# glass on acrylic



## bigrift (Aug 30, 2010)

ok iv got probuly a stupid question but iv found very little info on it on the net. i wana know if its possible to use a acrylic sheet for the base of my tank and glass for the walls and bind them useing silcone. why would you do that you ask? well i wana make my own tank one day (probuly no time soon its more like wishfull thinking atm) and iv been throwing out ideas on what i wana do. i wana do a 6foot square tank 24 inch or so high with a stand that will have a solid top to it so the whole bottom is always resting on the stand. like i said its just wishfull thinking but id still like to know if the glass on acrylic is possible.


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## zof (Apr 23, 2010)

Since silicone bonds to both glass and acrylic equally well, plus the fact I've seen alot of people use acrylic inside glass aquariums as baffles for sumps I would assume it would work just fine.


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## bigrift (Aug 30, 2010)

nice. the whole idea of useing the acrylic on the bottom is a its light and b easy to cut holes in. since this tank would be the center peice to my living room whitch is quite large i want to put the pumps and sutch threw the bottom and also i will need to build the tank on its stand and i figured working with glass for the base could end up very badly lol


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

actually i must point out that silicon does not bond with acrylic well at all.. the reason it works in sumps is from holding well measured pieces in place.... i once attempted to build a HOB skimmer from acrylic and the silicon continuously broke away... you would use a product called weld on for acrylic only or go glass all the way.....


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## bigrift (Aug 30, 2010)

what if i roughed up the area of the acrylic itself where the bead of silicon was going to go to give it a place to bond to?


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

with the weight of water i would not trust it... the choice is yours of course but i just think the risk is to high.... all glass or all acrylic in my eyes......

test the theory to see what happens in a small scale version out of scraps but whats the stress on the bead and think of what it will look liek on the scale you talking about...


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## zof (Apr 23, 2010)

^ you learn something new every day

(New rule in head acrylic + silicone + great force = no)


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

i would also think acrylic and glass expand and contract at different temperatures, causing slight shifts in the tank which would do a job on the seal as well, causing little leaks. when building a tank with silicon, go glass to glass. i dont know why you would want to drill through the bottom unless you were doing a closed loop. its not to hard drilling through a side with a diamond drill bit, i put an inch- inch 1/2 hole into 1/2 inch glass, 2 of them actually.


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## bigrift (Aug 30, 2010)

yeah when if fact i decide to do my build it will be glass on glass. after what you guys have said and the little bit info i could find on the net for a long term installment it wouldnt be a good idea. and the reason i wanted to go threw the bottom (and this was just one idea i had no plans a definet yet) was so i had a 360 degree view of the tank and no filters and the sutch. iv still got alot of planning and saveing to do for something like this so it will be a few years befor its done. always been a dream of mine =)


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

hear is an idea i came across.... when you order your glass get it all 1/2inch and then do your drilling in the bottom middle of the tank build a four sided over flow around those holes and plumb your return up through to tubes that can be hidden in your decor (rock work if its for salt) you can build up all around the over flow in the center and never see your stuff..... and with a stand build for it you can get your plumbing and sump in under with out any one ever seeing it unless you show them.... man my wife is going to kill me now my mind is really going .... hhhmmmm yeah you could even do a "show" sump on the bottom level and have the plumbing hidden off to the side so you can not even see how they are connected at all and still have everything visible...


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## bigrift (Aug 30, 2010)

hmmmm yeah that sounds kinda like what i invisiond minus the show sump but thats a awsome idea. i found online a place that makes acrylic tubes and shapes um the way you need them to be. so heres what i was thinking..... for the returns if i had the acrylic tube molded to cover the corners of the tank then up under the canopy and to the tank i would get ample flow and also block the look of the silicone that binds the glass togeather. pitcture like a half moon type shape (best way i can describe it).


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

that sounds great!!! when you get a sketch together or it going i realy want to see pix


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## Ryan1824 (Sep 23, 2010)

A couple more options to think about. Make the overflow tube large enough to run the return back up though the center of it. You'd have water flowing down the outer tube and up the inner tube. You could also make a tall canopy and have the filter above the tank (no drilling). Possibly even a floor to ceiling pillar.


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