# round tank ?



## Flear (Sep 29, 2012)

a 90gal, 42"(3.5') round, 15" tall tank.

guessing glasscages.com would cost near $2000 for such a tank (including shipping and taxes and whatever else)
12' long acrylic sheets are hard to find for a DIY project

does the type of plexiglass matter ? am i looking for a specific type ?
where would i find dealers handling 12' long sheets ?


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

15" is not very tall, but still, I would not trust any plastic (acrylic is the most commonly used) that is thin enough to bend into a circle. 

Sounds the size of a child's wading pool. Would that work for your project?


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## Flear (Sep 29, 2012)

being bent round, there are no seams (except where the ends join) so it "should" be stronger
but ... i'm thinking 1/2" or 1cm thick for safety regardless, requiring about 11 feet long (12foot sheet should do it), a supplier for that is going to be difficult as it's over-sized in thickness & length

your right, 15" isn't very tall, i'm on the fence about more water, 18" is playing with my mind as well, maybe taller sides just to include plants that would rise above the water without interfering with lighting.

for now it's just ideas as i don't want to find i'm half way through building it before i make a significant change or realization.

like the addition of powerheads to create significant water current and river or stream like conditions around the circumference of the tank, (leaving the center planted only, and significantly less water current. ... possibly i could house several species with drastically different water preferences (calm water and fast flowing water)

having trouble with the idea of how it's going to sit, ... it's physically large floor area & heavy weight i don't want to find out it's stand couldn't keep the bottom flat.

heating tape is an appeal for supplimental heating, but they're never going to be water resistant and applying heat directly to acrylic i'm concerned about heat damage and "will it still heat the water inside?" (but it would be invisible


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

Well, for a stand I would look in this direction:
They make round cut outs of plywood for replacements for round patio tables. I am not sure of the thickness, but if you built a proper stand under it, then this would make a good surface so all the acrylic is supported. 
If the tank was 3.5' and the 'table top' was 4.0' then there would be a lip around the rim of 3". Maybe not perfect looking, but the factory cut circle is a better cut out than I know I could do. I could do a nice octagon, maybe that would work for you? 
Whether you use a circle or an octagon, I think an octagon shaped stand would be the best, with some cross pieces through the middle. 

For filtration I would use a canister or sump. 

You could look into in line heaters, too. That large a surface area will cool off fast. It might be better to aim for a room temperature tank, or just a few degrees warmer, and keep the room warm. 

90 gallons of water, full to the rim, and before you add substrate or decor.
Some sort of island in the middle for bog plants would be neat!

Aiming a power head to create a circular current might be a bit tricky. Make sure you can swivel the PH that far. Probably need 2-3 of them to keep the water moving. Hmmm... Make an island using a 'pile of rock' effect and hide the power heads in the island? 

15" is not very deep, especially after you add some substrate. Only a foot of under water growing room. 
Plenty of surface area for plants that grow out of the water, though.


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## Flear (Sep 29, 2012)

i'm thinking just a foam filter, PVC to connect it to the powerhead(s)

concerns people have about nitrates and amonia tend to relate to tanks that while not technically overpopulated have more fish than the natural bacteria & plants can handle in a self-sustaining manner

it's hard to find a balance though. fish, snails, shrimp, plants, algae, ... everything jumpts to tanks that require more and more work, it's simpler that way, more water changes, more chemical filtration, higher tendancy for things to become unbalanced, ... 

algae control, fish poop, ammonia, nitrates, phosophates, a healthy tank shouldn't produce more toxins than the tank can handle on it's own. so i'm researching, lots and lots of research, what fish to get, what to avoid, what fish to balance whatever i'm trying to balance, finding fish aren't the only way of balancing things, snails work for algae control (ramshorn can eat blue-green algae as well - who knew) snails can also be used to control snail populations (snails that eat snails), algae can be usefull for ammonia & nitrate controll.

