So I've been kinda MIA......... Update..

There is a lot going on at the moment and I've been MIA for some time.. probably gonna be a few more weeks at least..

Catchup:
As I'm sure you're aware by now, I'm a paraplegic and bedridden for the moment.. I've had to leave (and now sell) my home in Richards Bay and come live with my parents on their "farm".. My Mummy has been caring for me since my accident, but she's getting old too (78 in May), and recently hurt her arm badly.. I am currently extending the house to be able to hire a caregiver to assist my Mummy in caring for me, so the house is in total disarray.. :hmmmm2: I'm not trying to come across as a sob story, just explaining why I've been away..

Current/future:
Anyway, since I am no longer moving out in the foreseeable future, I figured now would be a good time to rearrange my bedroom to get my display tank built and installed.. :bigsmile:

So, my current 4ft will become the new sump, the repaired sump will become the refugium, the new 3ft will be kept as a hospital tank or whatever may be needed, and my display tank will be custom built to my specs (3000l x 800w x 800h).. I am SOOOOOOO excited, there are no words to explain..

As you all know, I am a Discus fanatic, so thought of making the display a kind of river replica with Discus and maybe some Angels, but with my disability, I have to keep everything very low maintenance.. I was thinking along the lines of a bare bottom hardscape with minimal, hardy plants (Amazon swords, Java fern, Java moss, maybe Anubias - no CO2) rooted on plenty driftwood and rock.. (All ideas and suggestions are welcomed, ie. What would you do with this tank, anything out of the ordinary?)..

Basically I'll be using all types of filtration for this tank, starting with a trickle tower going down into the 4ft, into a moving bed filter chamber, then pumped through my Biohome media into the 3ft refugium, and back up to the tank through an inline UV Steriliser.. All equipment will be in the sumps so that my display tank will be "clean"..

I've just sent the email off for the quote on the glass, but am curious if acrylic would be better for a tank this size as the seams would be welded and not "glued" with silicon.. Anyone with acrylic tank experience???

:bootyshake:
Super happy
Kali

 

I would go acrylic, if you can find someone in SA that builds acrylic tanks, or has experience building a tank that size in acrylic I will be surprised, please pm me his details.
The cost will be many times more expensive than glass, but acrylic is much lighter, much clearer, much more forgiving than glass. It does scratch easier than glass, but you can remove scratches fairly easily.
One thing you must keep in mind, the top of the acrylic tank is braced with a solid piece with some access holes cut in it, so it's not always a easy to access the tank, and access is certainly far easier on a typically glass tank.

 

All the best with the future plans

 

Ok, so after a lil more searching I've found someone who will do a plexiglass tank (basically cell cast acrylic that is harder, with fewer impurities, than traditionally extruded acrylic) right here under my nose in my old home town.. They're actually all over the country!!! Due to the sheet sizing, I may change the tank size to 3m x 1m x 1m (they have both 20mm and 25mm thickness vs 19mm thickest glass I could find so far, but will help me with the correct calculations for plexiglass).. I must say this is one email / call I'm really looking forward to..

Will keep you updated as it progresses and will PM you @Jwh as soon as I know more.. (Should Probably start a new thread when I decide on glass or plexiglass and confirm / start the build)..
arty2:
Kali

 

Cool, look forward to this, you can get thicker glass fairly easily, but it's laminated glass. My 3.6m is done with 20mm laminated glass, being 2x10mm sheets laminated together