Glass cuts

[The Grizz]

With the side glass on top of the base glass all it takes is your stand to be a little wonky and the bottom is sure to crack. Even the cheap Hagen tanks are footing bottom when you take the trip off. I have had a couple tank built with not a floating bottom & both have cracked shortly after being set-up. ( I didn't build them )

If you post exactly the inside dimensions you want I can tell you what sie to get your glass cut & I would suggest to go with 10mm glass it is much nicer to work with and looks great.

[ScubaSteve]

Ross hit the reason right on the head. I can be done either way but a floating glass pane is superior. If you give day or two I'll put together a tank building tutorial. It's something I've been meaning to do for a while. This will give me an excuse. I called on several professional tank builders to answer questions, so this isn't me preaching but passing on what I've learned over the past two months.

[Steve-O-]

Cool thanks guys for all the info on this.

[Steve-O-]

Still waiting on my glass, Again big thanks to grizz for all the calculations and Scuba for the overflow directions.

My glass company phoned me today and decided to tell me that my tank will Blow out if i do not use tempered glass. I of course just told them no it wont its 3/8 glass with euro brace. So what do you tank builders think of what they told me. they tryed and tryed to talk me out of it.

[The Grizz]

Just tell them you do not want tempered glass & not to worry about what you are building. Being 20" x 16" it could have been made out of 1/4" glass & still would not blow out, so being 3/8" it will be just fine as long as you get it sealed right.

[Steve-O-]

Ya scuba said 3/8 is 9x saftey factor and 1/4 still would have 4x safety factor. Just kinda made me mad.

[The Grizz]

When I order glass from a glass shop I don't tell them what I'm doing with it, there not tank builders & have no idea what the hell there talking about. Only a glass shop that actually builds tanks have a clue.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by Steve-O-

Ya scuba said 3/8 is 9x saftey factor and 1/4 still would have 4x safety factor. Just kinda made me mad.

My 6mm (1/4inch) tank is 20x20 and its holding up fine...

Do at Grizz sayes and dont tell them what its for.
I've heard of places wanting wavers signed for liability reasons.

[CherylMcKay]

I would love to read your guide. I live up north and shipping is killing me but I want a bigger tank. Starting my research to see if this is the way to go.

[StirCrazy]

hmmm a weird things in this thread. first is if the bottom is floating then it is in shear and tension, unless the bottom is fully supported.. then like was mentioned you better have a good stand or something to make up any unevenness.

I have 4 tanks in the garage and I just went and checked them.. all 4 are built with the sides on the bottom, and the 25 I redid 4 years ago had the sides ontop of the bottom.

My 33 was the other way around but it had a plastic moulding that suported the bottom and the sides, but my custom made 94 gal had the same moulding but the sides were ontop of the bottom....

as long as you suport the tank properly for the method you use it doesn't matter which way you build it.

the shear strenght for the silicone we use far exceeds anything well ever subject it to. now maybe if you build extreamly tall tank it would be different but you would also be looking at more than silicone to support the bottom edge.

Steve