I am considering building a glass/plywood tank (48"x24"x24"; 120g)and I have some questions and want opinions on my idea. A little background: I started off in nano aquaria with a little 10g Hippocampus Zosterae (dwarf seahorse) herd. It was rough going; I was a 7th grader and didn't fully research my little project. I researched my seahorses, but I had no idea about all the other stuff you have to take care of. Thankfully, my dwarves were hardy enough to survive that rough period when I was frantically doing more research to correct my mistakes. Anyways, my herd did very well, especially under the original conditions, and after 4 years (and a nasty incident where our kitten knocked the tank off of my desk and everything died), I have decided to try my hand at larger seahorses. (And yes, this time I did ALL my research!) Point being that when answering, please keep in mind that I am new to larger tanks and their equipment, as well as tank construction and woodworking (but my dad is very experienced with woodworking, so he will at the very least be overseeing the process), and will need thorough answers which assume little/no basic knowledge. 
The design I have in mind is theoretically sleek and simple. I was thinking I would go for a 'rimless' look. In other words, instead of having glass 'windows', I would to to have the two larger side panels be glass and the two shorter ones as well as the bottom be wooden. One thing I was wondering is if there were other options for my non-glass sides other than plywood and cement . I just want to know all my options beforehand. The glass will be 3/8 in. thick; how thick will the wood need to be? Is one type of wood more insulative than others or are they all about the same? Seahorses require chilled tanks (72-74 for tropical species), so insulation is certainly a concern. The less money spent on a chiller, the better. Also, what kind of paint and epoxy should I use? For that matter, what kind of wood is best? What do you use to bind the glass and wood together? General tips on building plywood aquariums? Also, not sure if it is quite pertinent, but the overflow will be external (as in cutting the teeth into one wall of the aquarium and attaching an overflow box behind them, in this case on of the wooden ones, I suppose). Is there anything particularly different about plumbing a wooden overflow as opposed to a glass one? Anyways, thanks in advance for any help!
The design I have in mind is theoretically sleek and simple. I was thinking I would go for a 'rimless' look. In other words, instead of having glass 'windows', I would to to have the two larger side panels be glass and the two shorter ones as well as the bottom be wooden. One thing I was wondering is if there were other options for my non-glass sides other than plywood and cement . I just want to know all my options beforehand. The glass will be 3/8 in. thick; how thick will the wood need to be? Is one type of wood more insulative than others or are they all about the same? Seahorses require chilled tanks (72-74 for tropical species), so insulation is certainly a concern. The less money spent on a chiller, the better. Also, what kind of paint and epoxy should I use? For that matter, what kind of wood is best? What do you use to bind the glass and wood together? General tips on building plywood aquariums? Also, not sure if it is quite pertinent, but the overflow will be external (as in cutting the teeth into one wall of the aquarium and attaching an overflow box behind them, in this case on of the wooden ones, I suppose). Is there anything particularly different about plumbing a wooden overflow as opposed to a glass one? Anyways, thanks in advance for any help!
. My bad.