NEED IDEAS on REPAIRING a BROKEN BOTTOM GLASS Tank

[maddhugan]

so I have a glass tank 72" long x 18" wide x 20" high. The bottom tempered Glass which is 3/8" i.e., 0.375 inches was shattered.

I decided to replace it but I made a crucial mistake, I used a tape to measure the thickness of the glass and I ended up measuring 0.375" to be 0.250" and I ordered a tempered glass with 0.250" thick and picked it up. After brining that home I measured it with a caliper just to make sure and it measure it to be 0.375". Still laughing on my foolishness. Haha.

So now here is the question. can I order one more 0.250" non tempered regular glass and glue them together with silicone and then install it on the bottom?

If so where should the tempered glass should go? on the top or on the bottom?

anyone with glass tank building experience is welcome to share their thoughts, ideas and experience.
thanks

 

[scuzy]

I don't think it matters for the bottom panel if it sits on a flat surface.


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[maddhugan]

yeah but......

yeah but......

Thanks Scuzy, but have you seen how the bottom glass sits on top of the black frame on rimmed tank? the bottom glass doesn't lay on the bottom surface snug, but it sits on the black rim with a gap between the bottom glass and bottom surface. So the bottom glass doesn't lay snug on the bottom surface on the rimmed tank so the bottom glass thickness counts in this case.
what are your thoughts?

 

[maddhugan]

here is what I'm thinking

here is what I'm thinking

So I decided to join two 0.250" sheets and make a 0.5" glass sheet and install it. so the bottom of the tank would be double glass bottom. but here is the question. I will be joining one tempered and one regular. which one should go on top and which one should go on the bottom?
that's the question now.

any thoughts? ideas?

 

[zeemofree]

So I decided to join two 0.250" sheets and make a 0.5" glass sheet and install it. so the bottom of the tank would be double glass bottom. but here is the question. I will be joining one tempered and one regular. which one should go on top and which one should go on the bottom? that's the question now. any thoughts? ideas?

If it where me I would get the scene piece smaller so it fits inside the sides, kinda like a step to give more adhesion surface area, the are doing euro style like braces on the bottom of good tanks, no reason you couldn't do the whole panel like that?

 

[maddhugan]

bottom floating

bottom floating

If it where me I would get the scene piece smaller so it fits inside the sides, kinda like a step to give more adhesion surface area, the are doing euro style like braces on the bottom of good tanks, no reason you couldn't do the whole panel like that?

Yes, they call the techniques you are mentioning as bottom floating. It won't solve my problem. Because I have a thinner glass of 0.25" on hand instead of 0.375".

so my question is can I add one more regular 0.25" glass to the 0.25" tempered glass that I have and make it a 0.5" glass?

if so which one should go on the top and which one should go on the bottom while gluing the two sheets together to make one single sheet?

 

[zeemofree]

Yes, they call the techniques you are mentioning as bottom floating. It won't solve my problem. Because I have a thinner glass of 0.25" on hand instead of 0.375". so my question is can I add one more regular 0.25" glass to the 0.25" tempered glass that I have and make it a 0.5" glass? if so which one should go on the top and which one should go on the bottom while gluing the two sheets together to make one single sheet?

What I am suggesting is instead of using 4 pieces of glass laminate another .25 inch piece that is slightly smaller around the edges so you can gain the thickness you want and also have the extra surface area from double the strength of the seams. Just like a plywood tank but use glass

 

[maddhugan]

good idea

good idea

What I am suggesting is instead of using 4 pieces of glass laminate another .25 inch piece that is slightly smaller around the edges so you can gain the thickness you want and also have the extra surface area from double the strength of the seams. Just like a plywood tank but use glass

Ok now it makes sense and that is a great idea. one glass as a bottom float and one glass as a cap.

unfortunately, that awesome idea won't work in my case as there is a overflow box that will prevent me from inserting the glass. Only cap will work in my case.

so in this case what would you do if you were me?

 

[zeemofree]

Ok now it makes sense and that is a great idea. one glass as a bottom float and one glass as a cap. unfortunately, that awesome idea won't work in my case as there is a overflow box that will prevent me from inserting the glass. Only cap will work in my case. so in this case what would you do if you were me?

Then I would bond glass or plywood to the bottom, or remove the over flow seal it off and go with and external bean animal style, which I am currently contemplating on doing to my 140.

 

[maddhugan]

bonding glass

bonding glass

so you won't bond another glass to the existing glass? you would go with plywood?

 

[lynchmob3000]

I'd do the glass under the tempered piece so the tempered piece has all the weight on it directly. It's much stronger and one little rock corner won't chip or break the whole piece. Imo

 

[zeemofree]

so you won't bond another glass to the existing glass? you would go with plywood?

Either but defiantly would bond them.

 

[zeemofree]

so you won't bond another glass to the existing glass? you would go with plywood?

Sorry to double post, I don't know how to remove it

 

[marioensf]

How about 1/4" PVC sheet instead of glass?

 

[maddhugan]

yeah but

yeah but

ok ppl who already have thick glass on the bottom put that to protect the glass on bottom to reduce any impact force (if anything were to hit or put a pointed pressure from bottom and shatter due to that, but my case is different. I have a thinner glass than what it should have been and I was looking for a rigid support throughout the surface area. May be a thick plywood would work for this.

How thick is the pvc sheet? I'm assuming the thin sheet that you see on inbetween the stand and the tank bottom. Is that what you are talking about?
Anyway didn't want to cut corners, so went ahead and bought the required 3/8" thick tempered glass and going to install that this weekend. will post photos
thanks for the tip though

 

[marioensf]

I'm referring to, instead of an extra piece of glass, use .25 (1/4") sheet of pvc.
I had that project in mind a while back; chipped badly a corner of the bottom glass piece and after doing some search, decided it would be a good thing to add a sheet of PVC since I didn't want to replace the whole bottom glass; PVC would sit (in my case) on top of the glass using E6000? adhesive.

 

[maddhugan]

very interesting

very interesting

I'm referring to, instead of an extra piece of glass, use .25 (1/4") sheet of pvc.
I had that project in mind a while back; chipped badly a corner of the bottom glass piece and after doing some search, decided it would be a good thing to add a sheet of PVC since I didn't want to replace the whole bottom glass; PVC would sit (in my case) on top of the glass using E6000? adhesive.

So you glued the pvc to the inside bottom of the tank? very interesting. I could use this for other projects. But as of now I just use the marine board in the inside bottom so that no rock would crack the glass.
thanks for your input