Building a false bottom

[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.