plywood/lexan tank?

[Workaholic]

Ok, so I saw some free 1/4" sheets of glass up for grabs and it made me think. maybe I could just sell my acrylic 155 and build an even bigger plywood tank and use the glass for the front panel? So i did some searching and some more research as I've looking into doing this in the past. Then on craigslist i found sheets of 1/2" lexan for cheap. Would this be something I could use for the viewing panel? I know lexan is extremely strong, but that could be a certain type of strength. I don't know so I figured I would ask. What do you all think about using lexan for a front viewing panel for a plywood tank? and if so what kind of height do you think it could support?

Based on using the calcuator on Garf.org and the space I have available the dimensions I would like to build are LxWxH 70x30x24. or ~218gallons

Thanks,
Tom

 

[Workaholic]

Well here's another question on the subject. Would it be possible to laminate two sheets of 1/4" glass togethor so I could run a taller tank than 16" (what I found to be the tallest that 1/4" glass will support safely)?



Thanks,
Tom

 

[dnjan]

Well here's another question on the subject. Would it be possible to laminate two sheets of 1/4" glass togethor so I could run a taller tank than 16" (what I found to be the tallest that 1/4" glass will support safely)?



Thanks,
Tom

Possible, but not practical for the do-it-yourselfer. You will probably end up with bubbles between the sheets of glass.

 

[Workaholic]

Possible, but not practical for the do-it-yourselfer. You will probably end up with bubbles between the sheets of glass.

ok, what about just placing the sheets of glass one on top of another. I've been told about others doing this and it working great for them.

Tom

 

[dnjan]

Two pieces of 1/4" glass on top of each other are not as strong as a piece of 1/2" glass. In fact, two pieces of 1/4" glass on top of each other are less strong than a piece of 3/8" glass (when loaded in bending). The shear bond between the layers is very important!

 

[Workaholic]

Two pieces of 1/4" glass on top of each other are not as strong as a piece of 1/2" glass. In fact, two pieces of 1/4" glass on top of each other are less strong than a piece of 3/8" glass (when loaded in bending). The shear bond between the layers is very important!

I thought so. looks like I might have to look into using this sheet of lexan a bit more.

Thanks,
Tom

 

[Myteemouse]

I'm over here racking my brain over my next tank also!!!
I got a guy gonna order a tank for me and the place right now has FREE STARFIRE UPGRADE!!

 

[G&NSalty425]

A good Forum to look at how Plywood DIY Tanks are built is www.monsterfishkeepers.com . There are quite a few guys building there own tanks on there with detailed build records.

 

[Workaholic]

Wow, talk about a wealth of DIY tank knowledge!!! I did a search on there and came up with 11+ pages of plywood tank threads!!! Thank you very much for the link.

Tom