Replacing Plastic Supports With Glass - Questions

[Ben Pedersen]

I have a Marineland 300 deep aquarium. These aquarium have 2 large thick and wide plastic supports that go across the top of the tank. I would like to cut them out and replace with low iron glass. I want to do this so the supports don't leave a shadow and because the existing supports are very low causing them to be seen when there is high surface water agitation / waves.

I have a few questions regarding this:

1. How thick and wide should the glass supports be? If they were tempered, how thick and wide?
2. When installing, should I leave a gap between the glass support and the aquarium for calk?
4. where is a good affordable place to purchase low iron glass cut to size.
5. Are there places that will temper low iron glass after it is cut?

 

[Tankkeepers]

I would use acrylic honestly much easier to do won't shatter if u tap it to hard and much stronger for what your wanting to do

Also can be cut with a table saw with a sheet ripping blade more teeth the better installed backwards

Also the calk will not hold like your thinking it will it'll for sure let go

Also when u do this drain the tank compleatly

 

[Sean Clark]

I think that low iron glass would be wasted on this unless you happen to have some laying around. Standard glass or acrylic will work just fine.

 

[Ben Pedersen]

I would use acrylic honestly much easier to do won't shatter if u tap it to hard and much stronger for what your wanting to do

Also can be cut with a table saw with a sheet ripping blade more teeth the better installed backwards

Also the calk will not hold like your thinking it will it'll for sure let go

Also when u do this drain the tank compleatly

Didn't realize you could glue acrylic to glass. Tank is completely empty.

 

[Ben Pedersen]

I think that low iron glass would be wasted on this unless you happen to have some laying around. Standard glass or acrylic will work just fine.

I wanted low iron so more light could go through.

 

[Ben Pedersen]

Didn't realize you could glue acrylic to glass. Tank is completely empty.

I have only ever seen glass supports for tanks.. never acrylic.

 

[Tankkeepers]

Oceanic uses GE Contractors Silicone SCS 1200 to bond acrylic to glass.

I worked well for me

But l layer the glass flat on top rather then a sideways channel

 

[Sean Clark]

I wanted low iron so more light could go through.

I got that impression, however I think you may be overestimating the impact that this change will have on your overall par in the tank. Glass will be better than the plastic but low iron will have a very small impact over regular glass in the small area that you are talking about.

 

[Tankkeepers]

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[Tankkeepers]

I just worrie about hitting the glass and shattering it in the tank which us whybi did not use glass

Good luck I hioe what your trying to do works out exactly like you imagined

 

[Tankkeepers]

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[Tankkeepers]

That may be more helpful then the last link if you end up with acrylic altho may work good for glass to

But don't use calk use a quality 100 percent silicon most calk leaches and will deteriorate over time

 

[Ben Pedersen]

Here is a photo of the supports I am trying to replace.

 

[Sean Clark]

I wonder if it would be possible to bond acrylic to the ABS plastic rim?

 

[Tankkeepers]

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[Ben Pedersen]

I got that impression, however I think you may be overestimating the impact that this change will have on your overall par in the tank. Glass will be better than the plastic but low iron will have a very small impact over regular glass in the small area that you are talking about.

A guy I know has the same tank.. there are serious shadows from the supports. He said if he had to do it over, he would have replaced the supports with glass.. The supports are 4" wide x 1" tall.

 

[Tankkeepers]

Personally I would have whatever you use cut to size and then I'd lay it flat vs sideways and silicon it to the rim of the tank or or glue depending on what you use all you trying to do is keep the middle from bowing and braking

 

[Tankkeepers]

Also have you thought about putting a rim on the tank instead and drop the supports al together ?

Not the one it has now a real rim that's a few inches wide that keeps the glass from bowing out

 

[Ben Pedersen]

Also have you thought about putting a rim on the tank instead and drop the supports al together ?

Not the one it has now a real rim that's a few inches wide that keeps the glass from bowing out

It already has a huge rim

 

[Tankkeepers]

Oh it would have to be much thicker then what us there now but would eliminate the shadow in the middle