Where to get glass for aquariums

Glass or Acrylic? As far as I am aware, this is the sole method for building a glass aquarium. In most cases, the silicone is either clear or black and there is no quality or structural considerations here — just visual. Most aquariums are built with a tempered glass bottom for strength and the rest of the panels with plate glass. You will also encounter two types of glass…regular and low-iron glass. Glass has less insulation capability and that can be a pro or a con depending on the room temperature and the aquarium temperature you are trying to achieve.

The Good News: 1 Glass is going to be less expensive than acrylic in almost all cases. Very large tanks made of glass can be as expensive as acrylic pricing, but at these extra large sizes glass is typically not a good option and we will cover that in the paragraph to follow. Having owned several before and working with them now I can say with certainty that they can take a lot of friction without scratching but can still scratch if mistreated with a sharp object and enough pressure.

The Bad News: 1 Glass is heavier than acrylic — as much as 10 times heavier! When dealing with large tanks weight can become a consideration especially with raised foundations where the weight may cause a dip in the floor or worse — this too can be overcome by reinforcing the floor. If you accidentally slam a rock onto the glass panel or something heavy that is moved around the aquarium hits it, the aquarium can break — but again this is very unlikely to happen but is important to note and remember.

This provides a level of strength and security that glass aquariums with their silicone seals cannot match. Modifications to existing aquariums can be conducted using tools common in the average home workshop. With all these distinct advantages of acrylic, it is important to note the disadvantages as well. For the discerning aquarist for whom scratches in the window might be a frustrating eye-sore, the decision to make their aquarium tank out of acrylic could be one they regret.

Whereas scratches in glass are pretty well permanent. Additionally, other than a few small nano aquaria on the market, most sizable acrylic aquariums are custom manufactured. This means that the materials cost is far more likely to vary with market costs…which can be significant, especially over time.

Yellowing — Yes, acrylic can yellow over time, depending on the type of acrylic being used. Be sure to question your acrylic aquarium manufacturer to ensure that non-yellowing acrylic is being quoted for your custom aquarium build. Other considerations to make when thinking about which material to choose could be the size of the decor that you plan to add to your aquarium once it is completed.

With the popularity of DIY aquarium backgrounds and 3D backgrounds available for sale , it should be noted that acrylic aquariums often have a restricted access unless specifically ordered otherwise.

This can make installing artificial coral reef inserts or DIY background inserts quite the chore, if not impossible, in some custom built acrylic aquariums. There are plenty of custom aquarium manufacturers that will try and sway you towards the material that they employ to manufacture custom tanks. Obviously, they have a bias. The right material for your custom aquarium build depends on the design of your aquarium system. Because glass is more scratch resistant and acrylic is easily workable, I often have custom glass aquarium constructed and will employ a custom designed acrylic sump or refugium, getting the most of the material I select for each component.

The primary reason is that above a few hundred gallons, custom glass aquaria are far too heavy to be moved by man-power alone. Upload Drawings. Describe Details. Which Brand do you use?

Why use 15mm Low Iron Annealed Glass and not toughened? Edge Polishing. Glass Corners. Laminated Glass. Related products Hot. Select options. Pilkington Glass Saint-Gobain Glass. BSi Site. We deliver to the Whole of UK. The pad will keep the tank from failing due to a point load on the glass surface, which can be caused by dirt or grit on the stand surface. If the tank bottom is fully supported, you can also use a thinner-than-normal piece of glass for the tank bottom since the stand will be adding strength and support and keep the glass from bending.

Another trick is to compute the required thickness for the end pieces of your tank. In all likelihood, the required thickness will be less than the longer front and rear pieces of glass. Glass preparation and proper installation of the panels is important when you are building your do-it-yourself aquarium, but more so when constructing a larger-sized tank. For the best bonding results, apply only as much silicone as you can work within three to five minutes because after this the silicone tends to skin over and will not bond well to the glass.

Lay down a bead of silicone on the bottom glass for the rear and one side glass panel and on one side edge of the back panel, installing the back glass panel on the bottom, and then the side panel to the bottom and rear panel.

When any section to be joined has been set into place, the silicone needs to be smoothed out. This is done by starting at one end of a joined section, press the tip of an index finger down into the silicone, then firmly and evenly, without lifting your finger, run it along the full length of the silicone joint at a slight angle.

Secure the joined section into place with duct tape. Do not worry about wiping away any excess silicone that squeezes out from around your finger.

It can be cleaned up or trimmed off once the silicone has fully cured. The supporting surface of the tank base must be very level. On very large aquariums this can be difficult to achieve, and self-leveling filler may be needed between the polystyrene and the base.