Aquarium glass safety factor/ brace

[Onewheeld]

First off I’m sorry if this is in the wrong section, there was a few to choose from where it would fit.

I have recently acquired a tank see image (ignore the singular wrapped door this was a test to see if I could wrap it)

, the dimensions are 1215mm length x 380mm deep x 600mm tall it’s 8mm thick glass and was designed to be used as a tropical tank

it had a ridiculous amount of bracing not only for glass sliding panels but presumably also for structural strength they were in poor condition and as such I have removed all of the bracing I figured it would help reduce par loss if left off

question is given what Iv read most tanks are built with a roughly 3.8 safety factor and now this is approximately a 2 safety factor would people recommend adding a new brace and if so Is there anyway I can brace it without the top looking horrendous?

this is my first marine tank, infact it’s my first tank at all, I mean we have a small 90L for the kids but this one is MINE

 

[Peace River]

#WelcometoR2R! While you may get an array of responses, personally I would no take the risk of using that tank without the bracing. There are various DIY bracing solutions and sometimes I have even found a replacement frame, but typically I have found that replacing the tank is the best and safest option. My perspective on this has changed over the years after seeing tanks explode or split a seam - the risks are real and the consequences can be significant. FWIW, I have probably had nearly a hundred or so tanks over the last 40 years and currently have about 30. If you do decide to go with a DIY or limited brace then I would measure the span between the span were the brace is/was and then remeasure every month or so to see if the bowing changes over time. Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[Jekyl]

Agree with above. I would never remove a brace or use a tank that had them previously.

 

[oreo54]

First off I’m sorry if this is in the wrong section, there was a few to choose from where it would fit.

I have recently acquired a tank see image (ignore the singular wrapped door this was a test to see if I could wrap it)

, the dimensions are 1215mm length x 380mm deep x 600mm tall it’s 8mm thick glass and was designed to be used as a tropical tank

it had a ridiculous amount of bracing not only for glass sliding panels but presumably also for structural strength they were in poor condition and as such I have removed all of the bracing I figured it would help reduce par loss if left off

question is given what Iv read most tanks are built with a roughly 3.8 safety factor and now this is approximately a 2 safety factor would people recommend adding a new brace and if so Is there anyway I can brace it without the top looking horrendous?

this is my first marine tank, infact it’s my first tank at all, I mean we have a small 90L for the kids but this one is MINE

You don't say the type of orig bracing.
If the tank was not custom, home made, or home modified there usually is no " excessive" bracing since that costs $$$'s to the manufacturer.

Rebracing euro style with glass won't cost a lot of par overall.
Lots of vids on doing it.

Due to limitations in the glass manufacturing process, the strength of glass can vary, which means a suitable safety factor must be used when calculating glass thickness. The commonly used factor is 3.8. This is not an absolute guarantee, however; it will essentially remove all risk of glass failure other than that created by damaged or very poor quality glass. Scratches and chips in the glass will be the main cause of failure.

2 is usually not considered safe and your dimensions rimless in some calcs is really less than 2

 

[Onewheeld]

No problem thanks for the replies better to check first then carry on
The tank was braced 50 from the top euro style with additional central brace with 10mm glass I’ll get some glass ordered and possibly donate it to the kids to expand their collection. I think it’s probably better suited to tropical given less flow and they will be made up
I’m all honesty this was almost free so seams a shame to waste it. I’d rather 10-12 glass and different dimensions anyway plus’s the stand dosnt suit the sump setup I had in mind.

thanks for the advice!!

 

[fishguy242]

welcome to the reef ...
good call on adding bracing,better safe than sorry.

 

[minorhero]

This tank is 2 feet tall, 4 feet long and 15 inches wide and roughly 73 gallons. It also has a safety factor of less then 2, basically 1.6 to 1.9.

I would say all the braces were there for a reason and should not have been removed. I'm not clear on what you mean when you say there was bracing there to begin with. Was this glass bracing in a euro bracing style, was it on the top and bottom?, plastic bracing that made rims all the way around the top and bottom?, metal bracing? Also did you reseal the tank or leave the old silicone intact?

The whole 3.8 safety factor thing is something that applies to rimless tanks and is considered the kind of bare minimum. If you look up commercial rimless tank dimensions and plug that into a safety calculator I think you will find that for a rimless tank (as opposed to a rimmed tank) the safety factor is usually 7 or greater.

 

[Onewheeld]

This tank is 2 feet tall, 4 feet long and 15 inches wide and roughly 73 gallons. It also has a safety factor of less then 2, basically 1.6 to 1.9.

I would say all the braces were there for a reason and should not have been removed. I'm not clear on what you mean when you say there was bracing there to begin with. Was this glass bracing in a euro bracing style, was it on the top and bottom?, plastic bracing that made rims all the way around the top and bottom?, metal bracing? Also did you reseal the tank or leave the old silicone intact?

The whole 3.8 safety factor thing is something that applies to rimless tanks and is considered the kind of bare minimum. If you look up commercial rimless tank dimensions and plug that into a safety calculator I think you will find that for a rimless tank (as opposed to a rimmed tank) the safety factor is usually 7 or greater.

The bracing was on top only. Two glass panes running the full length,two on the short edges and then a central pane.

the braces had to be removed due to the fact one of the longer sections was cracked and serving no purpose and a couple were chipped, I’m presuming the previous owner dropped something on it at some point.

I have not resealed the tank, the silicone seams to be in very good condition.

 

[minorhero]

The bracing was on top only. Two glass panes running the full length,two on the short edges and then a central pane.

the braces had to be removed due to the fact one of the longer sections was cracked and serving no purpose and a couple were chipped, I’m presuming the previous owner dropped something on it at some point.

I have not resealed the tank, the silicone seams to be in very good condition.

Gotcha, well a couple of things. 1) If this were my tank in my house I wouldn't run it with water in it under any circumstances. I would without hesitation use it as a terrarium, but never as an aquarium in it's current condition. 2) If I were willing to clean everything up so all old silicone from the braces was gone, and reinstall new braces I would consider running it as an aquarium only if I were in desperate need of making it work as an aquarium, AND it was going in location that wouldn't be catastrophic if a seam busted (such as a garage).

The reason I would be so hesitant to run this tank is because it seems like this was a custom made tank and as such, no real way to know if it was ever successfully used long term as an aquarium. The previous owner could have made this tank themselves, had it fail on them and then sold it to you to recover what they could of their loses. The only thing known about it, is that by the best available information, its currently structurally unsound and it was broken when you bought it. I freely admit I am conservative when it comes to tank integrity. But 70 gallons is also a LOT of water to come out of a tank and the amount of damage that can do to a house should not be underestimated.