thickness for 15 gal rimless tank

dorky · 04/19/2011, 07:59 PM

okay my roommate and I have been debating over wat thickness of glass n starphire should i use to build my 15 gals my thought is tht the 1/2 thickness because of bowing n my roommate think i should go wit 1//4 cuz 1/2 thick glass tank make it look ugly so what are ur thoughts bout this issue i want to hear it from the person who have experience building these diy tanks please help me not to regret it lol

ghengis · 04/19/2011, 09:12 PM

Dude...ever heard of a thing called "punctuation"?? Almost went blue, trying to read that sentence! Also, what dialect are you using??

Back on topic...what are the actual dimensions of your tank? Will it be a cube, or regular rectangle format? I have a 610x305x360mm (~70L/18gal) rimless that uses 6mm (1/4") glass. There is a little deflection at the top, but it holds pretty well. I would think 8 or 10mm (5/16 or 3/8") would be more than enough.

fireball198 · 04/19/2011, 09:15 PM

go with 1/2 it give you more room for the silicone to hold on to.

widmer · 04/19/2011, 09:46 PM

Yea I'm thinking 3/8" would certainly be more than enough. I have a rimless glasscages 24x12x12 (~15 gal) tank and it is really a tank (you know like the kind that the army has).

And yes, punctuation is cool.

dorky · 04/19/2011, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghengis

Dude...ever heard of a thing called "punctuation"?? Almost went blue, trying to read that sentence! Also, what dialect are you using??

Back on topic...what are the actual dimensions of your tank? Will it be a cube, or regular rectangle format? I have a 610x305x360mm (~70L/18gal) rimless that uses 6mm (1/4") glass. There is a little deflection at the top, but it holds pretty well. I would think 8 or 10mm (5/16 or 3/8") would be more than enough.

oopps! i apologize for my punctuation issue and i will do better next time starting now. The dimensions of the tank will be 24x12x12 long. would i beable to tell the difference between 1/2 n 1/4 by looking at directly?

ghengis · 04/19/2011, 11:26 PM

That's much better

Umm, yeah, I reckon you would definitely see the difference, but after a little while, it would just look normal...

I think you are much better off going bigger than 1/4"...just for safety's sake. How much bigger is up to how much you want to spend, though...as I mentioned above, 5/16 or 3/8 would work fine, imo.

dorky · 04/20/2011, 10:00 AM

thank you sir! i would probably go with 1/2 inches thick. does anyone know the dimension for the 5 gals? it would be my first hand on tank be4 i work on the 15 gal.

D5HP · 04/20/2011, 10:06 AM

Dude 1/2 thick glass is going to look ROUGH on a tank that small.

Honestly, you could do it with 1/4 glass and never worry.

I have a 20L rimless that has 3/8" and personally think it looks silly because of how thick the glass is. Way overkill.

1/4" all the way...3/8" if you are uncomfortable 1/2" is downright crazy.

coralnut99 · 04/20/2011, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by d5hp

dude 1/2 thick glass is going to look rough on a tank that small.

Honestly, you could do it with 1/4 glass and never worry.

I have a 20l rimless that has 3/8" and personally think it looks silly because of how thick the glass is. Way overkill.

1/4" all the way...3/8" if you are uncomfortable 1/2" is downright crazy.

+1

hebygb · 04/20/2011, 12:11 PM

I agree with all the above (3/8" and 1/2" thick) but I will throw an additional thought into the mix. I built a 12 gallon tank (OD 17 x 17 x 12.5) out of 1" acrylic (3/8" bottom) and that tank looks absolutely sick. Over built?... yeah I spose. Awesome looking?... heck yeah!!!

Something · 04/29/2012, 07:19 AM

Overbuilt is always good.

NanoReefWanabe · 04/29/2012, 05:33 PM

i have a 30gallon tank (48x12x12) all out of 1/4"...i am sure 1/4" will be fine for a tank half the size...if you decide to go any taller 3/8" would be necessary though...

Personally i like the look of thicker glass, but i had 1/4" on hand so that is what i used...

prototyp3 · 04/29/2012, 05:42 PM

1/2" is total overkill.
6mm would be fine, but 8mm allows for amateur construction.

feh · 04/30/2012, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prototyp3

1/2" is total overkill.
6mm would be fine, but 8mm allows for amateur construction.

My 75 is only 5/8" glass. A tank as small as 15 gallons I would think you could get away with 1/4" glass.

prototyp3 · 04/30/2012, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by feh

My 75 is only 5/8" glass. A tank as small as 15 gallons I would think you could get away with 1/4" glass.

