I used a poly-urea compound designed by a chemical engineer friend for my aquarium project. It seals the wood to the glass.
It's a simple to use 1:1 two part mix, and it gels in about 10minutes, becomes increadibly strong after 24hrs, and retains 600% elongation ability.
The engineer who designed my chemical coating assured me that once the tank was full, if the plywood magically vanished, the coating alone would flex down, yet still support the load of the water without tearing.
He baised it around a chemical used to spray the bottoms of military Hummers to give them resistance to bomb blasts.
The downside is the chemicals he used to make it were a few hundred dollars. Personally, I think it's the greatest thing that ever happened to a wood aquarium, and I would pay thousands to have it made for me again if I had to make another tank. I've played the fiberglass, epoxy, and dow silicone game. When you are done, you have something that will hold water and function. This coating is like a whole new level of sealing. Takes 10mins to pour an apply, and you couldn't damage it with a sledge hammer. It's increadible stuff.
Kcress- If you make the corner angle bracing strong enough, you won't need any top strapping. Bracing all the way along the bottom with angle and the corners is more than adquate, even for 36".
