Glass Thickness Guide

[amehel0]

yes, it can. there is a major manufactuer here in north america (Perfecto Manufacturing) that makes a 265g 84x24x30 tall out of roughly 1/2" (the glass they use seems to be about a mm thinner than true 12mm glass..), although they tend to use thinner glass than the other big two over here (Aqueon and Oceanic) and their cross braces are the "filmsiest" out there right now..not exactly my first choice in tank manufacturers.

I think part of the reason that many have found some (not all) of these recommendations a bit on the thin side (myself included as you know) is because of the height on some of these tanks. height is the main determining factor in glass thickness for aquariums, length and width are not as important.

look at this example:

72x24x28 10mm

a 28" tall tank with a volume of 210g with glass thickness that is used on standard 65 and 75 gallon tanks (in North America) that are much shorter.

what kind of bracing would be needed on a tank like this to make it safe? would more cross braces be needed than normal?

thanks.

im sorry mate but width is just as important as height. on all the tanks (everything using 10mm thick glass)
there are 2 endrails(everything using 10mm thick glass) 1,2 or 3 braces and anything with a end panel that equals more then 360cm2 needs floor rails.

 

[nishant_datta]

i have recently setup my 280 gal. tank which is 5' x 3' x 2.5' made out of 12mm non-tempered / regular glass. 12mm glass is good for a lotta big tanks provided correct bracing is given.

 

[12 Volt Man]

12mm glass is good for a lotta big tanks provided correct bracing is given.

absolutely. as I said, I think part of the reason I am concerned is that since the beginning, it was not so much the recommendations for using the 1/2" but rather some of those very large and tall tanks (eg. the 72x24x28) using only 3/8ths. but with correct bracing, it can be done.

problem is, this thread is a sticky, for people building their own tanks.

how do they know they have done the proper bracing? it is not touched on at all in this thread.

obviously, experienced tank builders can make 200+ gallon tanks that are very tall with only 10mm glass and do it safely.

but can the average MFKer coming to this thread looking for guidance?

that was my concern.

now, obviously, hopefully someone is not going to try and build a 200g tank as a first tank so hopefully they would know what they are doing before trying it, especially with only 10mm glass.

but for this thread to be useful as a sticky, there needs to be more clarification on the bracing.

how are large tanks made with thinner than normal glass ( at least here in north america) braced? how many braces? glass or plastic? just crosswise or are more needed?

some clarification would be appreciated.

 

[nishant_datta]

If you mean mine, there is no bracing, just thick plastic moulding around the perimeter of the bottom and top, attached with silicone.
sorry,no pics

thickness of bottom glass may not ensure absolute safety of your tank. I have a 8' x 2' x 2' made out of 12mm glass. I've used bracing on the top of the tank. Two 3" wide braces running down the length on front and back top side and five 3" wide braces across the breadth, just to be absolutely sure. Thats working fine for almost a year now. My advice is get braces on top side atleast before water testing your tank.

 

[amehel0]

yes i would recommend using 3 cross braces 2 rails and 2 endrails

 

[ldschmdit29]

I have a 300 gallon. It is 8 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 2 1/2 feet high. With no center brace... I have leak tested it and it has no leaks. However I did notice a slight bow. I do not know if this is ok or not? It is made of 15 mm glass, which is thicker than usual. I just need a definitive answer from someone with experience whether I am good to fill up this tank... I've asked other people, glasscages etc...but they try to sell me there euro-bracing kit for 200 dollars...I'm not sure if there just trying to sell me something. And I if I did use this euro-bracing I would have to take off the plastic rim that is on it....So is this tank ok? Thanks for any quick responses!

 

[12 Volt Man]

if Oceanic designed it without a brace, as they did in the 90's, then it doesn't need a brace.

with my braceless tanks from the 90's, there was a slight bow that was normal (90g with 1/2" glass).

you just need to make sure the silicone seals are fine.

as I have said, personally, I think that the older thick glass braceless tanks were much better built than the more modern thin glass braced tanks.

 

[l3raD]

9' x 6' x 6' ??????? Thats a view of almost a standard bedroom wall!!!!

Wats the maximum size for Glass in LxH as in a ply build or something?
I have an idea of something 10'x3'x3' or a 4' in Height if possible wat would you recommend for that?

Oh ive priced glass but never acrylic wats the price difference?
Ty for the Thread also

 

[amehel0]

dont know the price of acrylic however you can go as thick as needed for acrylic. the thickest float glass you can get is 25mm in australia.

10x3x3 15mm
10x3x4 19mm
10x4x3 19mm

 

[Windsorguy77]

There seems to be alot of people on here that keep asking the same old question how thick should my glass be. well i am going to write it up so you all can know and can just look it up here. i build glass aquariums from 24x12x15 to 96x36x24". Now remember folks when calculating that you need to consider the end panel and not the front. Ok so here goes in LxWxH terms

24x12x15 4mm

36x15x18 6mm
36x18x18 6mm
36x18x20 6mm
36x24x24 10mm
36x24x28 10mm
36x36x24 12mm
36x24x36 12mm
36x30x30 12mm

48x15x18 6mm
48x18x18 6mm
48x18x20 6mm
48x24x24 10mm


once again once your end panels are 3x3 15mm is required
3x4 19+mm 3x5 25mm


I've read in numerous places that a aquarium with a height over 20" glass thickness moves from 3/8 to 1/2. Now I'm confused. Plan on building this aquarium in a couple of weeks.