broken bottom 30 gallon

[orlockorlok]

I recently picked up a 30 gallon tall 24x24x12 free. after getting it home and letting the snow in it melt(the people i got it from had it on there deck) the next day i removed all the gravel found a broken glass thermometer in it and discovered the bottom was broke. i priced a piece of glass 1/4 in plate 12x24 around $10. so my questions are can i rinse the gravel and reuse?
and on the bottom when i replace it i was thinking of putting a bulkhead in the middle and putting a port for a sponge or filter strainer on it and hooking it to a canister filter and just running the return over the top. i might put a crab with guppies in it for now was also thinking of maybe turning it to saltwater several years down the line.

 

[gatotsu77]

I'm not sure if "normal" glass will hold the weight of the water the way you're hoping it will. They use tempered glass for aquariums because it is very strong, but as a trade off, it is made very brittle. 1/4" glass is pretty thick.... certainly something to shake a stick at... is there any way for you to find out just how strong it is before actually using it to replace the bottom of your tank? Oh, and I'd be very careful about trying to save the gravel... you might have to pick it out one stone at a time to keep the tiny glass fragments out of it. (and you might want to wear gloves.... glass slivers SUCK... trust me)