Yup. 6mm is 1/4" and suitable.
I would only recommend thicker glass to account for inexperienced home builds. The extra surface area allows for more leeway if seams aren't perfect.

04/19/2011, 07:59 PM	#1
dorky Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: birmingham Posts: 197	thickness for 15 gal rimless tank okay my roommate and I have been debating over wat thickness of glass n starphire should i use to build my 15 gals my thought is tht the 1/2 thickness because of bowing n my roommate think i should go wit 1//4 cuz 1/2 thick glass tank make it look ugly so what are ur thoughts bout this issue i want to hear it from the person who have experience building these diy tanks please help me not to regret it lol

04/19/2011, 09:12 PM	#2
ghengis Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cairns, Australia Posts: 81	Dude...ever heard of a thing called "punctuation"?? Almost went blue, trying to read that sentence! Also, what dialect are you using?? Back on topic...what are the actual dimensions of your tank? Will it be a cube, or regular rectangle format? I have a 610x305x360mm (~70L/18gal) rimless that uses 6mm (1/4") glass. There is a little deflection at the top, but it holds pretty well. I would think 8 or 10mm (5/16 or 3/8") would be more than enough. __________________ Adam.

04/19/2011, 11:26 PM	#6
ghengis Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cairns, Australia Posts: 81	That's much better Umm, yeah, I reckon you would definitely see the difference, but after a little while, it would just look normal... I think you are much better off going bigger than 1/4"...just for safety's sake. How much bigger is up to how much you want to spend, though...as I mentioned above, 5/16 or 3/8 would work fine, imo. __________________ Adam.

04/20/2011, 10:06 AM	#8
D5HP Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: NC Posts: 660	Dude 1/2 thick glass is going to look ROUGH on a tank that small. Honestly, you could do it with 1/4 glass and never worry. I have a 20L rimless that has 3/8" and personally think it looks silly because of how thick the glass is. Way overkill. 1/4" all the way...3/8" if you are uncomfortable 1/2" is downright crazy. __________________ -Dustin Current Tank Info: 20g custom rimless mixed reef, 26 CREE LEDs, custom control [the ultimate robotic reef] and a 75g peaceful (sort of) FOWLR

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
is 4 X 24 Watt T5s good for a 15 gal frag tank?	Aj Flip	Reef Discussion	13	04/29/2012 08:40 AM
15 Gallong Rimless Tank, Skimmer, MP10, Tunze	E.intheC	Long Island Reef Association (LIRA)	8	03/08/2011 08:26 AM
17 gal rimless sps build	rick88	Nano Reefs	39	01/03/2010 06:50 PM
15 gal frag tank????	bekindtoyurbuds	Nano Reefs	1	06/26/2009 08:02 AM
15 gal Work Tank	30mini	Nano Reefs	29	08/08/2007 08:01 AM

04/19/2011, 09:15 PM	#3
fireball198 Moved On Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: so cal usa Posts: 198	go with 1/2 it give you more room for the silicone to hold on to.

04/19/2011, 09:46 PM	#4
widmer Drug Enthusiast Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Rochester, MN Posts: 2,958	Yea I'm thinking 3/8" would certainly be more than enough. I have a rimless glasscages 24x12x12 (~15 gal) tank and it is really a tank (you know like the kind that the army has). And yes, punctuation is cool.

04/20/2011, 10:00 AM	#7
dorky Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: birmingham Posts: 197	thank you sir! i would probably go with 1/2 inches thick. does anyone know the dimension for the 5 gals? it would be my first hand on tank be4 i work on the 15 gal.

04/20/2011, 12:11 PM	#10
hebygb Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Elmhurst, IL Posts: 2,207	I agree with all the above (3/8" and 1/2" thick) but I will throw an additional thought into the mix. I built a 12 gallon tank (OD 17 x 17 x 12.5) out of 1" acrylic (3/8" bottom) and that tank looks absolutely sick. Over built?... yeah I spose. Awesome looking?... heck yeah!!!

04/29/2012, 07:19 AM	#11
Something Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 12	Overbuilt is always good.

04/29/2012, 05:33 PM	#12
NanoReefWanabe Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada Posts: 6,639	i have a 30gallon tank (48x12x12) all out of 1/4"...i am sure 1/4" will be fine for a tank half the size...if you decide to go any taller 3/8" would be necessary though... Personally i like the look of thicker glass, but i had 1/4" on hand so that is what i used...

04/29/2012, 05:42 PM	#13
prototyp3 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 53	1/2" is total overkill. 6mm would be fine, but 8mm allows for amateur construction.