Who has a 180 Acrylic tank with only 3/8" thick sides?

[anjhof]

I recently received a quote for a Clarity Plus 180 gallon acrylic tank - it has 3/8" thick sides and 1/2" thick top. Is that thick enough? I know that clarity plus has a lifetime guarantee, so you would assume they have built lots of these tanks without problems.

 

[sonofgaladriel]

I had a SeaClear 180 made from 3/8" panels all around. It held up great for about 3 years then the sides bowed significantly, at least 1/2" in the center of each long pane. Still water tight though and I consider it a good tank.
I sold it when I upgraded to my current 240 cube.

 

[chaseracing]

I was just going to ask the same question!

-=E=-

 

[Bebo77]

Re: Who has a 180 Acrylic tank with only 3/8" thick sides?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7384520#post7384520 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by anjhof
I recently received a quote for a Clarity Plus 180 gallon acrylic tank - it has 3/8" thick sides and 1/2" thick top. Is that thick enough? I know that clarity plus has a lifetime guarantee, so you would assume they have built lots of these tanks without problems.

wait are they in georgia? is that precion clarity's new name?

 

[anjhof]

No, it is a different company. I have read the horror stories of precision clarity. Clarity Plus is actually located in Illinois. They have their default size of 3/8" sides for a 180, but for a 185 they go up to 1/2". They can make 180's in 1/2" but of course the cost is higher.

 

[Natterjak]

When I was first ordering my 180, 3/8" was also offered as an option - I think it may even be an industry standard? I think structurally it would be fine, it would be a matter of how much bowing you can live with.

I ended up getting 1/2" all around and a 1" top.

 

[anjhof]

I would assume the tank would not explode or anything, but if it bows, that would cause some kind of distortion when viewing it, right?

 

[chaseracing]

It is my understanding that the tank will actually bow right away once the water is put in. I saw a 310gal over the weekend that had a slight bow to it. If you are doing Fish Only then maybe it won't be such a big deal, but it you plan to spend countless hours looking at your corals, then this bowing can pose a problem. It could get annoying.

-=E=-

 

[jetaero]

I have a new 225, it is a seaclear, made with 3/4" on the sides... 1/2" on the top and bottom.

 

[DannyPSI]

I had a clarity plus 180 for 3 years setup for reef tank. After the 1st year it started bulging out pretty good. I would not recommend for reef tank. I am currently using it for my sump for my 360 gallon from Precision clarity. I am happy with my precision clarity tank.

[/IMG]

 

[Johnsteph10]

Spend the money and get thicker acrylic.

Skimping on the tank is the last thing you want to do.

Bulging will put a LOT of extra stress on the acrylic seams - even though they are chemically bonded together, it will still significantly weaken it. You'll first notice some slight hazing at the the seam, the crazing (minute cracks forming), and then most likely a catastrophic failure.

 

[scarletknight06]

definitely get thicker than 3/8". my 40g is made out of 3/8"!!!

 

[Virginia Reef]

I just received my new 225 gallon tank from Envision Acrylics. It is 3/4" all around.

 

[fantastic4]

jetaero, how do you like your tank? The SeaClear 225 is exactly what I'm aiming to get. Did you get it with the built in overflow? Would you buy it all over again?

If you bought the one with the built in overflow, did you like it? Was it big enough to fit a durso?

What do you like and dislike about the tank?

Many thanks! ! !

 

[clkwrk]

I would be shy of a 3/8 thick tank.

My 180 is all 1/2 and was under 850 reef ready