130gal glass bracing...?

[fg4608]

I have this 130gal tank (72x18x24) made out of 3/8"glass. It had a wooden top frame on it when I bought it. The frame was separating some in one of the corners and I was just going to repair it. However, upon closer inspection I found that the frame was also loose, so I decided to ditch it all together!
Now, what I have in mind is to make an all-glass "euro bracing" style frame instead. Something like this:



It would all be 3/8" thick glass, like the tank itself.
The internal pieces would be 3" wide and the long pieces have 1" chamfered corners to accommodate the existing silicone seams.
The top pieces would be 2" wide as to create a lip for hinged glass tops to rest upon...

And now for the questions:

1 - Am I completely off base or does this seem OK?
2 - How much gap do I need to leave for the silicone bonding between my brace pieces and the tank walls etc.?

Thanks!

 

[the_deeb]

That bracing plan looks good. It's how I've typically braced my DIY tanks. The eurobrace works very well.

The gap depends on how much silicone you use and how much clamping pressure you use. It doesn't have to be much though... probably 1/16" at most.

 

[wild bill]

I thought a euro brace was one solid piece of glass with the opening at the top cut out of it but at72 inches you would probably cut a hole on each side of the middle to support your lids.

 

[fg4608]

Thanks the_deeb!



Yeah, I was just using the term to try to clarify the overlap i had planned.

How do you cut a rectangular hole in a plate of glass though? Can it be done without say a water jet?

 

[the_deeb]

I believe "eurobrace" just implies that the bracing runs around the edges of the top rim without center/cross braces running across the tank. With acrylic or plywood it can be done as a solid piece with a cutout, whereas with glass it's typically done with separate pieces. Cutting a rectangular hole in plate glass doesn't seem worth the trouble.