Custom cuts of glass?

[jamest0o0]

That's a bit of a loaded question lol. Compared to what ( or when )? A lot of factors to include into the cost too. Type, edge profile ( if needed ), etc.

Hard to say how much you might save buying locally vs Amazonia mail service but I wouldn't think it will be much different. Most local places, in my experience, don't stock glass. They order it in for a specific project/job and then complete the workorder requested by final sizing, edging, etc.. unless the order can be placed into a common size / shape. Either way you end up covering the cost of the freight to bring the glass in.

I mean I guess compared to that price online. I guess that’s why aquariums are so expensive to begin with. I’m just used to buying tanks on Facebook where they’re relatively extremely cheap. So buying a sheet of glass for half the price of a 200g aquarium seems like a lot, but that’s for obvious reasons.

Doesn’t need to be fancy, just need to not break lol.

Have you considered acrylic sheet? I'd suspect it would be a cheaper alternative and likely just a good for use. Regardless at 1/2" thickness be prepared to pucker up lol

https://www.acmeplastics.com/cut-to-size-clear-acrylic-sheet-extruded?list=Category Listing

I would love to use acrylic and it likely wouldn’t need to be as thick. Problem with acrylic is I understand it doesn’t adhere as well when you silicone it glass.


And I know this isn’t entirely chameleon related, but I’ve wanted to do similar things for my future Cham projects. Plus I have no other social media/forums/etc so this is my go to for talking to people about this .

 

[regal81455]

Admittedly, I don't have any real world experience to offer as far as glass to acrylic bonding goes. I didn't realize you were starting with something glass and trying to modify it, so I apologize if I missed that part.

If you don't mind me asking, what are you trying to build?

 

[ehdee6]

Have you considered sanding the edge of the acrylic to give it a profile to adhear to? Or using an epoxy glue?

That's just where my cheap mind goes is to use acrylic too lol...

 

[jamest0o0]

Admittedly, I don't have any real world experience to offer as far as glass to acrylic bonding goes. I didn't realize you were starting with something glass and trying to modify it, so I apologize if I missed that part.

If you don't mind me asking, what are you trying to build?

No need to apologize! I appreciate the input! And yeah for this project I’m starting with a large fish tank. I’m trying to make a land/water divide so that’s why I really need something to hold up nicely.

Have you considered sanding the edge of the acrylic to give it a profile to adhear to? Or using an epoxy glue?

That's just where my cheap mind goes is to use acrylic too lol...

Yeah I’ve heard of that, but not sure how well it will hold water over time.

My other idea was to use zoopoxy (plan on doing this regardless) with some light diffuser and foam up against a thinner piece of glass you’d get at Lowe’s. I’ve never used it before, but my hope is that it could harden enough to make a solid slope from the land down to the water.

 

[MissSkittles]

Ummm…the easy solution is to put a smaller tank into your big one. Maybe an acrylic tank that you could cut down if it’s too tall? Plant around any gap to hide it being a separate tank. Maybe some small parlor palms or similar.

 

[jamest0o0]

Ummm…the easy solution is to put a smaller tank into your big one. Maybe an acrylic tank that you could cut down if it’s too tall? Plant around any gap to hide it being a separate tank. Maybe some small parlor palms or similar.

That’s actually how my 75g tank is, doesn’t look terrible, but I don’t like the look of glass on glass up against the corner and it gets pretty dirty between the spaces. For a pond in the middle of a tank I’d still do this, but I like to see the water section from the side to view fish, snails, crabs, etc.

 

[MissSkittles]

That’s actually how my 75g tank is, doesn’t look terrible, but I don’t like the look of glass on glass up against the corner and it gets pretty dirty between the spaces. For a pond in the middle of a tank I’d still do this, but I like to see the water section from the side to view fish, snails, crabs, etc.

Within a few minutes after posting, it came to me that you might want a view inside the water.
Ok, well…is it aquarium strength or thickness glass that you are needing? Can you get a tank (new or used) just to disassemble it for the glass you need? Have a glass shop person cut it to your needed size?

 

[jamest0o0]

Within a few minutes after posting, it came to me that you might want a view inside the water.
Ok, well…is it aquarium strength or thickness glass that you are needing? Can you get a tank (new or used) just to disassemble it for the glass you need? Have a glass shop person cut it to your needed size?

Not a bad idea… not a bad idea at all! Now to find a glass shop person

 

[regal81455]

Cool, I just recently finished up a similar land/water project myself for some vampire crabs. Only a 20g though. Is the planned tank for mixed species?

 

[jamest0o0]

Cool, I just recently finished up a similar land/water project myself for some vampire crabs. Only a 20g though. Is the planned tank for mixed species?

Care to show some pictures? I love vampire crabs. I have a gigantic cardisoma guanhumi (Caribbean land crab).

 

[regal81455]

Sure I'll grab some this evening and post them up. Nothing too crazy but it was fun project. That's a big crab in comparison lol

 

[jamest0o0]

Sure I'll grab some this evening and post them up. Nothing too crazy but it was fun project. That's a big crab in comparison lol

Still sounds cool. I grabbed a 150g tall tank for my guy. Right now he’s in a 75g with cycled saltwater and freshwater pools. They have snails, some plants(when he doesn’t eat them), etc. Trying to make a larger water side with deeper substrate for the 150g.