finding out that pleco's are great fish, generally not so great for algea control (despite popular pet store opinion), and appearently even bristlenose pleco's can remove the shine from the surface of an acrylic tank.acrylic plexiglass aside they eat and poop way to much to seriously consider.

the idea of various zooplankton is still an idea but don't know if it's plausable for a self-sustaining aquarium or if they'd all get eaten instead of maintaining any beneficial ecological nich in the tank.

as i look at the plants in my 30gallon from the LPS they usually come in those white stone-like cylinder thingies which are great to string a loose stem plant through while waiting for it to grow roots into the substrate. i can't find where i'd get ahold of those white stone-like things for the life of me.

back to the tank itself, ... i'm not sure if i want to put the foam filter in the center of the tank (creating a vortex type current in the tank), or have it on the edge just behind the powerheads (adding to the stream type flow around the perimeter of the tank)

getting a little frustrating finding i'm educating my LPS more than them having answers to any questions i'm asking though 

for the algae in my 30gal, .. the staghorn i'm alright with, i don't think i'm going to keep the hair algae i'm seeing, going to have to track down a fish (or few) for that, or find a species of snail to handle it. i hear nerite snails are great for it, ... i hear they're saltwater (or at least brackish water) for reproducing.


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

Well, part of the idea of keeping a lot of microorganisms going is to minimize their predators. A few small fish in a big tank will be better than what is normally thought of as a well stocked tank. Other livestock such as shrimp and snails should be included. 

Some species of Loricariad are quite good at eating the flat sorts of stuck on algae, but are not interested in the hairy sorts. In a tank like you are describing Otos are probably best. Larger fish are going to be too much for the ecosystem. Get just enough Otos that the growth of their food is just about keeping pace with their feeding. Supplement their food every now and then with vegetables so the algae can have a break and grow a bit more.


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## Flear (Sep 29, 2012)

i'm having a huge conflict with shrimp, ... i want shrimp, not going to ditch the Malasian trumpet snail (good for substrate health).

the zebra loach would do a great job at gobbling up the extra MTS and keep them from taking over the tank and additional snail types, ... and they'll be eyeing the shrimp too, ... :/ damn.

alternatives for loaches (4" max) ... a few specialised snails (assassin & Spixie), turtle (um no), Dwarf puffer fish (territorial, not community), chiclid ... time for more research

biggest stumbling block is most alternatives are easiest found as 'fish' for maintaining aesthetics naturally in tanks. but i guess it's not too bad, as it feels like i'm starting from scratch i'm open to every hint and rumor out there instead of following a few tried and true that forget about alternatives because they're not popular


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## Skizhx (Oct 12, 2010)

I would be concerned about the amount of pressure you're putting on the wall of the tank...

Granted, the tank isn't particularly deep, but remember that a circular tank will have a harder time dealing with that expanding pressure.

I would imagine you'll need to place vertical braces every 2ft or so... Mind you, I'm not an engineer.

Something to keep in mind about this hobby... This is quite literally an ancient hobby. There isn't much that someone hasn't already tried.

Mind you, there's also a lot that people have forgotten about.

With that said I honestly think you should set up a smaller tank to get a feel for aquarium keeping before you undertake an ambitious project like what you're talking about. These kinds of things can go over budget very quickly, and can encounter seemingly endless setbacks, especially if you don't have any experience doing it before. There's also the risk associated with any DIY project that it may very well demolish your house.


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## Flear (Sep 29, 2012)

while i'm just guessing, ... i think a tanks weakest part is the seal that joins the peices.

a round tank has far less seals so it "should" be stronger. not going to get intentionally thin and cheap acryllic because of that though, but it gives me more freedom in what i can get.

flat walls want to bend with extra weight pushing against them, and the forced bending needs to be resisted to withstand the force.

a round wall, has an even force at all points
a flat wall has to be strong enough to remain flat despite the force applied to it.


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