fiberglass aquarium

[Hermannsae]

Hi there,

Did anybody make some experience with a fiberglass aquarium?

I am planning to build a 300g aquarium build in a wall. The room behind is dedicated for aquarium stuff only.
Because the room behind the wall will be on a higher level than the display room, the aquarium will be sitting on the floor.

I was thinking to build 3 sides of the aquarium out of fiberglass supported with wood.

My question now, how do I connect the fiberglass with glass? Epoxy? Silicon?

Thanks!

Hermann

 

[JHemdal]

Hermann,

Fiberglass tanks take special care in their construction. Are you talking about supporting the fiberglass outside with wood? I've seen wood used inside fiberglass on boats, but never outside. I have two cored-blasa wood fiberglass tanks here; one 1200 gallons, one 1500. If the gel coat was ever to be breached, the balsa would flood and lose its strength (just like on boat decks).
In any event, for sealing the windows - some people use marine-grade silicone and some people use Dow 795. You design a mullion with enough of an overlap to seal the window. The window needs to be held in place until the sealant is completely cured. Spacers between the the acrylic panel and the mullion will insure that the silicone is not squeezed out.
I see that you are an engineer, so I will forgo my usual advice for home built large tanks, "Seek the advice of a qualified engineer"<grin>.

Jay Hemdal

 

[bradhinz]

Re: fiberglass aquarium

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6943726#post6943726 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hermannsae
Hi there,

Did anybody make some experience with a fiberglass aquarium?

I am planning to build a 300g aquarium build in a wall. The room behind is dedicated for aquarium stuff only.
Because the room behind the wall will be on a higher level than the display room, the aquarium will be sitting on the floor.

I was thinking to build 3 sides of the aquarium out of fiberglass supported with wood.

My question now, how do I connect the fiberglass with glass? Epoxy? Silicon?

Thanks!

Hermann

I build fibreglass bathtubs, we put wood on the outside for reinforcement. It is put on while the fibreglass is still wet, then we add fibreglass as a way of joining the edges of the wood to the fibreglass.

In your stuation, I would build the wood tank shape out of 1/2 inch or thicker plywood.Make sure the wood is clean and dust free then you can fibreglass the inside (this should be done all in one step to ensure a good bond. a lightweight woven fibreglass cloth will work best here. Make sure the temperature in the room is at least 70 degrees farenheight (77 is the perfect temp) make sure you catalyse the resin as per manufacturers directions. You will have to incorporate some sort of framework on the viewing side for the glass to slide into, then it can be siliconed, Good Luck with your project. Brad.:rollface:

 

[MCary]

Wouldn't fiberglass be expensive?

 

[bradhinz]

isn't fibreglass expensive

isn't fibreglass expensive

Well, it isn't cheap, however you do not have to use a lot of fibreglass if you use a decent thickness of plywood (1/2 inch or better. The finished layer of fibreglass need only be 1/8 inch thick to be strong enough. Keep in mind though the design of the aquarium affects this. A really long, deep aquarium if not braced where necessary will bow so construct accordingly.

A general guideline for resin/cloth and catalyst costs to make 1 square foot x 1/8" thick would be about $4.00 canadian (or 7 cents U.S. LOL) so the cost is not bad and fibreglass is very durable and reliable.

 

[Hermannsae]

I apologize for not getting back to this thread earlier; I was sidetracked for some years.:eek2:

Anyway, related thanks for all the input.

Meanwhile I skipped the fiberglass project and bought a used 180g tank.
I guess to be on the safe side (fewer headaches) and to save some money!
I couldn't resist a reef ready tank for $200.00
This tank will be a "œbuild-in" with a dedicated fish room.
Although, I still like the idea with the fiberglass tank.

I hope I will start a 180g build thread in the near future.