Explosion **BANG** ... or not?

[Midwater]

Planning for my 3,000 litre (800 gallon I think) tank is taking weeks (or even months), let alone building it (or getting it built).

My fishtank builder recommends 15mm (5/8") tempered glass. But the price he gets from the glass factory makes the tank too expensive. So I can get the glass myself, as I know a glass factory who I have dealt with before. And I have asked them. They can provide the glass but were worried that a tempered glass aquarium could explode.

BANG !

Really? I do understand that tempered glass will not crack under stress, but break into myriad pieces. I know that.

Has anyone actually had a tempered glass aquarium fail? Explode!

 

[jjohnwm]

Plenty of tanks use tempered glass. As long as the glass is thick enough, no problem. If you use glass that is too thin for the pressure involved, a tank will fail regardless of what kind of glass it is. Regular glass will crack; tempered glass will shatter into tiny pieces, not "explode", but it would be a pretty impressive event that might be described as explosive.

Get yourself a tempered glass tank, and try to drill a hole into it. Everything else that happens to you that day will be an improvement...ask me how I know...

 

[duanes]

Get yourself a tempered glass tank, and try to drill a hole into it. Everything else that happens to you that day will be an improvement...ask me how I know...

This is the only problem I have with tempered glass, that it can't be drilled. And with an 800 gal, you might want that option for adding sumps or other convieonses in doing water changes or the like..
Below, is what happens when trying to drill tempered glass.

 

[Midwater]

And with an 800 gal, you might want that option for adding sumps

It will have a sump, close to 200 gallons. And the base plate for the tank will be drill before being tempered.

 

[12 Volt Man]

I was under the impression that tempered glass is not recommended for the sides and front/back of the tank as the tempering process can impart a distortion that may be visible when viewing?? obviously, as it is often used for the bottom panel for strength this is not an issue. can anyone confirm?

 

[Caveden]

This is the only problem I have with tempered glass, that it can't be drilled. And with an 800 gal, you might want that option for adding sumps or other convieonses in doing water changes or the like..
Below, is what happens when trying to drill tempered glass.

I finally found out how u look like…

 

[skjl47]

Hello; I also tried to cut some tempered glass. A friend had his sliding glass doors replaced and gave me the old glass. Each door was two panes of glass. I decided it was too thin to use as is so decided to cut it down. When it let go it went off pretty loud. I have three sheets of the glass leaned against a wall left. Been in the way for over 13 years.
I can see the safety of it breaking into thousands of small pieces instead of large shards that would cut you up for a door. In an aquarium that total destruction would dump all the water at once. Be quite a flood. I had a 125 gallon tank side panel crack a few decades ago. It leaked out quick enough but was not sudden and total. I was able to save the fish. I was lucky the tank was in a basement room with a floor drain so I did not have floor damage.

 

[Midwater]

I was under the impression that tempered glass is not recommended for the sides and front/back of the tank as the tempering process can impart a distortion that may be visible when viewing?? obviously, as it is often used for the bottom panel for strength this is not an issue. can anyone confirm?

I have got a large tempered glass door and I cannot see any distortions in it at all.