Glass Thickness???

[lungfishlover]

hi guys and girls, i am planning on purchasing a tank with the dimensions
78"x27"x30" and was wondering if glass thickness is a huge consideration as there are huge price differences between the various sizes. the thickness i can choose from are as follows: 10mm, 12mm, or 15mm. the difference in price between the 10 and fifteen is almost triple the price!!! i plan to house the following:
1 florida gar
2/3 birchirs
3/5 siamese tiger fish
1 clown knife
possibly an arrowana if room allows and the gar allows too!
pleco if room allows also.

will 10mm glass be safe enough to house these fish as i dont want to come home one day to find my living room converted into a swimming pool! obviously the thicker the btter but as i dont plan on housing monstrous cichlids or pacu will the glass hold out to a couple of knocks from darting fish?

any experience/ knowledge will be greatly appreciated thanks!

 

[12 Volt Man]

10mm glass for a tank that size is out of the question IMO. standard 65g tanks are made with that, with bracing. your tank is about 275g.

with proper bracing, 12mm glass should work. consider that the Marineland 'deep dimensions' 300g (72x36x27 tall) is made with 12mm glass, with very thick plastic cross bracing.

you may be able to get more help on the DIY board. there is a thread with various glass thickness calculators and discussions.

 

[Pharaoh]

The height of the tank is what drives the thickness up. With those dimensions, I would even consider using 10mm glass. 10mm glass only gives you a safety factor of 0.75. Most people prefer to go with a safety factor of 3.5-3.8.

Here's the run down for you:

SF ------ Thickness
0.75 10mm
1.0 12mm
1.6 15mm
2.5 19mm
3.8 23mm

 

[VOYTEK]

is this braced or rimless ?

I would not be so safe to have that tank made outta 10mm ... IMO go with 12 and have a center-brace cuz it's a long tank, it will tend to bow ( corner braces wouldn't be stupid to have either )

Good luck and make sure to take some pics once you get the tank in !

 

[T1KARMANN]

anything above 24 inch deep starts to get expencive 24 inch deep or below is a lot cheaper

 

[lungfishlover]

thanks peeps. the tank comes with a centre brace and i think i will add a brace at each end just to be on the safe side. will definately post some pics in a months time when i have moved house. thanks once again for your valued info!