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Tank thickness calculations?


hlem

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Planning my “final” tank. Was wondering if there is a method, or something to determine how to size glass panels thickness. Especially for rimless.

 

Like How thick should a panel be if it’s X long by Y tall... 

 

anyone have an ideA? 

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For rimless you need thicker glass and internal bracing on the bottom. 

 

My tank is 72x30x22 and I was told that I needed to go 3/4” glass for the 6’ span. 

 

If you wanted eurobracing, you could get by with 1/2” glass but the 3/4” looks awesome. 

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For rimless you need thicker glass and internal bracing on the bottom. 
 
My tank is 72x30x22 and I was told that I needed to go 3/4” glass for the 6’ span. 
 
If you wanted eurobracing, you could get by with 1/2” glass but the 3/4” looks awesome. 


I agree with epleeds here. For a long rimless use 3/4”. I got a quote fro ReefSavvy a couple of years ago and for a 4’ rimless they were fine with 1/2”. Once I asked for 5’ they said they’d do it in 3/4”.

That calculator has a field for safety factor and that also drives the thickness. It’s pretty straight forward, the lower the safety factor, the more you risk a flood.


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(edited)

here are some "tanks" i'm considering.  So the glass would be sitting 3-4"? against cement frames (probably 12"x12" square cement corners. i thinking 12' long x 3-4' tall panel. I dont think bottom bracing is needed but what about top?  how thick should i make the glass?

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Edited by hlem
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That is a whole different realm. If they glass is only one pane and the rest is concrete I would go as thick as you can afford. Not sure what the calculation is there. But if it’s not too deep you might not need to go more than 3/4”

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16 minutes ago, epleeds said:

That is a whole different realm. If they glass is only one pane and the rest is concrete I would go as thick as you can afford. Not sure what the calculation is there. But if it’s not too deep you might not need to go more than 3/4”

 

I would want a viewing panel of 40-48” tall. And as long as possible, maybe 12’ long, I guess 1” thick would be Safe?

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At that point, I’m thinking 1.5” thick acrylic if it’s going to mirror the pictures you posted. Way cheaper than 1”+ glass

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Holy smokes that’s way out of my league! I’m with epleeds here, I’d probably go with acrylic. At 12x4 that would be a really thick piece of glass to keep it from bowing.


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I hate acrylic. poS to clean. I’m not patience enough :(

 

Maybe add another smaller 4-6” concrete column in the middle will keep it bowing or maybe 1-2” steel bar reinforcing the top? 

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Ha, keep in mind that thick glass starts to look tinted. And low iron glass with low tint is softer and more prone to scratches. Thick acrylic may actually be a better choice. And that's coming from somebody who ditched his acrylic tank years ago for the same reasons you mentioned. It's worth looking into what the pros think.

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14 minutes ago, Origami said:

Ha, keep in mind that thick glass starts to look tinted. And low iron glass with low tint is softer and more prone to scratches. Thick acrylic may actually be a better choice. And that's coming from somebody who ditched his acrylic tank years ago for the same reasons you mentioned. It's worth looking into what the pros think.

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Thanks Tom. I have an acrylic tank now. And I am definitely not liking the extra effort in cleaning to prevent scratches. I also have a low iron tank, while it’s softer than regular, I can still use a razor blade on it. That alone already have pushed me towards glass. 

 

I think I just need to consult an engineer to be sure on framing and thickness. 

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Justin (ctenophore) ot John (Copps) might also have advice on thickness. They both have really deep tanks.

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