View Full Version : glass pond wall?
Reticulated
06-28-2005, 9:26 PM
If i were to build a cement pool type pond with walls that stand about 4 feet off the ground, how thick glass would i need to make a viewing window as part of the wall?
rayman45
06-28-2005, 10:34 PM
thick
i think its about 1/2 per foot
The only way to go is Lexan. Don't attempt glass.
buddah101
07-02-2005, 10:34 AM
I have some 12" and 1" Plexi To sell. 4'x2' X 2
There you go. Glass is bad news for ponds.
guesswho2005
07-06-2005, 8:23 PM
If i were to build a cement pool type pond with walls that stand about 4 feet off the ground, how thick glass would i need to make a viewing window as part of the wall?
That would require a 1/2" to 5/8" plate glass....do not use a high temp glass its almost impossible to cut and grind
petstorekid
07-20-2005, 3:50 PM
Good sealant between the glass and the pond
If you live in an area with large changes in daily temperatures make sure you leave room for expansoin and contraction, I've heard they can shatter or pop loose.
I thought it was 1/4" every 2'H of glass. But it takes more if u got tooons of gallons
ShadowVengance
07-21-2005, 10:02 PM
Ok, I wouldnt do it for the following reasons:
1. drastic temp changes shatter glass, plexi etc may warp.
2. if the ground gets cold where you live, the frost would most likley force up the glass out of the ground or cement w/e.
it could work if you found a clear plexi or fiberglass tub or something? or maybe plastic.
rvrrays
08-15-2005, 3:36 PM
I would definitely go with acrylic.
Colin
oscar1
08-23-2005, 9:35 PM
no glass glass very bad
you can do it with glass pm Anythingfish he has a large 2400gal pond/tank
with a glass window
zeroneox
09-15-2005, 11:02 PM
Hi I am in the glass trade so I can help you a little. Would like to know more about your pond detail. Glass is comfirm better then acrylic... it is clear and do not scretch easily.
Just a little advise if your using cement. The glass have to put in Aluminium U channel.
Oddball
09-15-2005, 11:20 PM
Back in the early 80s I and a bunch of friends built a 2500gal concrete pond in a friends 3 car garage to hold sharks and rays. We welded what seemed like miles of rebar, built molds, and filled the molds with concrete. When everything hardened, we stained and sealed the concrete. Then we siliconed in 2 78" x 28" x 5/8" panels of plate glass to the 12ft viewing window on the front of the pond.
A week later, we filled the pond with no problems. 3 weeks later a panel cracked. We replaced it (not cheap). 5 months passed before it cracked again. We stripped everything off (again) and found a slight bump in the concrete. We decided to remove the other plate as a precaution.
Now came the wet sanding with metal grade sandpaper. We ground the entire surface that contacts the glass to a reflective polish. Then we remounted the plate glass panels. There were no further problems for the next 4 years when that friend moved out of state and we stopped monitoring the pond.
mintylover
09-20-2005, 2:29 AM
The thickness is decided by the volume of water that it is holding as it acts like a retaining wall. Biggest danger to the glass is THUNDER!! :confused:
Better get professional advice...or this can be a very messy experiment for you and your fish.
I agree get professional advice, maybe you could visit to some real aquariums parks or zoos and ask for advice, even the glass specilist should be good info. I am planning on expanding my pond and I went to some exernal pond/.fountain specialist who sais fiberglass is the best thing to not have leaks and cracks,,maybe this in conjuction with the proper glass could help. Also be sure to have a huge bio filter, uvs and everything you could get to make that water clear,otherwise you don't want to have murky water or grean algea covering your glass.
dragonfish1ca
12-13-2005, 4:42 PM
that would be a sweet idea, but i would say plexiglass for sure. I think thats what they use on all the monster aquariums here at west edmonton mall
JDmTypeR
12-24-2005, 1:34 AM
should i use galss or plastic to make a pond?
remeber that lots of glass warps so you need to check into different types of glass or other alternatives to glass, def. ask someone who knows alot about the subject and is in the glass trade and ask them what else is outthere if glass is not a good idea. Although I do rember readins somewhere that glass isnt the best idea. Ask around for sure!
turtall
12-25-2005, 6:57 PM
Or go with something about this thick? Just a suggestion, of course. :)
Radius
01-23-2006, 4:28 PM
The best thing you can do is look for someone in town or nearby that designs and builds commercial ponds. I've hooked up with a company to look at getting a 3000g bala shark pond created.
They can do glass for it, but I'm not allowed near it. They will send engineers to mount it and make sure the enclosure itself is built to spec before they even touch anything.
You could get some really good pointers from them, lay out what you want to do and they can tell you if it's possible or not.
Around here, they will design my entire pond from the ground up and it'll only cost about $65 per hour to make the plans.
water_boy173
02-12-2006, 6:32 PM
glass
Booger
02-16-2006, 2:22 PM
Acrylic. There are reasons why nearly every large tank is constructed with acrylic.
1 - Clarity. Even 1/2" float glass has a noticable green tinge. Ugh. That would be enough for me right there.
2 - Strength. Acrylic can stop a baseball, earthquake, stray gunfire, etc.
3 - Flexibility. This is very important for your application. Acrylic can stretch as needed whereas glass will just break.
4 - Easy to work with. You can't work with thick glass panels without specialized equipment and a lot of moving power. How are you going to mount a piece of glass that weighs as much as a car engine?
rottbo
02-25-2006, 3:23 AM
you can now get low FE (iron) glass that is clear and if your pond is more than four foot front to back your water will look green from reg glass go low FE and glass will hold awesome look at arapaimag's big tank and he has had it up and running for like ten years