an unknown world, which can only be explored by those willing to take the risks. ~ Current Tank Info: Ed Reef’s Shallow Crest Inspired ART

05/21/2008, 01:43 AM	#13
tonyespinoza Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: santa cruz mountains Posts: 1,268	yeah - a bit more labor to get the end cut to meet the acrylic bottom at an angle. but no - i'm hopeful that it's not a lot more. i'm excited to see if i can make it work. thinking dimensions (footprint) will be 60 x 42 x 30

05/21/2008, 03:01 AM	#14
Ed Reef Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Currently Based in China Posts: 4,060	Let's us know once u're ready for a build thread as I'm taggin' along for sure __________________ Ed ~ Art is an adventure into an unknown world, which can only be explored by those willing to take the risks. ~ Current Tank Info: Ed Reef’s Shallow Crest Inspired ART

05/21/2008, 08:51 AM	#15
mcliffy2 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Downtown Chicago Posts: 4,093	Awesome idea...one thing to keep in mind is on a 30" tank, maintenance under the angled part will be a pain, especially if its eurobraced...I might think about doing 24-26" high instead. __________________ 238g 60x36x26, 100g sump/fuge, 30g frag, 23g skimmer sump, 4 Vortechs, ATB L, Sfiligoi 12x54w T5 Bulb Combo: Super actinic, 6 Blue Plus/AS 22k, Fiji Purple, 2 Aquablue special, 2 Aquascience Duo

05/21/2008, 11:07 AM	#16
tonyespinoza Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: santa cruz mountains Posts: 1,268	yup - you're totally right!

05/21/2008, 03:01 PM	#17
glassbox-design Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: SF Posts: 3,041	A LFS here in Chicago has a slanted front tank... On the front pane there is a straight section that's about 12in and then it slants at 45* for ~30in. __________________ GLASSBOXDESIGN the modern reef blog LEDs are a 50,000 hr investment. Choose wisely. Current Tank Info: ...a new glassbox is coming