I know a LOT of people, particularly with the 'overdo it to be sure' mentality that a lot of us share, will not be comfortable with this idea, but I wanted to throw it out there for discussion, because I think it would be really, really slick.
Anyway, most people building plywood tanks, make a front frame out of plywood or dimensional lumber, and then coat the tank, and then stick the glass to the inside of the frame so the water pressure holds it in place. This provides a lot of peace of mind, because there's a physical barrier between the glass and the outside air, so it aint going anywhere unless it breaks. It also kind of sucks though, because you have this ledge all the way around your window, and the glass is inset from the front of the aquarium by however thick your frame is (1.5" if you use framing lumber to build the front frame.) A lot of tanks look good this way, but for the next tank I build I really have been trying to find a way to minimize this clunkiness, and make as much of the front of the tank flush, flat, and glass, as possible.
So... why not glue the glass to the outside? Inset just far enough into the frame to be flush. So, you'd be relying on the silicone entirely to hold the glass in place. Now, this souds sketch, but this is how most commercial tanks are made. Silicone is quite strong, much stronger than required to hold the water in. The only trick would be getting the right adhesive to bond to the fiberglass or steel, or whatever you made your front frame out of.
Anyone done this or seen it? Thoughts?
Anyway, most people building plywood tanks, make a front frame out of plywood or dimensional lumber, and then coat the tank, and then stick the glass to the inside of the frame so the water pressure holds it in place. This provides a lot of peace of mind, because there's a physical barrier between the glass and the outside air, so it aint going anywhere unless it breaks. It also kind of sucks though, because you have this ledge all the way around your window, and the glass is inset from the front of the aquarium by however thick your frame is (1.5" if you use framing lumber to build the front frame.) A lot of tanks look good this way, but for the next tank I build I really have been trying to find a way to minimize this clunkiness, and make as much of the front of the tank flush, flat, and glass, as possible.
So... why not glue the glass to the outside? Inset just far enough into the frame to be flush. So, you'd be relying on the silicone entirely to hold the glass in place. Now, this souds sketch, but this is how most commercial tanks are made. Silicone is quite strong, much stronger than required to hold the water in. The only trick would be getting the right adhesive to bond to the fiberglass or steel, or whatever you made your front frame out of.
Anyone done this or seen it? Thoughts?
it's just all about figuring out how to do it properly!
