Just make sure you do plenty of planning. If you havn't yet, spend an evening reading through some of the builds in the sticky.
320gal ready to start. tips- ideas
- Thread starter wheatgerm
- Start date
ya that's good advice i have spent about a month looking at a ton of builds and changed the game plan plenty haha. i built a 60 gal last week to get a feel for everything and see what i want and don't want to do. my biggest concern was my glass but i called a local glass place and they said 3-8 tempered would be way stronger than half inch normal glass and all the charts i have looked at suggest half so i think i feel confident enough to give it a shot 
Keep in mind that tempered glass shatters when it breaks and plate glass only cracks. I think for that reason all manufactured aquariums use regular plate glass. Even though tempered is stronger it's more brittle.
sashimimaster;4204257; said:
Lots of tank manufacturers use tempered glass in their aquariums. It is just easier and cheaper to get plate.
2" of overlap is overkill, but thats what this place is all about. I'd stick with 1.5" max. your butyl caulking will be covered by your zavlar, which is fish safe. I think you'll be fine, but there are many more knowledgeable people here than me.
i know i have been warned but thanks though lol. this glass was given to me so i can't be picky about it. but i think it will need to take a pretty big hit for it to break. i am building it into the wall in my living room so hopefully it never gets smacked. just a thought, but with 300 gallons of force on a piece of plate glass i would think if it got popped it would just shatter too right? or wrong
My glass/frame overlap is 1.5". I used a 2x4 for the main frame and then placed a 2x3 frame inside that one that holds my glass. My tank is 315G, glass is 28.5"x85.5".
im going to have to get on a computer and check your full build out ross i hate looked a little on my phone but from what i can tell i plan to copy your build completely the only difference is that i will be sliding mine threw a wall and mine will be a few inches bigger. if you have more pictures or something you did that the pictures didn't show i would like to hear a whole run down of it if you ever get any time
and mine will be a few inches bigger. if you have more pictures or something you did that the pictures didn't show i would like to hear a whole run down of it if you ever get any timeok this is my last question for now... do i have to use a full sheet of plywood and then cut out my viewing window or can i use 4 pieces i cut off my other walls and piece them together and reinforce them from the inside? it just seems like a huge waste of a full 40dollar piece of plywood just for a 4 inch trim
