Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am trying to design a new indoor pond in my basement. Right now it will be for my 3 adult RES but I would like to eventually get a dwarf caiman (P.palpebrosus).

I would like to make it at least 8ft x 4ft and maybe 18" deep. The problem is, I would really like to incorporate a glass pane along one of the sides so I can see into the water as well. So I'm wondering if I make the pond out of fiberglass, how do I secure the glass and maintain strength and watertightness? Does fiberglass adhere to glass well? Does silicone adhere to fiberglass? Any thoughts.

Thanks.

hi.. I´m not sure about silicone and fiberglass, but here is a pic of a little pond, maybe you can get some ideas..

best wishes

Rick

Wow, that's cool. What do you keep in there?

hi
I used to keep my dwarf caiman, but I dont have it any more (the pool)I sold it... now I house my dwarf outdoors...

best wishes

rick

Hello-
I have constructed several indoor pond/aquariums with side viewing glass panels. First let me address your concern of silicone. Silicone is a poor choice with anything other than glass. It will not seal acrylic to plastics, plastics to glass, etc. I had a big project fail because of this. You need a polyurethane-based adhesive for this. I have used SikaFlex-291 for this. It will cost a lot more than silicone but it will seal very good. Make sure your glass or acrylic is strong enough to support the weight of the water pushing out. I have used 1/2 tempered glass for 30" windows (remember tempered is much stronger than regular plate glass).

John Paner

John, thank you very much! This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for. I assume you put the glass panel on the inside of the fiberglass pond. How much overlap do you usually use? Also, how many layers of matting do you recommend for a pond that is 12'x6'x2'? Thanks again!

- David

I have used fiberglass for some time as well. The glass I use is the glass from hockey rinks. Not actually GLASS but plastic. It is about an inch thick and extremely strong. They are constantly replacing it at rinks around Detroit. I get the glass for free, and take only pieces with like a corner broken out. I cut it on my band saw with a metal cutting blade. To secure it to the fiberglass I place it on the inde of the tank, right after applying the resin. Then i apply several layers over it applying resin to each layer. If there is a pocket between the initail layer and the added layers, I fill it with expansion foam. The fiberglass is water proof and you don't have to worry about the expansion foam. The glass seals to the resin along with the fiberglass.

The neat thing about it is that you can create unique looking windows which can look like they are in a break between rocks or what ever. I use a plastic coating (like Rhyno Liner) for the interior floor of the enclosures and boat applicable paint for the rest.

Wow, that sounds like an excellent design! I really like the idea of incorporating the windows into the natural design of the enclosure. Thanks for sharing that.

Is that glass you're using plexiglass? That's great that you can get the stuff for free. I'll have to check out the rinks in my area. You got some great ideas, man! Thanks again!

Thank you
yeah I've been at it for over 25 yrs now. I run the S/E Michigan reptile rescue. We started out just doing resuces for crocs and have evolved to the point where we handle venomous snakes as well.
We staarted experimenting with the fiberglass a while back. The windows are the plexiglass kind of clear plastic sheeting that they use in ice rinks. Very tough stuff that is easily cleaned. The nice thing about using fiberglass is shaping it to your needs. You also have the ability to place your filter nozzles where you want them and can create a hiding place for you filter and pump.