need help w/ glass strength question

[schlegelli46]

Hello all, new to forums and need help w/ a question about a build I'm planning for my wife...is 1/4" glass (non-tempered) strong enough for a tank that is 18"w x 18" l x 24"t holding approx. 33 gallons of water? Any and all comments, suggestions, tips are welcome as I will be here often

 

[Mrramsey]

IIRC it is the height that determines the glass thickness and 24 tall would be 3/8". Non tempered would be fine.

 

[schlegelli46]

Thank you for the info. Seems that bigger is better...I'll go w/ 3/8".

 

[uncleof6]

Thank you for the info. Seems that bigger is better...I'll go w/ 3/8".

Actually with those dimensions, the glass thickness required is 10.44mm. It is a judgement call, and should be based on experience, not guess work, or inaccurate online calculators, or I have seen tanks with... 9mm is nominally 3/8" glass, 1.5mm too thin. The correct choice, and much safer for inexperienced builders is 12mm, unless you are planning on a full rimmed tank. In this game, mms do make a difference, when 3.5mm bow is panic time.

 

[ca1ore]

I have been a bit surprised with how relatively thin the glass is on commercially available tanks. I recently bought a Marineland 265, at 30 inches tall and 84 inches long, and the sides are all 12 mm thick glass (bottom is 19 mm though). I though with that height and length it would have been thicker. What do I know!

 

[schlegelli46]

I am thinking the same...just acquired a 90 gal. reef ready that has 9mm glass, hence the original question. Oh well, I'm a concrete finisher, my thickness configurations all run 4" and above

 

[Mrramsey]

I was trying to recall this morning but I measured my 120 and its about 1/2"

 

[uncleof6]

9mm is structurally sound, at the dimensions mentioned in this thread, if there is a rim on the tank. The judgement call depends on who builds the tank, and whether it is rimless or rimmed.

Glass thickness is metric, so the imperial measurements are nominal only, and do not indicate the actual thickness of the glass. The closet guess is with 3/8" nominal, which can be either 9mm or 10mm. 10mm glass is fairly easy to come by.