Howdy fish lovers. I am a technical consultant for a glass shop in Belize (Central America) and we have a client planning to build a home with a 2000+ gallon salt-water aquarium along one size of his home. He has asked us to assist with supplying/installing a glass window for the project approximately 10ft wide x 5ft tall which will be set into the concrete wall and give a clear view into the aquarium from his living space.
We have never done anything like this project, however we are the top glass experts in this country, and we are excited to work on a project which will push us into new territory.
I have three primary questions as outlined below:
1) While trying to do some research, I stumbled upon a thread here (.../forums/threads/how-to-calculate-the-glass-thickness-for-your-aquarium.50760/ - full URL omitted because of my new account restrictions) which allowed me to do some basic calculations and determine that based on the tensile strength of tempered glass (65MPa). Based on those calculations, we would require the glass window to be produced with 34mm heat tempered glass at a minimum. However, the calculations provided assume the glass side will reach to the top of the water level, whereas in this project, the window will be supported on all 4 sides, and will be 1-2ft below the top level of water in the tank. So, I assumed a 6ft tall window in my calculations to compensate. To be on the safe size, I am planning to order the glass at 38mm thickness (1 1/2") which should give us a nice margin for safety. I would like to know if anyone would disagree with the calculations/assumptions thus far?
2) I would also be interested in discussing the plan for sealing the window into the wall. Luckily here in tropical Belize, the seasonal temperature swings are very small, daily average summer and winter temps hovering within the 75F - 95F range (50F - 105F are the outer extremes). So I believe sealing the glass will not be as challenging as in many other parts of the world. What are your suggestions for sealing the window?
3) Because we are inexperienced with aquariums in general, I am sure there are more factors we need to consider that we are completely unaware of. When it come to aquarium maintenance & fish-keeping, that is up to the client....however, I am specifically interested in the design & construction of the tank, and in sealing this glass window. What else do I need to consider with this project?
Thanks in advance
We have never done anything like this project, however we are the top glass experts in this country, and we are excited to work on a project which will push us into new territory.
I have three primary questions as outlined below:
1) While trying to do some research, I stumbled upon a thread here (.../forums/threads/how-to-calculate-the-glass-thickness-for-your-aquarium.50760/ - full URL omitted because of my new account restrictions) which allowed me to do some basic calculations and determine that based on the tensile strength of tempered glass (65MPa). Based on those calculations, we would require the glass window to be produced with 34mm heat tempered glass at a minimum. However, the calculations provided assume the glass side will reach to the top of the water level, whereas in this project, the window will be supported on all 4 sides, and will be 1-2ft below the top level of water in the tank. So, I assumed a 6ft tall window in my calculations to compensate. To be on the safe size, I am planning to order the glass at 38mm thickness (1 1/2") which should give us a nice margin for safety. I would like to know if anyone would disagree with the calculations/assumptions thus far?
2) I would also be interested in discussing the plan for sealing the window into the wall. Luckily here in tropical Belize, the seasonal temperature swings are very small, daily average summer and winter temps hovering within the 75F - 95F range (50F - 105F are the outer extremes). So I believe sealing the glass will not be as challenging as in many other parts of the world. What are your suggestions for sealing the window?
3) Because we are inexperienced with aquariums in general, I am sure there are more factors we need to consider that we are completely unaware of. When it come to aquarium maintenance & fish-keeping, that is up to the client....however, I am specifically interested in the design & construction of the tank, and in sealing this glass window. What else do I need to consider with this project?
Thanks in advance
