What do you think about 250 MH - can't afford Nova Pro

[RyanG]

Dont forget with the euro bracing that you want pieces on the sides to tie front and back together

[lightcs4]

Thanks RyanG.

I'm looking at some pictures from tanks on the web to see how it is done. All the ones I have seen have the glass on all sides. I was wondering if it had to be on all sides.

I'll also be looking for a DYI on it. Hopefully something will be out there. It will make it interesting when I go to cut the glass for bow front. I do almost everything myself around the house, replaced windows, built a shed, drywall, wiring, etc. However, I've never cut glass before. I'll pick up enough glass for a mistake or two ... or three.

[Bifferwine]

Originally Posted by fatman

Ever wonder why Biffer likes her skimmer so much. Cut it in half and it definitely would not work so well.

Yep, my skimmer is almost 4 feet tall.

[fatman]

Originally Posted by lightcs4

Thanks RyanG.

I'm looking at some pictures from tanks on the web to see how it is done. All the ones I have seen have the glass on all sides. I was wondering if it had to be on all sides.

I'll also be looking for a DYI on it. Hopefully something will be out there. It will make it interesting when I go to cut the glass for bow front. I do almost everything myself around the house, replaced windows, built a shed, drywall, wiring, etc. However, I've never cut glass before. I'll pick up enough glass for a mistake or two ... or three.

Only the walls that are to be protected from bowing need the glass strips. Which means only the long walls. The others glass trimmed edges put on on a glass tanks edges that do not have plastic trim provide a finished a appearance and a larger ledge to place lights and glass tops and such on, they are not needed to provide strength. They do not need the bracing for strength unless some fairly thin glass is being used to make the tank. Typically the whole tank building trade, even the custom builders all use the same thickness glass as they use what is commonly available. No tank manufacturer is going to pay the cost to have manufactured a custom thickness of glass sheets just to make tanks for the pet industry, and few people will pay the extra cost to increase the glass thickness above what is needed. The plastic edges on a tank are mainly placed there to protect you from the glass edges, to protect the glass edges from you, and to actually hold the glass in place while the tank is being assembled. Only the cross brace out of all that plastic is there to provide increased strength, and there are many, many tanks out there with out those cross braces.

[lightcs4]

OK, so two long strips of glass, one straight piece for the back, one curved piece for the front. Is plexi just as good for this? The reason I ask is I am getting a buying a new piece of plexi for my kids backboard - they cracked it over the winter - and could just order extra.

[fatman]

The curved glass is already ready strong enough due to its curved surface, essentially it is prestressed. The flat panel is the panel that will want to bow out. Glass siliconed into place is the best choice. I would ask a local glass shop for a one inch wide strip of 1/4 inch thick glass with the edges of one cut side sanded to where the edges are rounded over to prevent cuts. Also have them grind the entire ends of the strip. The other cut edge (or factory edge) should be left unsanded as you want square edges for best contact surfaces between the two pieces of glass being siliconed together. The bonding of acrylic or plexiglass to glass with silicone can be very iffy.

[lightcs4]

Good to know. Thanks again for your help.

[lightcs4]

The lights came in today. They are actually Odyssea brand lights. They make a huge difference in how the tank looks. The ballast stayed cool after an hour and a half of use. However, I would still normally be hesitant in buying lights from E-bay.

Another thing the lights did was highlight the ich that my Singapore Angel now has. It is very little, but I will stop at the store for garlic in hopes of getting rid of it fairly quickly. I think the weekend may have stressed it. I fed the fish Friday afternoon, left the lights on, and was out until Monday. I think I'll be putting the lights on a timer and checking with a neighbor to feed the fish at least every other day next time. Live and learn.

[UnderwaterWorld]

I won't keep a close eye on your lights, they are known to have problems, research them a little bit and you'll see what I mean. The new models have electronic ballast now though not magnetic

[lightcs4]

The new electronic ballast runs fairly cool. However, I will continue to keep an eye on the set. I did a lot of research before purchasing the lights and realized that I would have to settle for less quality than I originally wanted. However, I heard decent things about them since they changed the ballast. I will simply mod them in the future if there are issues, even though that would end up costing more in the long run.