could this work?

[scottswald]

i was wondering if you could use the front and back glass of a 55g for a ply wood tank?

the tank would be 24" wide, 20" tall and 96" long. the tank would obviously have a devider between the 2 48" windows.

anyone seen this before?

 

[carsona246]

I'm definatly no expert on diy tank making, but i'm positive i've read threads before about people who have done exactly what your planning. I think i would look into the glass thickness vs the size of the tank. I'm not sure how thick of glass you should use for a tank that size, but i would double check before you start anything.

 

[john73738]

Yes it will work. Just don't go above the height of the glass. Should be right around 200 gallons.

 

[scottswald]

would the same glass be ok if the width was 36"?

 

[kallmond]

depth of the water is what determines glass thickness. width/breadth doesn't really matter.

The only problem might be seaming the plywood. If your 55 is a standard 48", you're going to have 96" of glass, plus then 1.5" or 2" of "frame" around the glass, giving you 6 - 8" of framing on top of your 96" of glass. That'll bring your overall length to 102" to 104". Basically you're going to have to join 2 pieces of plywood for an extra 6 or 8 inches.

 

[Egon]

would the same glass be ok if the width was 36"?

Go as wide as you want. Have it go to China and the pressure will be the same.

I'm slowly acquiring used 125's and I'm going to make a 6' square tank with a fiberglass covered wood bottom. Same exact pressure on those glass panels as when they were 125's.

 

[Pharaoh]

Yep. you are good to go.

 

[imusuallyuseless]

I've done this using the front and two side panels of a 55G. Ended up w/a 6'x2'x2' 180G. The only problem I can see w/your plan is that the front & back will end up being exactly 8' Long whereas your plywood is going to be just a hair under 8' which means your windows won't fit inside the tank. As mentioned you will either have to use two sheets of plywood, get creative and build a frame that will take the problem into consideration, OR track down a 10' long piece of plywood.

 

[scottswald]

so i take it its not possible cut an inch from the side of each glass pane?

 

[imusuallyuseless]

so i take it its not possible cut an inch from the side of each glass pane?

IF it's not tempered you can get it cut.