Diy tank build question

[Nmaran72]

I’m in the process of building a tank. I stumbled upon a couple of sites that state certain panels being thicker then others. Is this true and why. Or does this apply only to rimless aquariums. Please help I don’t want order the wrong glass.

 

[sundog101]

Rimless tanks are going to have thicker glass than rimmed ones.

 

[Mandelstam]

It all comes down to what safety factor you use when choosing the dimensions and the quality of the glass and it's edge finish. A fully braced tank for instance only needs a safety factor of 2 while a non braced tank should have one around 5-7 depending on the edge finish of the glass.

If you mean that some panels in a tank has different thicknesses it's because longer/wider panels need to be thicker than shorter side panels. Usually you just calculate the thickest and use that for all sides. But to save money you can have thinner panels on the sides for instance.

 

[Nmaran72]

It all comes down to what safety factor you use when choosing the dimensions and the quality of the glass and it's edge finish. A fully braced tank for instance only needs a safety factor of 2 while a non braced tank should have one around 5-7 depending on the edge finish of the glass.

If you mean that some panels in a tank has different thicknesses it's because longer/wider panels need to be thicker than shorter side panels. Usually you just calculate the thickest and use that for all sides. But to save money you can have thinner panels on the sides for instance.

Thanks for responding. The whole safety factor throws me for a loop in the calculators I seen online. I don’t understand how to get the desired number for my priject. And yes a few sites I had searched say that either bottom panel or rear panel vs side panels need to be thicker then the other. This has confused me. Not sure if this is meant for a rimless tank or a braced tank. Either way I’m doing a braced tank. I might go 60 l x 24 h x 30 d. Or 60 x24 x24 depending on the price of the glass. If any can send me a good site to get all my info that would be great.

 

[Mandelstam]

Of the calculators I've found online I think this is the best as it doesn't just throw out numbers but also explains some of what goes on and if you're into math gives you plenty to work with.
http://www.aquarium-glass.co.uk/ (link to the calculator on the top left side)

It also has a calculator to calculate what safety factor is used in say a factory built tank.

"Braced panels:
Each panel should have a 50mm brace fitted at 90 degrees about 30mm from the top of the panel. In other words supported all round the perimeter.
For glass that has been cut and had the edges ground a safety factor of 3.8 should be used as small chips or imperfections can become cracking points.
If the glass has had it's edges fully polished then a safety factor of 2 can be used.

Unbraced Panels or Braceless Aquariums:
For glass that has been cut and had the edges ground a safety factor of 6.8 should be used as small chips or imperfections can become cracking points.
If the glass has had it's edges fully polished then a safety factor of 5 can be used.

Bottom Panels:
If the aquarium base is completely supported and has polished edges then you can use a base thickness equal to the thickness of the largest panel that has been calculated with a safety factor of 2."

 

[Nmaran72]

Of the calculators I've found online I think this is the best as it doesn't just throw out numbers but also explains some of what goes on and if you're into math gives you plenty to work with.
http://www.aquarium-glass.co.uk/ (link to the calculator on the top left side)

It also has a calculator to calculate what safety factor is used in say a factory built tank.

"Braced panels:
Each panel should have a 50mm brace fitted at 90 degrees about 30mm from the top of the panel. In other words supported all round the perimeter.
For glass that has been cut and had the edges ground a safety factor of 3.8 should be used as small chips or imperfections can become cracking points.
If the glass has had it's edges fully polished then a safety factor of 2 can be used.

Unbraced Panels or Braceless Aquariums:
For glass that has been cut and had the edges ground a safety factor of 6.8 should be used as small chips or imperfections can become cracking points.
If the glass has had it's edges fully polished then a safety factor of 5 can be used.

Bottom Panels:
If the aquarium base is completely supported and has polished edges then you can use a base thickness equal to the thickness of the largest panel that has been calculated with a safety factor of 2."

Thanks I will take a look at it now I will let you know my outcome.

 

[Nmaran72]

Thanks I will take a look at it now I will let you know my outcome.

Of the calculators I've found online I think this is the best as it doesn't just throw out numbers but also explains some of what goes on and if you're into math gives you plenty to work with.
http://www.aquarium-glass.co.uk/ (link to the calculator on the top left side)

It also has a calculator to calculate what safety factor is used in say a factory built tank.

"Braced panels:
Each panel should have a 50mm brace fitted at 90 degrees about 30mm from the top of the panel. In other words supported all round the perimeter.
For glass that has been cut and had the edges ground a safety factor of 3.8 should be used as small chips or imperfections can become cracking points.
If the glass has had it's edges fully polished then a safety factor of 2 can be used.

