tank question

[psusocr]

hey guys,,
on my 265 glass aquarium that i built i was wondering insted of putting the glass tope and side braces on ( which doesnt seem liek alot of support) instead if i can get a thick piece of acrylic( a whole sheet) to fit perfectly over the top and just cut two small squares out and put hinges on them like doors...is there anyway possible that the acrylic can be welded, or silicones or basically just stick to the glass??? tight enough so that it gives the top good support from bowing??

 

[acrylic51]

Hey not a tank builder by profession, but I will tell you that your glass 265 does need to be supported at the top. This can be done a couple of ways. The first would be to have glass cut the same thickness as your tank and have them run around the rim of the tank.... This is called euro bracing..... The other option would be to use the standard tank rims that you find on my tanks...
The tank manufacturers put these rims or bracings on for a reason. They do provide structural integrity to the tank and without them the tank will come apart at some point.... Have you tried filling the tank yet????
I would honestly suggest doing the euro bracing, because if done correctly you don't need cross center braces like you find on alot of tanks.... which makes it easier to work your lighting in......
If you like I can take some pics of my tank that was built by Glass Cages and it will give you an idea as to what euro bracing is.....HTH

 

[acrylic51]

Sorry, but forgot to mention that trying to adhere acylic to glass for structural purposes wouldn't be wise as well. They are different materials of course and silicone and acylic don't mix. You would be better served if you use glass and silicone it to the top of the tank... If the tank is acrylic the acrylic would have to be welded with acrylic glue.
You can check out the site for acrylic glue, because there are different types of glues to adhere acrylic to different types of materials, but I don't know if it would still be sound to do it this way

 

[psusocr]

hey thanks for the reply,, if you can send me picture although i have an idea of what it looks like you can send them to psusocr@aol.com..I want to go with an all glass top with only two small rectnagles cut out of the top but i cant find anyone who will make these cuts into a full sheet..so basically im in a little predicament,, any suggestions are appreciated...thanks

 

[acrylic51]

Sorry to say won't be able to get you pics today, but can tell you that with the euro bracing it doesn't have to be a solid piece of glass. It is actually done in strips, but will get you the pics

 

[psusocr]

yes please send them,,,i was going to run strips as follow...the tank is 72 inches by 24 inches so i was going to get 2 strips 72x2 inces and 2 strips 24x2 inches....will this work???

 

[psusocr]

also this is my first glass tank build...i built my 400 gallon tank for my crocs out of acrylic and its much easier of a concept and much easier to work with but cost wise glass saved me alot of money this time, but i dont know much about glass bracing for the top

 

[acrylic51]

Again sorry about the pic delay. Daughter took camera to school and mysteriously it was broken on the bus upon her arrival home... The width of the glass on the euro bracing I think should be at least 3""-4". My tank was done by Glass Cages and I don't have any center braces and my euro bracing width is about 31/2" wide. Hopefully this will help some but your other dimensions seem fine