 

[regal81455]

That's awesome man; we just don't have the space for tanks that big right now. House is a like a small zoo and it's a smaller home to begin with lol. Here's some pics. Has fogger & active stream circulating the pool water through a sponge filter and out of the skull's mouth. A mister for occasional rain events. Fluval Plant 3.0 for the live plants and a reptizoo fan thing that helps circulate the air some. Fun little project. We actual just introduce the crabs to it yesterday so they're all hiding. They were in a 10g that was kind of thrown together and I wasn't satisfied with it. Isn't that how it always goes lol!

Pool water houses ramshorn snails and neocardinia shrimp for clean up crew and land portion has springtails ( 3 types ) and isopods.

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

That's awesome man; we just don't have the space for tanks that big right now. House is a like a small zoo and it's a smaller home to begin with lol. Here's some pics. Has fogger & active stream circulating the pool water through a sponge filter and out of the skull's mouth. A mister for occasional rain events. Fluval Plant 3.0 for the live plants and a reptizoo fan thing that helps circulate the air some. Fun little project. We actual just introduce the crabs to it yesterday so they're all hiding. They were in a 10g that was kind of thrown together and I wasn't satisfied with it. Isn't that how it always goes lol!

Pool water houses ramshorn snails and neocardinia shrimp for clean up crew and land portion has springtails ( 3 types ) and isopods.View attachment 367126View attachment 367127View attachment 367128View attachment 367129

That is a great looking terrarium. Are you going to put a chameleon and branches inside this terrarium?

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich

 

[regal81455]

That is a great looking terrarium. Are you going to put a chameleon and branches inside this terrarium?

Best Regards
Jeremy A. Rich

Thank you kindly, took a few weeks for it to all come together! This was made and currently houses four vampire crabs.

 

[jamest0o0]

That's awesome man; we just don't have the space for tanks that big right now. House is a like a small zoo and it's a smaller home to begin with lol. Here's some pics. Has fogger & active stream circulating the pool water through a sponge filter and out of the skull's mouth. A mister for occasional rain events. Fluval Plant 3.0 for the live plants and a reptizoo fan thing that helps circulate the air some. Fun little project. We actual just introduce the crabs to it yesterday so they're all hiding. They were in a 10g that was kind of thrown together and I wasn't satisfied with it. Isn't that how it always goes lol!

Pool water houses ramshorn snails and neocardinia shrimp for clean up crew and land portion has springtails ( 3 types ) and isopods.View attachment 367126View attachment 367127View attachment 367128View attachment 367129

lol! You really talked this down! Looks great.

What did you use for the background/substrate if you don’t mind me asking? Are you in any paludarium/crab groups?

 

[regal81455]

lol! You really talked this down! Looks great.

What did you use for the background/substrate if you don’t mind me asking? Are you in any paludarium/crab groups?

Well thank you, appreciate the kind words.

Not at all. I used expanding spray foam, carved it out, and then applied a few layers of drylok in a base color. Then tinted some with acrylic inks and drybrushed a few more to give it some color depth. Applied some silicone 1 to various locations and stuck some railroad basing material / gravel to some spots to give it a little more variety.

The substrate is a mixture of cocoa coir, cocoa fiber, sphagnum moss, worm castings, and sand.

I'm not; I lurk around on this one, a car forum, a 3d printing forum , and a boardgame forum. Too many interests, not enough time in a day lol. Can't say I even knew there were any but I'm also not surprised. Seems you dig deep enough there is a forum / group for anything nowadays online. What a great time we live in if you can weed through the nonsense lol.

Anyways thanks again for the kind words. Anytime I do these types of things, I'm constantly my worst enemy and biggest critic. I'm always thinking about ways to improve on what I've done. If only my time and money was as abundant as my thoughts and ideas are!

 

[jamest0o0]

Well thank you, appreciate the kind words.

Not at all. I used expanding spray foam, carved it out, and then applied a few layers of drylok in a base color. Then tinted some with acrylic inks and drybrushed a few more to give it some color depth. Applied some silicone 1 to various locations and stuck some railroad basing material / gravel to some spots to give it a little more variety.

The substrate is a mixture of cocoa coir, cocoa fiber, sphagnum moss, worm castings, and sand.

I'm not; I lurk around on this one, a car forum, a 3d printing forum , and a boardgame forum. Too many interests, not enough time in a day lol. Can't say I even knew there were any but I'm also not surprised. Seems you dig deep enough there is a forum / group for anything nowadays online. What a great time we live in if you can weed through the nonsense lol.

Anyways thanks again for the kind words. Anytime I do these types of things, I'm constantly my worst enemy and biggest critic. I'm always thinking about ways to improve on what I've done. If only my time and money was as abundant as my thoughts and ideas are!

Of course, it’s very nice, I love the ideas that go into these things. Have you ever seen the zoopoxy? I think I’m going to foam and coat with that stuff. That can be tinted as well.

I’m the same way, nothings ever good enough smh

 

[regal81455]

I have not seen that product before. I'll have to google it and look into.

Oddly enough I recently came across a youtube video of someone using ZooMed Excavator Clay and nothing else. He just stuck it straight to the back glass. After a little digging, seems it's more popular approach than I would have expected if you're going for that arid look. If and when I decide to redo our Leo's 40g I may have to consider that route. I do wonder about the weight this would add though

Here's a link...