# What kind of glass for my tank??



## zog (Jul 21, 2011)

Picked up a 55 gallon tank last night that was broken on the side for $15, took out the panel and cleaned up all the seams, now I just need to get glass.

But will any glass do(that is the same .228" or 5.9mm thickness) work?


----------



## blindkiller85 (Jan 8, 2011)

Regular glass might work that's obviously the same thickness, but if you go tempered glass then it's more than strong enough.


----------



## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

forget about tempered glass unless you want to pay 50 bucks to special order it....
measure the thickness of the glass you took out...go to the glass shop and have them cut it for you....i don't think that 1/4" will work..the tank is too long and too deep...i think 3/8" is the right thickness...

or.......if you are handy you could build 4 nice sized tanks out of the glass that you have...
2 tanks....about 135 gallons each...
1 tank .....about 90 gallons...
1 tanks about 40 gallons....


----------



## zog (Jul 21, 2011)

Well, I have abandoned the 55 gallon restoration(the other side has a chip on the inside behind the sealant on the edge, crappyness!!), and will be making a new tank with the glass I have now.. funny you said that around the same time me and my friends were coming up with ideas on what to do.. lol

I am a WaterJet programmer/operator. so I am going to cut my own shape... but I have a question... 

The only sheets I have(really want to use what I have on hand as far as glass goes)

Sheets I have are:
2 - 48"x20"
1 - 48"x12.25"

What kind of tanks could I make??

I don't get how I would be able to pull off 2 135gal though... lol


----------



## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

go to home depot or lowes or wherever..buy 2 sheets of 4' x 8 ' x 3/4" B/C plywood for each tank...
glass 48x20.....5 pieces plywood..
front and back.......24" x 54"
bottom..................24" x 52 1/2"
sides....................24" x 24"
wood screws...1 1/2"-#8 or 10 i think..also 1 3/4" #8 or 10.......one size in every other hole...space screws 2" apart....you will use a countersink pilot drill bit..
you will build a box...the sides will fit around the bottom...
you will also need 2 54" 2x4's for front and back braces...5/4 x 4 is best but hard to find..you can drill holes in the back brace to accommodate airlines , heater cords etc...

you will center and mark out for a hole on the front..45 x 17...place a 2 lb coffee can at a corner so that an edge touches each line...mark the arc...your window will have rounded corners which look better than squared corners and are also stronger...
once it is all put together you will need wood putty to fill small gaps or voids..allow to dry 48 hours..sand smooth...clean well with a tack cloth...

PAINT.................Sherwin Williams.....i prefer to use Polane B......in black....it is tricky but saves a lot of hassle...
or you could use S&W TILE CLAD ll..........in safety black..
paint the outside..let cure for 24 hours.....paint again...
paint the inside seams..let cure..paint seams again...
paint inside...let cure...paint again...
a bit of work but they are awesome tanks...i have seen them in service for more than 20 years..


----------

