DIY Glass tank Need Advice

[Stephen73ta]

Building my first glass tank. I've done a few acrylic ones in the past. Just want to make sure I am doing this correctly. The tank is going to be 24x24x16 rimless. I used the Garf tank builder to figure out the dimensions, but I'm no math wiz. Is this correct?

Bottom 23.25"x23.25"
Front & back 24"x16"
2 Sides 16"x23.25"

Also, from the videos I have watched online it seems most people build on top of the bottom panel rather then attaching it to the sides. Does it really matter which route? I personally think it would be easier to add the front/back and sides directly on top of the bottom panel.

I'm also concerned with the gapping of silicone. Is this going to effect the overall size of the tank? I built my stand exactly 24x24". Will the silicone cause the tank to be slightly larger than 24"x24"?

Any help would be great. I'm so ready to order the glass already!:headwally:

[Stephen73ta]

Glass is 3/8 thickness btw

[super_steve85]

I just built a 200 gallon glass take last summer and so far it is holding up just fine. I did use a rim, but it was also 20+" tall so....

Here's how I did mine:

All four sides rest on top of the bottom piece. The two ends fit between the front and back panels.

Will you have more than one viewable side? Mine is viewable from opposite sides (it's built into the wall so you can see from one side to the other) so I was sure to have those two panes of glass run the full length of the tank.

If you are viewing from the front (or front and back only), I would think your measurements should be:

Bottom: 24"x24"
Front/Back: 24"x15 5/8" (provided the bottom piece is also 3/8")
Sides: 23 1/4"x15 5/8"

I got my glass and silicone from glass cages. They did great work. I think there are other types of silicone you can use, but I was very impressed with the stuff I received from them.

Good luck and be patient! ;)

[Stephen73ta]

Thanks Super Steve!