Crazy Enough To Work?

[malfunction]

Hi guys,

So basically I've gone from sheer elation when I got my hands on an 8ft fish tank, to disappointment and depression when I found out this morning that the base cracked. Now all manner of crazy ideas are flying through my head as I consider how to salvage it.

One of these crazy ideas is to remove the cracked base panel and to replace it with a plywood base. Would this work? I know people have built plywood aquariums with a single sheet of glass at the front, so surely this would be similar but just with less plywood? Has any one tried this? Do you think it'll work?

I'll try to post a diagram of my deranged plan at some point over the weekend. If this idea is a non-starter, does anyone know any tank repairers?

Thanks

 

[RRaquariums]

I've never tried building a tank out of plywood but I have looked into it and this was the best video that I could find explaining how it's done the video is on building a complete plywood tank but the basics should apply to just one peace of plywood.
http/youtu.be/cdyANDq_x_s

 

[attibones]

Is that from Uaru Joey? His videos are really easy to understand and he sometimes will do follow up videos to show how a particular build is still holding up. Apparently, I you follow the guidelines in that video, the tank should last a very long time. I would go for it, OP. It would be cheaper than buying a new tank and maybe less stressful that replacing the bottom panel with glass.

 

[DrRob]

The thing with plywood aquariums is that they use the pressure of the water to hold the front glass against the wood, so you'd need some way of replicating that with the base replacement, otherwise the weight will push them apart.

 

[RRaquariums]

Yup that's Uaru Joey love his builds and have done several using his videos always works well

 

[malfunction]

Ok, thanks for the info guys. Funnily enough, I've seen that video before (someone else suggested it on one of my previous posts), and that's where I got the idea of a plywood base.

I didn't realise that plywood tanks worked by using pressure to keep the glass in place though, so thanks for the heads-up. I think I've found a solution...essentially, I'm considering using pond liner as my base, then building a plywood frame to cover the bottom inch of the tank. The idea is that the pond liner would make it watertight, and the plywood frame would give it structural integrity. Here's an awkward diagram of it:



So when it's finished, it should look like this:



I have a few concerns though. Firstly, are there any non-toxic adhesives that'll bond the pond liner to glass (presumably silicone won't work); secondly, will pond liner be completely watertight?; thirdly, will this put any additional stress on the glass, making it more likely to break?; and finally, if this is such a fantastic idea, why hasn't anyone tried it before? Am I missing something crucial that will lead to a spectacular failure?

 

[malfunction]

I'm also thinking of placing some polystyrene between the liner and the wood. This is so the glass will have space to expand whenever the water temperature rises (as I understand it, tank glass flexes and expands on a daily basis with the fluctuations in temperature). Good idea? Or totally unnecessary?

 

[ian_m]

Just silicone a sheet of glass over the cracked area inside the tank.
 
About 15years ago my mate cracked the base of his tank by placing it on a wooden stand WITHOUT anything underneath eg polystyrene sheet, and cracked the bottom sheet of glass in one corner due to a piece of gravel between the glass and wood. He repaired it by siliconing a piece of glass, covering over the crack completely. Can't see the repair as under the gravel and tank is still running today.

 

[malfunction]

Just silicone a sheet of glass over the cracked area inside the tank.
 
About 15years ago my mate cracked the base of his tank by placing it on a wooden stand WITHOUT anything underneath eg polystyrene sheet, and cracked the bottom sheet of glass in one corner due to a piece of gravel between the glass and wood. He repaired it by siliconing a piece of glass, covering over the crack completely. Can't see the repair as under the gravel and tank is still running today.

Unfortunately, this won't work as there are multiple cracks which go edge to edge. The only way to salvage the tank is by completely replacing the old base.

 

[ian_m]

Just silicone a sheet of glass over the cracked area inside the tank.
 
About 15years ago my mate cracked the base of his tank by placing it on a wooden stand WITHOUT anything underneath eg polystyrene sheet, and cracked the bottom sheet of glass in one corner due to a piece of gravel between the glass and wood. He repaired it by siliconing a piece of glass, covering over the crack completely. Can't see the repair as under the gravel and tank is still running today.

Unfortunately, this won't work as there are multiple cracks which go edge to edge. The only way to salvage the tank is by completely replacing the old base.
My mates cracked bottom (oh err Mrs...) went to the edge, just butt the sheet of glass right up to the edge and add a fillet of silicone between new glass and side pane. However I agree with you replacement bottom (oh err Mrs...) is best solution.

Same mate also had a tank with "torn" silicone rebuilt by a glass shop. Might be worth looking around your area if any company can do this.