Inter-american plan: Ninong ?

[Pennoyer]

Hello all,

I am in the process of researching and designing my 180 or 200 starphire and have come up with the following list of specs and options that I am going to fax to Mitch. Any thoughts or changes that you would make, Is there anything that I might have missed? Here goes:Options and Tank specifications:

1) Size: 72� L x 24� H x 24� W (~ 180 U.S. Gals) or 72" x 24"H x 27"W (201 gals)

2) Glass
Front and both side glasses: 12mm (1/2�) Starphire
Bottom: 19mm (3/4�) regular glass (LOF ?)
Back: 12mm (1/2") regular glass (LOF)?

3) Euro Bracing
3� wide or what is the best way to go about this?
Size and type of glass?
Two 1.5� holes drilled just to the inside (towards the center) of the
overflow boxes in order to accommodate seaswirls

4) Overflow Boxes 8�L x 8�H x 6�W.
Located in both the right and left corners of the back wall with two bulkheads placed in each. 6� W: depends on the size of the euro bracing and whether the EB will cover the overflow box. Overflow slots should be on top of all three sides of the box and extend about 2 1/2� below the top of the tank. Dark glass Greylight? I don’t want to be able to see through the boxes. On the side (side facing the side glass) front top corner there should a hole drilled to accommodate 2�PVC pipe. Or can the material used to create overflow slots be cut?

In each box there should be two holes drilled and fitted with bulkheads. 1 x 1.5� bulkhead in each with the center of the bulkhead located 6� below the water’s surface and 4� from the side wall.
(If 3�Euro bracing is used. If not than 1� away from edge of Euro bracing) 1 x 2� bulkhead in each with the center of the bulkhead located 3� below the water’s surface and 6.5� away from side wall.
All Bulkheads used should be male x male threaded.

5) There also needs to be a 2� male x male threaded bulkhead located on the left side (facing the tank) of the tank located 4� below the left corner overflow

6) Silicone
Black silicone used in standard amount for all seams including under
Eurobracing around the top of the tank. Use heavy Silicone on the
bottom seam as this will be covered by the sand bed.

7) Trim should all be the same as Ninong’s tank Makes sure all seams line up before it leaves the factory.

8) All edges including the overflow boxes should be ground and polished with the front two seams beveled and polished. I do not want to have any rough looking edges on the tank anywhere what is the best way to accomplish this?

9) Foam pad glued to the bottom of the tank.

10) Drawing included for demonstrative purposes only:
NOT DRAWN TO SCALE

11) General comments
I would rather have the tank take longer to build and have it done perfectly than have it get to me faster but of a lesser quality.

There should be no modifications from the agreed upon invoice / work order However, if the need for a modification arises any and all deviations from the order specifications must be cleared with me prior to the modification being applied.

What do yall think. Ninong, I see your from Louisiana. Where ya at? I'm in Baton Rouge right now until the Bar in late July then back home to N.O.

TIA

[Ninong]

Well, you have me thoroughly confused. I'm not sure I understand what you are getting at with your overflow boxes. Especially when you give them a height dimension. Why aren't you having the bottom of the tank drilled with overflow boxes that go all the way from the bottom of the tank to the top?

My suggestion would be to go for 72"x27"x27" instead of 72"x27"x24". The price should be the same. That would give you 227 gallons. The standard 12mm Starphire will work fine for that size provided he uses some combination of perimeter bracing and top bracing. He may be able to do it with perimeter bracing alone but the bracing would have to be thicker and wider. And if it has to be thicker then he won't be using Starphire. All of my top bracing is Starphire but the perimeter part is really only a splash guard, about 2" wide... then there is a 10" wide center brace. I have 19mm LOF float glass for the bottom instead of the standard 15mm.

I had my corner overflow made with 12mm AFG Industries Greylite glass. You can definitely see through it, expecially if you use standard Schedule 40 PVC pipe (white). Using Schedule 80 PVC (grey) would make a big difference.

The back of my tank is 12mm LOF float glass but it has two sheets laminated to it so that the total thickness is about 7/8"-- I have a sheet of AFG Industries black indicoat mirror plus a sheet of greylite in front of that to cut down on the mirror effect. These are laminated to the back of the LOF float glass. Besides black, he now offers two shades of blue.

I'm about 36 miles southeast of Baton Rouge, just off Hwy 22 between Springfield and Ponchatoula.

[Pennoyer]

Thanks for the reply.

I want the back wall of the tank drilled and not the bottom. That way the overflow boxes will take up less space in the tank.

I initially wanted the mirror effect on the back but have had a few people suggest that I should not get it. Their reasonning was to cut down on the weight of the tank also with my holes being drilled in the back wall and not the bottom it would be that much thicker to drill and install bulkheads. I could always put a backing on the tank when I get it, what do you think do you really like the back?

Do the top braces get in the way? Again I originally had the tank designed exactly like yours until I read all the post about IA tanks and someone said if they did it again they would just get the regular perimeter bracing and not the combo.

What LFS do you go to?

Any tips on dealing with Mitch? Thanks again for your time

[Ninong]

I think the black mirror backing is spectacular! I'm not sure about the top bracing getting in the way or not. I know that Mitch built one tank that was 72"L x 24"W x 30"H (224 gallons) using 12mm Starphire for the front glass only and this tank had only perimeter bracing, but I think it was about 4" wide across the front and the back and 2" wide on the sides. I believe the perimeter bracing was 15mm LOF float glass. If you were to get top bracing, be sure to get two braces so that all three metal halides will be over open space.

A tank of your size is going to weigh about 630 lbs crated!!! My advice is to talk to Mitch first and let him advise you. Then ask him for a quote on the shipping and have that added to your total bill. You want him to pay shipping on his end so that the trucking company can't bump you on the shipping charges. Mitch sometimes under estimates the weight of his tanks. He also has a tendency to under estimate the time it will take to build it.

Anyway, talk to him first and ask him to put everything that you and he agreed on in writing and fax it to you with detailed dimensions, materials specifications, all options and shipping charges. Remember to add about two weeks to whatever he says it will take. It's OK to tell him you know me but if I were you I wouldn't say anything about law school.

[Pennoyer]

Thanks for the help I will try to post some pictures when I get it in September/October.