Tank glass thickness

Rather do a solid 6mm glass brace down the length of the tank. There's a reason why most tanks are braced this way.

and PS: the PFP thing - great - plants like it - but be prepared to sit with blackwater for at least 4 weeks.

 

+1

 

Ok thanks, I think I have some more planning to do, I will brace the tank for definite and add a piece of wood to the bottom of the stand, on that point what wood would be the best to use. I am ok with the water not being clear but can I keep my fish in this water at this time. if not I will have to make another plan for the little critters during this time. I have an internal filter with ceramic rings and floss that appears to be doing ok under the current load of the tank.

 

You can keep fish in the water yes. It's called Tanins. This is due to the pfp leeching into the water. It will do the fish no harm. Leeching also comes from wood. This is actually good for fish's immune system. So don't worry about it. Some people like the color because it resembles an Amazon river setting.

It's really up to personal taste. It won't last forever though. So if you get tired of it, there's ways to remove it. The other option is to use more expensive substrate like flourite etc. These have all the nutrients that plants need, but doesn't leech like pfp.

HTH

 

Thanks for all the info and advice, I love clear tanks for display but can live with tannins if I know what the end result could be. There is soo much wrong with the current setup for what I want to do so this forum has helped so much it's rather unbelievable on how much I have learned in such a small time. I would have taken down this tank 3 times already instead of just once to do all the bracing substrate plants etc..

 

You can also use 2 pieces of "tank length" x 40mm x 6mm glass and glue them lengthwise but perpendicular to the front glass. (on the top inside of the tank, front and back). That way your 4mm tank will not bend. It also gives a nice "table" to rest your canopy on. Just remember to take the sharpness off the cut glass with some sandpaper first, before glueing it. Using this method, I have made 450mm x 300mm tanks out of 3mm glass, and they still last. Please don't do this yourself! Use 4mm for this size tank!

 

Thanks this is the second mention of putting glass along the length of the tank. I will definitely be doing this as it will incorporate both separate ideas I had of putting in a cross brace and triangular or square braces in the corners. I am still thinking of wrapping the canopy around the tank and having a double hinged lid for feeding and maintenance. I need to go get glass cut for the filter but I am not sure where to have it drilled to allow the in and return of the water. I was thinking of using the black plastic sheet I had seen in the pet shop and even had a look at some acrylics but would still have cover it black to hide the filter. I have an aqua clear 901 filter with a power head rated at 600 l/h this is a 150 liter tank but I do only fill it to about 110/120 l.