30 Breeder Coast to Coast overflow ??

danb73

Non-member
I am currently building a coast to coast overflow on the short side of the tank so it will only be roughly 18" wide. The weir will be 4" wide x 5" deep. Originally I was going to use 1/4" glass but in the process of building it I thought it seemed like a bit overkill for a small weir like this in a small tank. Do you think I could get away with using 1/8" glass as there won't be much pressure inside the box. Just thinking it might not stand out as much. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
I am currently building a coast to coast overflow on the short side of the tank so it will only be roughly 18" wide. The weir will be 4" wide x 5" deep. Originally I was going to use 1/4" glass but in the process of building it I thought it seemed like a bit overkill for a small weir like this in a small tank. Do you think I could get away with using 1/8" glass as there won't be much pressure inside the box. Just thinking it might not stand out as much. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I have no experience with this so my comment may not be helpful, but my first thought was the thin glass is very fragile, even tightening the bulkheads might crack it, not to mention movement on the plumbing/hoses attached to the bulkhead.


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Ah just realized you’re probably placing the overflow inside the tank, that case it might not be an issue.


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Ah just realized you’re probably placing the overflow inside the tank, that case it might not be an issue.


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Yes, the bulkheads are going through the side of the tank not the overflow box. The 2 pieces of glass will not be drilled in any way.....just holding that small amount of water.
 
Why not use plexiglass?


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Myself personally I would use at 3/16" at a minimum. 1/4" would suit you better in terms of safety.

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I was thinking acrylic or plexiglass would not bond well to glass but wasn't sure. I know silicone works great for glass but not so much with acrylic I dont think.
 
I was thinking acrylic or plexiglass would not bond well to glass but wasn't sure. I know silicone works great for glass but not so much with acrylic I dont think.

I built a sump with a 75g using 1/4” plexi and it’s been fine.
If you use a 2”x17” strip of plexi to bond to the interior of the main overflow panel to strengthen it and avoid warping, and also use more silicone on the inside since pressure is from outside the overflow, you should be fine with using plexi. In that case I’d def go with 1/4”.


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Thanks Biggie, yeah I was definitely hesitant to use it as it will be pretty permanent. When I was putting the 1/4" weir in there it just seemed kind of overkill but maybe necessary.
 
Thanks Arsalan, maybe black acrylic would be nice then. Did you just use silicone to bond to glass??
 
I agree, black acrylic would be pretty sweet, it’ll be easier to drill/cut too. Yeah I just used GE 100% silicone from Home Depot. The bonded second layer is key though, and I’d use plexi cement for that instead of silicone to reduce the flex.


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