i have seen glass thickness calculator for all glass aquariums, but i am building a 600 gallon plywood tank with only a 24" high x 36" long viewing window in the center of the front panel. how thick of glass would i actually need for the viewing window? the inside dimensions of the tank are 87" long x 39" wide x 40" deep at water level. i called local glass stores and the thickest any had on hand for that size was 3/8" but it was safety glass. would that be safe and strong enough??
glass thickness help for viewing window.
- Thread starter okiefish
- Start date
Read over the instructions on this calculator. It can be used as a reverse calc and you can adjust the safety factor. Minimum SF IMO on a braced plywood is 2 but who really wants the bare minimum.
Water depth determines glass thickness. The depth at which the bottom of your viewing window will determine how thick it must be. Why such a small window? It doesn't make sense to have a window that doesn't allow you to view the fish properly. I'll take a guess and assume you want the window centered. That means the max depth of the window would be 32". So without further delay...
Tank volume = 587.53 gallons.
Glass at 40" with safety factor of 3.8 (factory recommended for unsupported glass) = 1.06" or 26.95mm
Glass at 40" with 2.0 SF = .77" or 19.55mm
Glass at 32" 3.8 SF = .78" or 19.83mm
Glass at 32" 2.0 SF = .57" or 14.39mm
The calculator used = Mine
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...rmuds-Glass-and-Acrylic-Calculator-(it-lives)
Water depth determines glass thickness. The depth at which the bottom of your viewing window will determine how thick it must be. Why such a small window? It doesn't make sense to have a window that doesn't allow you to view the fish properly. I'll take a guess and assume you want the window centered. That means the max depth of the window would be 32". So without further delay...
Tank volume = 587.53 gallons.
Glass at 40" with safety factor of 3.8 (factory recommended for unsupported glass) = 1.06" or 26.95mm
Glass at 40" with 2.0 SF = .77" or 19.55mm
Glass at 32" 3.8 SF = .78" or 19.83mm
Glass at 32" 2.0 SF = .57" or 14.39mm
The calculator used = Mine
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...rmuds-Glass-and-Acrylic-Calculator-(it-lives)
hmmmm. k. well the glass will have a support frame around the outside to press against. am thinking 1x4 or so on all sides if that makes a difference in calculations. and the glass is actually centered in the plywood so the top of glass is around 3 inches from water level and is 1 ft from the bottom. yes the window is a little small but it was that way to keep cost down a little plus will be able to view fish from above. and does the fact that the 3/8 is safety glass not standard glass make a difference? im not set on that size and have not ordered any glass yet as i want to be sure what i get will be able to stand the pressure.
Not really, in fact I would be more scared of safety glass/tempered because if it breaks it shatters and poof you have 5 inches of water in your basement.
The safety factor readings i posted for you were at what I feel are minimums for a supported tank (framed/braced). The SF of 2.0 is the very low end IMO. Even if you go to a lesser depth 3/8" glass doesn't fit the minimum safety factor. The tool is there for you to use and make an educated decision. It's your tank and you can build it however you like. My post above is just my opinion. GL.
The safety factor readings i posted for you were at what I feel are minimums for a supported tank (framed/braced). The SF of 2.0 is the very low end IMO. Even if you go to a lesser depth 3/8" glass doesn't fit the minimum safety factor. The tool is there for you to use and make an educated decision. It's your tank and you can build it however you like. My post above is just my opinion. GL.
thanks for the info. i originally was gonna go with 3/4in glass to be safe but everyone here has to special order it and gonna cost close to $1000. but the 3/8 safety glass they can get for $200. so if it would have worked it would have saved alot of money, but the savings isnt worth the risk.
I know you've already ruled it out but I want to make a quick comment about safety glass. In my experience most of the time safety glass means laminated safety glass. In other words, 3/8" safety glass would consist of two layers of 3/16" glass laminated together with a clear film in the middle. Over simplification but that's the basic idea.
If you read around on fish forums about safety glass you won't see much consensus. Some will say it's only slightly stronger than glass half the thickness. For simplicity, their argument would be that 3/8" safety glass is only slightly stronger than one layer of 3/16" float glass. Others will say it's slightly stronger than the sum of its parts because it is a laminated, stressed skin structure. In other words, 3/8" safety glass is stronger than 3/8" float glass.
Personally I would just avoid laminated safety glass for use in aquaria. Just wanted to point this out in case you find a piece of laminated safety glass as you shop for a thicker piece for your project.
