Help with glass thickness DIY Reef

[Maximitsurugi]

Hey guys. I'm inheriting a 79L x 20.5H x 19 W. It's one of the older style tanks that has a thick plastic brace/trim at the top.

I thought it was 12mm glass but turns out its 10mm. I cant handle that big a tank so I want to cut it to L 54 x 20.5H x 22 W. I know for the 22 bottom I'd need to get a but more glass.

Could I build this tank with (10mm-3/8) glass with top eurobrace? Preferably no center brace.

 

[Daddy-o]

Is the glass tempered?

 

[Maximitsurugi]

No. I dont believe it is.

 

[don_chuwish]

Check this:
https://www.thesprucepets.com/designing-a-glass-aquarium-2924666Note in the chart that the safety factor would be borderline without any bracing. I'm not sure how much a eurobrace would add - or how wide it should be. But personally I'd prefer a single center brace.

 

[PicassoDan]

It's hard to believe that it's not tempered. The first thing i would do is check to see if it is.

 

[Maximitsurugi]

It's hard to believe that it's not tempered. The first thing i would do is check to see if it is.

Ok, Im no specialist and since you think it might be, whats the best way to test? Won it be hard to tell without breaking it?

 

[PicassoDan]

There are other ways, but here's the method I've used in the past using a pair of polarized sunglasses and your cell phone.
Have your phone display a full-screen white or blue background. With the polarized sunglasses, look through the tank glass at the white image on your phone. Then, slowly rotate the glasses and watch as the white screen goes dark to light, etc. What you're looking for are light/dark stripes on the surface of the tank.

Stripes = most likely tempered
No stripes = most likely non-tempered

It's good to find a piece of tempered glass to confirm you're able to see the stripes.

 

[Txoutlaw]

What did you end up doing with this tank?I was wanting to built a tank that same size but only 20in High.

 

[Maximitsurugi]

Yeah so that’s seemingly my only alternative. Glass here in Canada is stupid expensive. Back home I’d know a guy who knew a guy but here, arm and a leg. The cuts I can get if 12mm glass all top out at 40 wide so it might end up being a kinda IM150 lagoon. I really wanted the 24 high though.

 

[UncommonSense]

Have you guys considered doubling up glass at the seams? — the top and bottom plastic frame actually do a lot of heavy lifting, structurally speaking… but, you can go a bit further with thinner glass by at least increasing glass:glass seam thickness!