New glass aquarium build

[Alexz]

Hello guys. I’m building my 3rd aquarium. First one was perfect. Second one I made mistakes cause I was in a hurry moving. It held up for 2 years though Moving again… So the aquarium is 3/8 glass thickness with bracing all around and middle. Bracing is 4 inches all around top and middle 8 inches to support front and back panels. So aquarium size is 72x24x24. Someone suggested front and back panels should not be sitting on bottom piece (that’s for acrylic) I made that mistake twice but luckily they both were fine for few years. Also I believe I need to leave 1/8 spacing all around for silicone? Please help me with correct measurements so I can order glass asap. Also adding another bottom piece for bracing is a good idea? Thank you fellow reefers and fish people
Also don’t want to build wood stand. Any suggestions for steel thickness and square or pipes?

Alex Z

 

[BryanM]

I'm not an expert in any way here, but my tank, same size, uses 3/4" glass, and 3/8" sounds way too small. Even my previous 4ft tank was 1/2".

I suppose with enough bracing maybe it works out, but this just sounds undersize to me.

 

[UncommonSense]

I second 3/8” being too thin for a 72X24” pane…

Even with bracing, the safety factor on this tank is very low…

If you want it to last more than “a few years”, like prior tanks, I’d recommend doing a bit more research on the design process!

 

[ReefNutsThailand]

I’m also not expert but just want to share my small thought.
I live in Thailand and for saltwater tanks I always think thicker glass is safer.
When the system is running, it’s not easy to change the tank.
For me, the tank is something we should invest and make it right at the first time.