Wall thickness for 52”x28”x20”

[majesticangelfish]

Gââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢day need some help from you tank builders,

What thickness Acrylic or Glass for a un-braced 52x28x20

Cheers Josh
:bum:

 

[Reefdaddy1]

Material = Acrylic
Tank Height = 20"
Tank Width = 28"
Tank Length = 52 "
Acrylic Thickness = 3/8"
Approximate Gallons = 126


Material = Glass
Tank Height = 20"
Tank Width = 28"
Tank Length = 52 "
Glass Thickness = 3/8"
Approximate Gallons = 126

 

[BruiseAndy]

Might step up to 1/2" if it's not braced. 20" high is about the max you can go with 3/8" with bracing.

 

[windsor-aquatic]

If the tank is not having bracing, I would definitely step up to 12mm (1/2in.) glass. With bracing, 3/8in. is sufficent, but without bracing I personally wouldn't make it in 3/8in. glass.

 

[majesticangelfish]

Thanks for your help, Much appreciated.

:thumbsup:

 

[majesticangelfish]

If the tank was shorter, would it be safe to use 10mm (3/8") for 18"?

 

[windsor-aquatic]

Generally speaking (in the U.K. at least), the height determines the glass thickness. I use 10mm glass on tanks from 18in. to 24in. high, and 12mm. glass for those from 24in. to 30in. BUT all the tanks are braced.

 

[majesticangelfish]

Ok, Im going with Acrylic.
Two more Qââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s.

I really want the tank completely unbraced. The tank will have three of it's wall's resting against surrounding brick walls (w/styrofoam), so bowing wouldnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t be a problem there (i hope!), however the front panel has nothing.

-Should I use a thicker material here (19mm (3/4ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚)?) or would the 12mm(1/2ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚) be enough, to limit major bowing.

-Could I use a thinner material along the base and walls that rest against brick/Styrofoam walls?

Slight change in tank size: 52ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚x30ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚x20ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚


Thanks Again.

 

[windsor-aquatic]

I can't help you there, my experience is only with glass tanks.

 

[areze]

so no plumbing on any sides? all 3 sides will have substantial support with a perfect fit to the walls?

if thats true you could use 1/4" even.

but personally, the world isnt always as perfect as we hope so Id probably use 1/2" all around still.

 

[mattboy]

On the cyro website, there's a calculator for aquarium acrylic thickness; it's pretty conservative. Plugging your numbers in without a top brace it said .85" for 20" high and 1.35 or something like that for 30" high. This means you're supposed to use the next available thickness, which in this case is 1" for the 20" tank and 1.5" for the 30".

I've made sumps out of material quite a bit thinner than the cyro calculator says, but I think in this case I'd avoid anything under 1/2". With a top it said .55", which means you could use 5/8" (.59") So maybe that's a good thickness to try without the top if you want to stay sort of in the ballpark of the calculator but not be quite as conservative.