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950 gallon plywood aquarium glass thickness question.

R

Rgreenfield3

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
I'm wanting to somewhat recreate this build but with a few changes. First from the floor of the tank to the bottom of the glass unsupported will be 8 inches. Also I won't be filling this thing all the way I want to leave about 5 inches from the top. From the bottom of the glass unsupported to the top of the water will be 35". The tank inside dimension will be 4' high by 8' long by 4' wide. I will also be making the glass 2" wider on every side than the window to help with reinforcing. I will also be using several 2*6 boards for bracing up top as well as.
What thickness of regular sheet glass would I need? Also with a braced plywood aquarium what is the minimum safety factor for regular glass? Thanks.

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at 8x4 I'd suggest using a bit thicker then 1/2
maybe 5/8 or 15mm?
yes you won't go full volume so you could likely get away with 1/2 however.
 
Awesome, just out of curiosity let's say I wanted to make the window about 36" or even maybe 40" tall. Would 19mm glass work? Just wanting to weigh out all my options here before deciding which route to go down.
 
Rgreenfield3 said:
Awesome, just out of curiosity let's say I wanted to make the window about 36" or even maybe 40" tall. Would 19mm glass work? Just wanting to weigh out all my options here before deciding which route to go down.
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When people build acrylic tanks with 4ft height. People recommend 1 1/4"-1.5" acrylic panels. I would say 3/4" to 1" for this? Others for sure will chime in
 
Glass or acrylic needs to be the same thickness as you would do for a regular tank build. It is still going to have the same amounts of pressure on it, just a bit different on the bracing.

As far as glass, I wouldn't consider under 3/4" if you are going 36"+ deep. Hell I was considering 3/4" when I do my build at 30" deep.
 
My calculations are 22 mm (for a 3.5 safety factor) to as low as 18 mm (for a 2.5 safety factor.)

This is based upon a real depth of 35 inches of water.

The window itself of course will need to be a little taller to allow for the installation, but the thickness can still be calculated on depth below the water line of the exposed glass.)

I'd lean towards the higher number (22 mm.)
 
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