Can I build a 48 x 48 x 18 tankwith 1/4" glass?

[mattheadington]

I am thinking about building a tank thats 48x48x18 out of 1/4" glass for a frag tank.....is the glass thickness going to be alright? I just want to be sure before I give it a go.

Thanks

 

[lakee911]

For that thickness, it would probably need to be tempered....

 

[mattheadington]

what about if I reduced the height some? Im just trying to avoid spending more money then I need to so I can sacrifice some height if needed.

 

[shag26272]

1/4 should be fine, thats what garf recommends also

 

[Ehgemus]

I don't thank it will hold. but garf does recommend 1/4"
Something does not seem right there. I would not build it with 1/4"
I would use no less than 3/8"

 

[shag26272]

yeah maybe youre right, they might not account for it being square it is calculated by the longest side and height I think

 

[Ehgemus]

The more I think about it I would be scared using 3/8" glass

 

[OnlyCrimson]

1/4" wont do it without major braceing.

 

[Icefire]

Forget 1/4

48*16*16 and I had near 3/4" bow.

 

[Azar]

use a frame and it will work..

 

[BruiseAndy]

Would scare me...at least 3/8". Big investment to lose.

 

[hahnmeister]

You would need a complete system of cross bracing and euro-bracing... or no taller than 12" IMO.

 

[lakee911]

For comparison, my display tank is 60x24x18 (give or take an inch) and it's using 3/8" glass with a frame and one center brace.

Adding a braces to a 48x48 tank may not be so practical--it would section it off into quarters. Maybe you don't want a brace?

If I had to guess 1/2" or 5/8" glass? I would say that the best thing to would be call a few tank manufacturers and get some estimates on having them build it. Find out what they'd use (thickness and tempered or not and bracing etc).

Jason

 

[prance1520]

My 48x30x16 is 1/2" glass. It might be a bit overbuilt, but I don't think I could stand to look at a tank its size any less thick and not be worried. Mine is braceless though, it might help if you told us what your bracing plans were?

 

[matthewdmueller]

I did 30" lengths of 1/4" once and it bows like crazy. Without a brace on the top I was getting almost a 1" bow at the top. Even with an aluminium angle top I still had a wicked bow in the middle of the pane. I would go a little bit thicker if you can afford it, maybe 3/8", 1/2" if you can spring for the cash. Better to spend a little bit of cash and be safe. I got all of my glass for free on that project so when I threw it in the garbage the only thing that made me mad was all the waisted time and silicone.