100 gallon corner step front tank thoughts

[rotccapt]

hi all i am doing research and design for my next hybrid plywood tank build. currently i have a 120 gallon standard rectangle plywood build with windows on three sides of the tank since it is against that wall. so i got permission from the wife to build another tank for our dining room. so here is the idea the tank will be 5 sided in a pentagon type layout. the back walls that will go in the corner will be 90degrees to each other and will be 30 inches long then the next sides will come out 90 degrees from the back walls and will extend out 12 inches then will be connected with another section to complete the pentagon. the tank will be 30 inches tall and the front three sides will be glass.

since my other tank is going to be in the a jointing room i will be building the new tank in a similar fashion. my current tank is built just like a normal plywood build but i added windows to the sides of the tank so there are sections of wood at the corners that the acrylic is attached to. so with the new tank i had toyed with the idea of doing similar with pieces of wood to cover the seams of the glass or i could just do the front like a normal tank with just a silicone seal at the edges of the tank so i would have an almost seamless view of the tank. what do you think of my idea and which front do you think would look better. also here is a pic of my current tank you may notice an extra part on top of the tank that also has a window this is an above tank basking area for my western painted turtle that lives in that tank


tank inhabitants will be African peacock cichlids

 

[diy]

Hmmm looks great, and great representations! I am not certain how corners are joined in a hex tank, are they mitred? I would think with a solid top brace, thick glass and a clean thorough bead of silicone it sould be fine. I wouldn't trust myself to use just the right amount of silicone in such a structural joint to be strong and clean enough to please the eye. I would cheat and use a wood joint on the outdise for added strenght and give the joint h*%#$ with silicone on the inside just for piece of mind. In looking at your wood working skills on the tank pictured above, I am sure you can make this look great. A little wood in the front would make it that much more unique and something to be proud of too (imho).

 

[jwalkerafc7]

the seamless look would be gorgeous but like diy said i wouldnt trust myself doing it without putting wood for structural reasons.

 

[rotccapt]

i did fudge the numbers in my post the sides that are 90 to the back walls are 16 inches not 12. the top and bottom frames that the glass would be set in would be 1 inch thick oak boards that would be mitered together and screwed with pocket screws. also i am planning on running a 2 inch wide rim around the top of the tank as a brace. if my thinking is correct the top and bottom frames would hold the glass and the silicone would be used to seal the edges. now the other option would be to go with acrylic for the front and solvent glue the seams together. i would prefer glass

as fare are the glass joints go i dont think that they would need to be mitered since they are outside joints and the outside edge would make a nice corner the inside edge would be open a bit so the silicone would fill the gap and if i tape the edges i think i could make nice seam

im thinking that 3/8 glass should work for this build what do you guys think.

also this will be set up with a sump for filtration

 

[rotccapt]

actualy i fudged again and if i use 3/8 glass i will have a 1/4 inch gap on the outside edge of the tank not too bad but i will see how expensive mitered glass would be or i can go with acrylic and solvent glue the edges

 

[rotccapt]

here is the latest rendering of the tank what do you think? also the price for mitered glass is outrageous so i will be going with 1 inch wide strips of oak to cover the seams in the glass and hide the silicone joint

 

[diy]

Not sure if the angled tanks like that have mitred corners or not to be honest. But would be more surface area for the silicone to adhere to. It looks good! You probably could get away with the strong bracing top and bottom with no verticle wood brace. I am amazed at how strong the bond is with silicone and glass. But I would be nervous about it. You might have a good look at a dealers hex to get an idea of how that seam is really put together. I would go with your last sketch to be safe if it were me. And I like how it looks.