Tank building advice needed

[Alterego]

My original plan was to repair a 60g hex I had lying around, but now I've changed my mind and want to build a tank that would better suit my needs. I am planning on building an 80g rectangular tank out of glass, I know that acrylic is lighter and easier to work with but my brother in law owns a large glass shop and it would be substantially cheaper than the $500 they would like to charge me for the acrylic.

There are many calculators out there that will give me the minimum thickness of the glass needed for an aquarium of this size so I am not too concerned with that, the part that I am worried about is bonding the glass together. I have difficulties believing that those pieces of glass will stay glued together with silicone caulking under the weight of 80g of salt water w/live rock, sand, coral and livestock. The DIY stand I will be building will have a brace around the bottom 1/4 inch of the tank so that may help a bit but I still have concerns.

If anyone has any glass tank building experience or any links to detailed information I would welcome hearing from you.

Brendan

[KrazyKuch]

As much as it is hard to believe, but the best thing for holding the glass together is Silicon.....Thats all that's holding my 230G together!!!!

[Buccaneer]

The key is to be prepared ... The edges of the glass have to be clean ( no oils from your skin ) so vinegar and water will do to clean them.

I use duct tape to hold it all together for the first 48 hrs ... 2 strips per corner ... best to have a friend to help put the sides in place.

place bottom glass on perfectly level surface ( use a carpenters level to be sure ) ... silicone the back edge and one side edge ... place back and side securely as quickly as possible ... you dont want air bubbles in the silicone so getting the pieces of glass together quickly is important so the silicone does not start to " skin " before you have it set ... then secure the other side and finally the front ... 4 large clamps on either end at this point ( top and bottom ) would help secure the tank for curing ... they are not a necessity but handy if you have them available.

after it has cured for 24 hrs then you can caulk the inside edges with silicone ... I prefer to use GE 1200 but any clear 100% silicone will work ( except for those with the antimildew agents )

If you plan to eurobrace then do that after the tank is complete

I have built up to 240G tanks this way and 330G with wood/fiberglass method

PS ... I am looking for a good deal on 3/4" glass ... can you hook me up with a deal ?

[Clown]

Hey
I have now completed two ONe Was About 12 Gallons
My new one im puting into actiong today Is About A 20 Gallon
All i can say is make sure the glass is clen and dry And Use More then enough
Sillicon
And Apply pressur (i use Tape just keep check it the glass has moved ever 10 min)
Btw If You Can Find It I Would TRy and get black sillicon It Just Looks Better