Building a false bottom

[ejh805]

Hey guys,

So, I had to completely disassemble my pixies tank last night. The bottom cracked length and width-wise.
In stead of going out and buying a completely new tank, could I save about $90 by having some thick, strong plexi-glass cut to the same measurements as the floor and then sealing it in place on top of the existing bottom?
I made a stupid mistake my using a too-small stand for my tank, placing all the pressure on the glass. I'm going to be correcting that as well.

Here are pics showing the cracks. Sorry if they're kinda hard to see.

[flybyferns]

Hi Emily,
Sorry, what a shame.
Just a thought.
Another member recently that Petco is having a dollar/gallon tank sale?

Consider completely rinsing the rest of the substrate out. Dry it really well ( no water should be there).
Then put another heavy coat of Aquarium sealant down - expanding over the the area/ overlapping what you have already done.

I don't know how big this tank is ? But for a dollar a gallon, you might spend more on aquarium sealant than on a new tank as you will be needing a lot to ensure it will not leak after all your hard work.

Lynn

[ejh805]

Lynn,

Thank you for the advice. I'll try that.
And unfortunately, there isn't a Petco within 300 miles of me
As for size, it's a 40 gallon breeder.

[HerpDerp]

That is such a shame. You should check craigslist or other local classifieds for tanks too. It might save you money in the long run. I can't believe you're so far away from a Petco... they're everywhere up here!

[deranged chipmunk]

A couple things, no that it matters, but petco won't be having that sale until after the new year. Secondly, if that were just 1 crack i would suggest a piece of plexi siliconed in on top of the existing glass. But yours broke into 3 pieces and that is a different story, structurally speaking. I would suggest, at the bare minimum, sandwiching the cracked glass between 2 sheets of plexi. If you plan on building a false bottom, then plexi inside and 3/8" lexan on the bottom. Lexan is stronger than plexi. With the false bottom, you are going to be dealing with much more weight. .better be safe than sorry.

[ejh805]

Bill,

Thank you.
I think maybe I used the term "false bottom" incorrectly. I meant it just as what you described in the first one without the lexan.
I just need a way to make it so the bottom wont fall out. It still seems like it is tightly in place (no pieces shifting etc). Do you think I could clean and dry it out, place a layer of sealant on top, then place some plexi on top of the sealant? Then underneath, do the same thing? OR is that overkill?

[deranged chipmunk]

Gotcha. I believe you must sandwich it. And i would use the thickest you can afford and no less that 1/4". I would use thicker on the bottom if possible. You can use ge silicone. No need to spend a weeks pay on aquarium sealant. Lol spread liberally and then lay the glass in, support the underside (a cut up yoga mat will work well), lay the new piece in and then weigh it down. Let it cure for a week, minimum before doing the bottom. I would definitely cover the front to back crack with your land section as an added measure of insurance.

[ejh805]

I just called every home depot, lowes, and ace hardware within 50 miles. NONE of them cut glass or plexiglass any thicker than 1/8th of an inch...
Think I'm just going to have to buy a new tank I feel like I shot myself in the foot.
UGH.

Thank you though, Bill.

[deranged chipmunk]

If you know anyone with a circular/jigsaw/ tablesaw, plexi is easily cut. I have cut it with handsaws before, but it's very tiring on a large piece. Of course, i'm old too....lol

[ejh805]

I don't :/
Kinda keep to myself for the most part and the people I do know don't have that kinda stuff, unfortunately.
Petsmart down the road has the same ones on sale for i think $86ish. Which is better than what I paid for this but I'm still pretty pissed off at myself. A cheap piece of plywood could have prevented this entire fiasco.


*on a more positive note, I walked into the room where Kero's in his spare tank, he saw me and ducked under the water and a bunch of little poot bubbles came up while he was "hiding"*

[deranged chipmunk]

Sorry i just think 1/8" is too thin, especially since the bottom is now 3 pieces. I could be wrong, i do tend to over engineer things, but that is just how i would do it.

[ejh805]

I completely agree with that. When I built the land/water divider, I used 4 sheets of 1/8th thick glass before I felt it was sufficient.
Maybe I can find something on craigslist instead of shelling out more money that I don't need to be spending.

[flybyferns]

Lynn,

Thank you for the advice. I'll try that.
And unfortunately, there isn't a Petco within 300 miles of me
As for size, it's a 40 gallon breeder.

Oh , sorry . That's a nice big tank. It's worth fixing.
"300 miles" ....... sounds nice and peaceful!
I guess patch it up and do a nice ..............long water test.
I'm sure you know you have to wait at least 48 hours ( read instruction to be sure) before adding water.
Lynn

[ejh805]

I found 1 store that sells plexiglass.
But it's only 1/16th of an inch, and the measurements are 36x72in.
Which means I could cut 1 sheet into 4, layer those on top of each other, and have 1/4 inch...

[deranged chipmunk]

That would work. And it would actually be stronger because it would be laminated.

[Wicked frogs]

geeze i am sorry7 to here about that Em did you ever fix the problem?

[ejh805]

I'm working on getting it fixed.
It's still curing. Once the smell goes away I'll put water in it, and if it holds, I'll start putting it back together.