# Building A Tank - What Thickness Of Glass



## pollers

Hi All,

A while back I wanted to have a go at making my own fish tank. I wanted it to be about 2ft deep 3ft long and 18" wide. I phoned a local glazing company and asked them to quote for the glass I required. They asked me how thick the glass was to be.????? I didnt have a clue and cant remember what I said. They gave me a quote for the glass, and having recovered from the shock and picking my self up of the floor Im considering re-visiting this idea.
I could believe the price of the glass, it worked out cheaper (but not the tank I wanted) buying a mass manufactured tank from a store.
Anyone else had experiance of this. Any tips please?


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## dan.hobley

some including myself went for 4mm thick untoughened (float) glass.
however im on my second build now and this time im going for 6mm either toughened or laminate glass. 6mm looks alot better and although is heavier is worth it in my opinion.
hope this helps


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## pollers

dan.hobley said:


> some including myself went for 4mm thick untoughened (float) glass.
> however im on my second build now and this time im going for 6mm either toughened or laminate glass. 6mm looks alot better and although is heavier is worth it in my opinion.
> hope this helps


Think 6mm was what I suggested at the time, "float glass" didnt mention this, is this cheaper? May try asking for it when I request a quote. I really couldnt believe the cost. 

Thanks for your help :2thumb:


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## mike515

6 mm float or toughened. 4 mm glass would work but I prefer the piece of mind with thicker glass.


Get it from a good glass dealer and ask to have the edges finished and polished. Best bet is work out which edges will be available to tough and have them rounded.


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## pollers

mike515 said:


> 6 mm float or toughened. 4 mm glass would work but I prefer the piece of mind with thicker glass.
> 
> 
> Get it from a good glass dealer and ask to have the edges finished and polished. Best bet is work out which edges will be available to tough and have them rounded.


Nice one thanks. Been looking into another option "acrylic". Been quoted £202.23 for 8mm sections pre cut, big enough to construct a tank 3ft x 2ft x 18" - Anyone got an opinion on both the acrlic idea and price?


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## Riff

If you want it 2ft deep, id go for 10mm glass.

3ft long and 18 inch wide is not a problem with 6mm but the depth needs thicker glass.


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## pollers

What do you think to the acrylic idea. Im thinking this could be cheaper than glass, but dont thint it would look that much different


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## Riff

Dont think acrylic is cheaper but im not sure, i find out the price for a 10mm glass 36x18x24 in a bit, i know nothing about acrylic prices, i know of a big acrylic tank that burst just before xmas, total failure, it was 5 years old and 300 gallons :gasp:


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## pollers

Riff said:


> Dont think acrylic is cheaper but im not sure, i find out the price for a 10mm glass 36x18x24 in a bit, i know nothing about acrylic prices, i know of a big acrylic tank that burst just before xmas, total failure, it was 5 years old and 300 gallons :gasp:



Oh shi* :gasp: - someones gonna need a mop. Maybe acrylic isnt such a hot idea, be interesting to know how much the glass option works out at.


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## Riff

36x18x24 in 10mm with glass sliders, just the bare tank with no stand is about £180 ish, no one there at the moment so not sure on delivery charges.


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## pollers

Riff said:


> 36x18x24 in 10mm with glass sliders, just the bare tank with no stand is about £180 ish, no one there at the moment so not sure on delivery charges.



Just sent you a PM
cheers


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## mike515

Riff said:


> If you want it 2ft deep, id go for 10mm glass.
> 
> 3ft long and 18 inch wide is not a problem with 6mm but the depth needs thicker glass.



There's no need for 10mm on that height. 6mm will be well up to the task. But then it is extra security again so up to you. I would use 10mm if going above 2ft. But 6mm would cope to around 30" high



pollers said:


> What do you think to the acrylic idea. Im thinking this could be cheaper than glass, but dont thint it would look that much different


Acrylic is much more expensive. It is clearer to look through and lighter in weight but it scratches easily so can be awkward to clean. It's also easier to work with and is less fragile.

I like working with glass but the only real benefit is its resistant to scratching and its much lower price tag


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## pollers

mike515 said:


> There's no need for 10mm on that height. 6mm will be well up to the task. But then it is extra security again so up to you. I would use 10mm if going above 2ft. But 6mm would cope to around 30" high
> 
> 
> 
> Acrylic is much more expensive. It is clearer to look through and lighter in weight but it scratches easily so can be awkward to clean. It's also easier to work with and is less fragile.
> 
> I like working with glass but the only real benefit is its resistant to scratching and its much lower price tag


Thanks Mike,

Glass is starting to sound the best option, cant remember how much I was quoted last time i looked into it, but I remember at the time thinking I was only building a fish tank, not looking at keeping full size whales. :lol2:
I really dont want something that scratch's easily. I can imagine doing routine maintenance and the gravel scratching the acrylic badly.


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## fizzy

hi there, i build acrylic aquariums, have done for the past 20yrs.

D


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## fizzy

for a 24" high tank i use 12mm thick acylic, i would not use 6mm glass for a 30" high tank.

D


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## alanw

ive been selling tanks for over 25 years and the place that makes my tanks make up to 18in high in 6mm over that it has to be 10mm and the cost of glass would be more than buying it made up they buy so much glass you couldnt compete.hope this helps .:lol2:


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## mike515

fizzy said:


> for a 24" high tank i use 12mm thick acylic, i would not use 6mm glass for a 30" high tank.
> 
> D



nor would I, but if built well and with correct bracing you can push 6mm up to 30".


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## russm

I would never use 4mm glass for any tank. If you go above 18 inches deep I would recommend 10mm as the pressure at the bottom can get quite high.


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## waynenoonan1234

i got a 48x24x18 in 15mm glass for 35 quid. dont see the point of new there are loads of second hand tanks for sale and the size you wanted is quite a common size.


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## fizzy

its not just pressure at the bottom its at the top as well, as a guide i use 6mm up to 12", 12" - 16" 8mm, 16" - 23" 10mm, 24" - 30" 12mm, 30" - 40" 15mm, 40" - 48" 20mm and anything over that 25mm + this is for acrylic.

D


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## Pearson Design

in my experience acrylic is more costly.

also, im pretty sure your LFS will have contacts for aquarium building companies, and they usually get it at a better price.

i know mine does, and its much much cheaper than going to a glazing company to get it built


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## fizzy

acrylic can be expensive if you buy it from a big company as they have big overheads to worry about, but with me i dont.

D


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## Riff

mike515 said:


> nor would I, but if built well and with correct bracing you can push 6mm up to 30".




Whats the point in pushing 6mm glass for a tank up to 30".

Thats asking for trouble, go 10mm, job done.


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