I want to build a 12x4x4 aquarium with a single viewing window out of acrylic. The sheet is 8x4 and Im going to get a 1 inch sheet. What would be the maximum depth I could get away with with that size. Reason im asking is because the tank is significantly longer than the sheet ( not sure if that matters as far as outward pressure goes ) Its going to be HEAVLY braced as far as plywood goes ( Ribs all the way around and tons of center bracing ) and its going to overlap on the backside at least 7 or 8 inches to secure it. Most calculators are based on it being made of solid acrylic and I havent found anything to give me a really solid idea of how deep i can go while staying safe.
The goal is to go as low as i can and keep the window towards the top. So there will be a drop off point at the bottom where you may not see the bottom 6-12 inches but it shouldnt affect the viewing of the fish as im going to design it to be a lower tank, sitting only around a foot off the ground.
Anyone got any ideas on how i could figure this out or have any suggestions? The sheet is 8x4 and i would love to keep the whole sheet but just design the window around the sheet. So anything left over is just being stuck to the back of the plywood. Ex: If i can go 3 feet with 1in then the other 12 inches will be what i use to brace it to the tank itself. ( I would just raise the tank up around 6 inches but overflows would be set lower to account for extra panel.
The goal is to go as low as i can and keep the window towards the top. So there will be a drop off point at the bottom where you may not see the bottom 6-12 inches but it shouldnt affect the viewing of the fish as im going to design it to be a lower tank, sitting only around a foot off the ground.
Anyone got any ideas on how i could figure this out or have any suggestions? The sheet is 8x4 and i would love to keep the whole sheet but just design the window around the sheet. So anything left over is just being stuck to the back of the plywood. Ex: If i can go 3 feet with 1in then the other 12 inches will be what i use to brace it to the tank itself. ( I would just raise the tank up around 6 inches but overflows would be set lower to account for extra panel.
