DIY - Projects & Ideas • 1 tank+1 tank=1 big tank

[brian93]

hi. is it possible to join to tanks together by taking the left glass pane of one tank, and the right pane off the other and siloconing them together flushly? then add some kind of brace (wood, on the outside?) to keep the two front panes from being pushed out by the force of the tank water?

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll13 ... 0001-1.jpg

[TheeMon]

i would think youd need to put a 2" peice of glass around the gap, then silicone that down... but i dont know im just guessing

[Number6]

possible? yes... practical or at all nice looking? No... cheap? no

Could be fun, but I'd only bother if there was some compelling reason OTHER than trying to save money (which often seems to be the motive behind this question )

[brian93]

i guess it would be kind of expensive. thank you all for the advice.

[brian93]

but could work right?

[ArcticCatRider]

I believe it is very possible, although having you're top/bottom brace, you'd most likely need a brace along the whole seam where the 2 tanks join at.Then you could do a DIY center brace if you'd like.

[CichlidAndrew]

That would be cool to make one big mega aqaurium like 20 feet long! That would be pretty cool

[maseyferguson05]

You would have to cut and silicon glass strips over the seam. That would make a nice brace

[dogofwar]

There's a music club in downtown Seattle that has an awesome amazon-themed tank that incorporates (if I remember) two 8' tanks. Two 8' tank make one 16' tank. It's fully planted with hundreds of tetras, catfish, and a altum angels.

Basically there's a heavy silicone seam that connects the two tanks...with a frame for the whole thing.

EDIT:
The place is called the Triple Door: http://www.thetripledoor.net/default.aspx

Here's a shot of the 1,900 gallon tank: http://www.thetripledoor.net/musicquarium.aspx

I highly recommend both the venue and the food.

[brian93]

so it is a practical idea? i have the two tanks, i just dont have a stand, silicone, or a heater yet.

i think ill try it. dogofwar is the silicone seam an eye sore?

[remarkosmoc]

Have you thought about doing a water bridge? I think that would be more practical than tying to join two tanks together. There are a couple of places to order bridges from, but I think that you could DIY a big one with acrylic. I would add an aqua-lifter to suck any air bubbles out

[brian93]

is that like a tunnel that joins them?

[remarkosmoc]

is that like a tunnel that joins them?

Yep, a 'bridge' filled with water.

[Toby_H]

It would be fairly simple to build a stand that could allow the two tanks to sit side by side... without all the construction of jointing them. This will still give the appearance of the longer tank but will not give you a larger tank. It also wouldn't be hard at this point to connect the tanks as one system which may help for water quality and stability.

What size tanks are you considering doing this with? longer tanks are usually bigger in all directions. Joining two 55 gal tanks would produce an 8' tank, but the narrow front-to-back will still greatly limit stocking.

But, if I were to do this I would us a 2" wide strip of glass to line the inside of the seam... which would be an eyesore... to counter this as well as provide the much needed additional structural support I would build a frame for the entire tank to be built into which would include a center brace along the seam on all sides as well as front-to-back across the top.

To me it sounds like a whole lot of work with considerable expense for a less than ideal product... not a project I would undertake... unless you make it and it's easier & looks better than I think