new salon tank build

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Ok so my better half cought some interest in the marine hobby and shes been asking me a while now to get her a marine tank.
She has a hair salon at home and want to place the tank in the salon for the clients viewing pleasure.
She had a 50l tank with goldfish in that the children loved but we thought of taking it to the next level.

My plan is to do everything to minimize cost and also for the joy.so I will use this thread to ask for your guys and gals advice (thanks @belindamotion for the glass supplier)

So first off I have two 50l tanks in the garage that I can use as a sump or whatever.
I am planning to make the display with starphire glass so just need to get hold of a supplier. (Already sent the guys which belinda mentioned an email).

My next questin is what will be a nice size tank to build , it should be an easy to maintain tank and wateer changes must not be too big. It will just be an basic maring tank without all bells and whistles so as basic as possible. I need a nice sized tank that is in nice proportion and that can be a nice display for the public.
So what do you guys recomend.

The sump will have only a skimmer, bio cubes, heaters and return pump I will also add a bubble trap for the microbubbles.

The lights will be a quad unit t5 so that needs to fit on the tank aswell.

So please give any recommendations so I know where to start and so I dont mess up along the line.

Thanks so much
 
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Only one tip from me, you might have learned from the goldfish but put the tank where little children can't bang against the glass.
 
Lol yes so whats the average height of a child so I can make the stand higher :p.

You actually have a good point but its not going to be easy to manage this situation they will get a way to tap the glass. Guess wifey will just need to keep an eye on them. What do the guys with children do to manage this
 
I have done an installation in my petshop days for a client in a salon nd we found hairsprays etc to be a problem. There was also quite a big temp increase in the ambient temp because of the hairdryers. Be mindful of that in your planning and perhaps incorporate ventelation from outside the salon area. With a little careful planning anything is possible.
 
Paar kop klappe :)
..:005:..Brilliant..hee hee...actually my daughter is very mindful of the Tank...from the age of 2 she's helped with the initial set-up and waited for the cycle to pass..mixed the salt..helps with water changes..:p...by being involved she has realized that sudden movements do frighten the Fish and they just duck...so she never jumps, screams, bangs near the Tank...:blush:
 
Ok so I got a quote on glass I decided the following dimention wise: 600x600x500 cube.
Do you guys think this is a good size?

The low iron glass is verry expensive for 3 panels its just under 1200 rand is this what it costs?
Any other suppliers out there that might be a little more reasonable?

Anyway what do you guys think of the dimensions of this tank any suggestions?
 
for 10mm and thinner, there is no real advantage other than the boasting factor for going with starfire / low iron glass. 10mm and less do not lead to a lot of green tint. 16mm and up do.
 
IMO for that smaal tank you dont need starfire. its display is only 180L. going to be a bit less with LR in and so. you can go with normal glass (a hell of a lot cheaper) and do it with 8mm or even 6mm (will have to do some bracing but it will suffice). Starfire you can use on systems that goes over 12mm per panel. then it is only really needed. going starfire on such a small system IMO is a waste of money.
 
Wow thats awsome news thanks guys you just saved me alot of $$$$
Ok will get normal glass I will go with 6mm and install a double base and bracing ontop.
What size should the top bracing be. If I make it 80mm wide will it be o.k or is there a standard when it comes to bracing
 
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personally i would go with 10mm as it is neater and stronger where the public will be concerned.. as mentioned no need for starfire, i have a 15mm tank out of normal float and unless i look lengthways at the pane of glass there is no real significant difference...

compare m2 pricing between it and 6 and there wont be that much of a difference on that size tank..
 
:whistling: the big Q is how big is the tank, for what you want to set it up I go for some thing like a 4foot's size maybe a bit wider. I'm going to build a tank for a friend that is a fear size and I'm using 6mm as 10mm is double the price but I'm doing heavy bracing, so I've priced glass I'm sure you have a builders around cause I found they the best price.
 
As Leslie has mentioned, I'd be a bit concerned about all the chemicals in the air which may dissolve into the water of the tank - hairsprays, perm lotions, hair colours etc - some of these are quite harsh and MAY contain ammonia.
 
Thanks guys.
Yes the sprays ect is a bit of a prob so I am still thinking hard at how I am going to get around that.
Anyways I think I made up my mind aboutbthe glass now and I will go with 6mm glass with 10mm bracing on top and just to be sure I will add a double base (incase of rock falls ect...)

I have seen some people asking about the black silicone but cant find the thread. Which place sells this?
Also will it be possibke to courier it to me?
 
while the previous points are very valid, there is a work around.
loads of activated carbon, 3-4ml per L, 2 fish to keep bioload down, and fake corals etc, then place a glass lid on the tank and use cheap energy lighting, not pretty but will work i suppose
 
Thats the problem dont want fake corals ect.
Something I thought off is: the salon has got windblocks installed 3 rows 1 top 1 middle and last row almost at the bottom.
If I can take one of the windows at the bottom and place the tank against it paint it black to block sunlight and drill 2 holes in the glass with 2 fans (one sucking and one blowing) I will do this for fresh air and then I will close the top with a canopy so no pollutants gets into the tank.
So it will be fresh air in at sump compartment from outside and no air from inside.

This is one option but will think about this. Atleast I am not in too much of a hurry
 
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