Unbraced Panels or Braceless Aquariums:
For glass that has been cut and had the edges ground a safety factor of 6.8 should be used as small chips or imperfections can become cracking points.
If the glass has had it's edges fully polished then a safety factor of 5 can be used.

Bottom Panels:
If the aquarium base is completely supported and has polished edges then you can use a base thickness equal to the thickness of the largest panel that has been calculated with a safety factor of 2."

so after going to the site. Quite a bite of helpful info. I’m horrible with formulas however the calculator was on point with another site I was on. My next question is on euro bracing. Should I brace on top or on the inside edge.

 

[Mandelstam]

Personally I would do it inside and also leave a little edge over the bracing to put in a screen cover for instance.

 

[Devaji]

pls keep us posted on how this goes for you, as I have been thinking of trying my hand at a nano tank.

 

[Nmaran72]

Personally I would do it inside and also leave a little edge over the bracing to put in a screen cover for instance.

Don’t laugh but what screen. ? I ve been out the hobby for a while and I am relearning everything. I’m still getting over the change to dc pumps now. Lol

 

[Nmaran72]

pls keep us posted on how this goes for you, as I have been thinking of trying my hand at a nano tank.

I will but it is weeks away before I start.

 

[Mandelstam]

Don’t laugh but what screen. ? I ve been out the hobby for a while and I am relearning everything. I’m still getting over the change to dc pumps now. Lol

A screen top to keep jumping fish inside the tank. [emoji4] Not completely necessary. BRS sells diy kits you can check out. Having that little recessed edge would help to keep it in place.

Other than that I'm not sure if it matters that much from a strength perspective.

 

[Nmaran72]

A screen top to keep jumping fish inside the tank. [emoji4] Not completely necessary. BRS sells diy kits you can check out. Having that little recessed edge would help to keep it in place.

Other than that I'm not sure if it matters that much from a strength perspective.

thanks for all your help it has been very helpful

 

[Ivan bradshaw]

Oh dear, the aquarium glass website, with the calculator, is now for sale and no longer working. I'm in Thailand and so everything was written in Thai and then I clicked through and was offered the website for $4,950.00 (if anyone is interested in buying it). I'm not going to get started for a while (perhaps even the middle of next year, it's not going to be cheap!!!)) but I thought I'd start my research now, design it and cost it out. I intend to build a marine tank in the wall of my bar about 2800(L) x 1100 (H) x 900 (D) that's the viewing panel size, unless I can nick a couple of hundred mm more by building out slightly at the back to increase the depth (not height) of the tank to around 1200mm. As its in the wall, in a cupboard, I do not need glass on all sides, I was looking at constructing it with concrete and just having a glass (rather than acrylic) viewing panel. I've found toughened Starphire glass up to 50mm thick (£1500 + VAT! for the size I need) It's a bar, I really don't want acrylic, it will last 5 minutes before getting scratched, even though it will be behind the bar. I am doing some building work in the next couple of months to accommodate a fair sized coffee machine and if the tank is feasible, I might do the necessary building work for the tank at the same time - one lot of mess. I have not had a marine tank for around 8 years and looking at the cost of the kit I am going to need for this bad boy is really quite scary but I've just got to do it. Once the building work is done, I can just buy the kit as and when, to get it up and running and if I do the building work, I'm fully committed and have to make it happen. Anyone got any suggestions about design for such a thing? I've got to obviously "tank" it and line it with something safe for the critters and also fairly easy to clean and tough. I need to find out how I'm going to seal the glass to the frame etc etc. Anyone seen any good videos or read good articles about this? I'm struggling to find much although, there is a guy in Israel who has a 30,000 litre tank in his home and I may contact him. Actually, his home is his tank. He designed his house around it. He has 3" acrylic for his viewing panel. His self-built protein skimmer is constantly self emptying, as well as self cleaning with water jets every hour. I like the idea of that, it's a yucky job emptying that! Anyway,miss a monster job (the fairly large amount building work necessary is loads of hassle, support steelwork for the building needs moving to make the hole in the wall etc. It's single storey, so not really the end of the world) so I really want to design everything before I make a final decision on going ahead. Any thoughts would be great, folks. Here's what I'd like a mini version of (14ft front to back, that is the difference - it's amazing!!!)
Here is the guy in Israel talking about his tank set up. Also an amazing marine tank. Cheers