I am planning a tank build, 96 in long x 24 in deep x 32 in tall , planning on 1/2 thick glass . I could use some in put on if I should have the glass tempered or not., there will be aluminum rims top and bottom with cross bracing every 24 in., which I can fabricate where I work .
temper or not to temper
- Thread starter Verble Kint
- Start date
The general concenses is no tempered glass for an aquarium, except maybe the bottom. If it ever does brake it wont just crack it will shatter. If you are going to go 32inches you will need 5/8 to 3/4 inch glass. If you take it down to 28inches you can do 1/2 inch.
32" seems very high for 1/2" glass to me. id go 3/4" and tempered glass is danherous as one little knick turns the stuff to sand again.
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That's not necessarily true. I made a video where I took a sledge hammer to tempered glass. It took at least ten hits before it shattered.
I'd just go with regular plate glass. Tempered glass is a bit more expensive and doesn't add that much of a benefit.
I was checking out glass prices in my area and the tempered glass would cost roughly $1600 @ 3/4 and I could purchase the acrylic to build the same size tank for just over half that cost....my question is everyone talks about scratching on the acrylic , are those on the out side of the tank and are scratches on the inside visable when the tank is full of water?
i have a buddy who works in a glass shop and in the middle of the glass its supossed to be tough like that but on the corners where most accidents happen when you drop an aquarium they are very weak and will shatter with ease if hit on the right spot
yes but the Tank I am planning is nearly 400 gallons, 4x yours in water , which is about 3250 lbs (water = 8.33 lbs if I remember correctly) and that is alot of pressure to put on a piece of 8ft glass. I do not know what the hydraulic pressure would be or even the equation to figure it out, but it seams to me it would a hell of lot having a ton and a half of pushing on the center of the glass
Hydrostatic pressure is dependent on the height of the water only and not at all on the total volume of water in the tank. It's a little difficult to get your head around but maybe you can think of it like this. The pressure on the sides of the tank is just the pressure to keep the water "up" (or in it's current shape) not the weight of the water due to gravity.
Or try this thought experiment, when you jump in a body of water, are you instantly crushed if it's a very large body of water? No, of course not, the pressure of the water is dependent on your depth, not whether you're in a swimming pool or an ocean.
Or try this thought experiment, when you jump in a body of water, are you instantly crushed if it's a very large body of water? No, of course not, the pressure of the water is dependent on your depth, not whether you're in a swimming pool or an ocean.
