wooden frame and cement it in? how do I attach the wood to cement without decreasing the strength of cement?
Check out the pond I am building (plans for now)
- Thread starter Crazy Taco
- Start date
In my opinion, 5 of mounting flange for glazing an aquarium window is excessive; 2 is adequate and 3 is more than adequate. For a window 3 feet by 7 feet I would purchase at least 30 tubes of GE Silicone II XST, the standard size for calking guns, and return any unused. Make your bead at least one inch high on both surfaces and be sure they will align when pressed together. Be careful to avoid any gaps in the Silicone, once the two surfaces have been pressed together, it is very difficult to correct any mistakes. The silicone cures slowly. According to MonsterFishKeeper PTCJOHN the cure rate is about 1/8 of an inch per 24 hours. If you have a ¾ thick gasket then you will need at least 6 days of cure time. Silicone cure time is not temperature dependent; it is reliant upon moisture in the air. Some years ago, I was in a rush to see my fish in their new aquarium and did not allow the Silicone to cure properly. I had water gushing out around the window, which only developed when the aquarium was nearly full. UGGGgg!
Three-foot tall aquarium window glass can be set against the cement blocks as long as the blocks are filled with concrete and strengthened with rebar. The blocks should also be anchored in the ground or a concrete slab so they will not move under water pressure. If the blocks are not in a straight line then a wood frame might be appropriate however, the wood frame will not add support strength unless it is a 4 by 6 or larger beam. Just Silicone the wood frame to the cement blocks to make a straight-line resting surface for the glass. Slap the Silicon heavy in all contact areas. Think about how it will all come together before starting; plan every step with a time estimate.
I use short ½ lengths of 5/16 or 3/8 outside diameter air tubing as shim material to keep the glass from squeezing out most of the Silicone II over time. The tubing is pressed into the Silicone after the calking has been applied to both surfaces just before pressing them together. I space them about 6 apart.
Three-foot tall aquarium window glass can be set against the cement blocks as long as the blocks are filled with concrete and strengthened with rebar. The blocks should also be anchored in the ground or a concrete slab so they will not move under water pressure. If the blocks are not in a straight line then a wood frame might be appropriate however, the wood frame will not add support strength unless it is a 4 by 6 or larger beam. Just Silicone the wood frame to the cement blocks to make a straight-line resting surface for the glass. Slap the Silicon heavy in all contact areas. Think about how it will all come together before starting; plan every step with a time estimate.
I use short ½ lengths of 5/16 or 3/8 outside diameter air tubing as shim material to keep the glass from squeezing out most of the Silicone II over time. The tubing is pressed into the Silicone after the calking has been applied to both surfaces just before pressing them together. I space them about 6 apart.
Good luck with this build.
Anythingfish has great experience in this type of thing, as has John PTC. In fact Johns current tank is a scaled up version of what you want to build, but with acrylic windows instead of glass. Wizzin has also built somethin' similar with a wooden frame to hold his glass.
As mentioned earlier, use the search function on here to look for the projects these guys have built, you'll get mostly all the info you need. Have a look in the Articles section too.
I would insulate under your floor. It DOES make a big difference. All you would need is a polystyrene layer - 1/2" to 1" thick would do - then pour your floor slab on top. We use this for insulating concrete slab floors in houses and it works a treat.
It's not so much about locking the heat of your pond IN, but keeping cold seeping up from underneath OUT.
All the best with it, hope this helps.
Anythingfish has great experience in this type of thing, as has John PTC. In fact Johns current tank is a scaled up version of what you want to build, but with acrylic windows instead of glass. Wizzin has also built somethin' similar with a wooden frame to hold his glass.
As mentioned earlier, use the search function on here to look for the projects these guys have built, you'll get mostly all the info you need. Have a look in the Articles section too.
I would insulate under your floor. It DOES make a big difference. All you would need is a polystyrene layer - 1/2" to 1" thick would do - then pour your floor slab on top. We use this for insulating concrete slab floors in houses and it works a treat.
It's not so much about locking the heat of your pond IN, but keeping cold seeping up from underneath OUT.
All the best with it, hope this helps.
Awesome tips Guys! thats a ton of help! thoes pics are exactly what I was looking for.
about the floor do you think that drilling holes in the concrete and putting the rebar in the holes would be enough? or should I cut out a block width and sink a block in the floor?
I really dont want to cut into the floor if I dont have to. I was planning on drilling the holes for rebar. I could also add cement to the out side of the structure and kind of make an arc up to the wall from the floor itself with cement.
about the floor do you think that drilling holes in the concrete and putting the rebar in the holes would be enough? or should I cut out a block width and sink a block in the floor?
I really dont want to cut into the floor if I dont have to. I was planning on drilling the holes for rebar. I could also add cement to the out side of the structure and kind of make an arc up to the wall from the floor itself with cement.
Drilling holes in the concrete slab should be sufficient. Check johnptc article on building his concrete block aquarium. Be sure the holes in the slab are deep enough, the rebar is of sufficient size and well grouted in to the slab.
yes I will make the holes much larger and fill them with concrete. I love your site! Anythingfish its amazing. thoes ponds look so great.
......then the comment is to late LOL Check the datesyoitsfrankk;2057028; said:
not to mention that this build is being posted in the Indoor Pond section 
