Glass thickness worries

[ntayler]

I am trying to figure out my 300 gallon build (96” x 24” x 30” tall)...got a quote on a tank for 1/2” glass all around with the front, back, and bottom being tempered.

this still seems a little thin to me, does it being tempered make that much of a difference?

My 72” 150 gallon is 30” tall and has 1/2” tempered glass all around, but this new tank will be 2 feet longer and twice the water volume.

 

[HeyJay]

Height is the biggest factor in determining glass thickness. If it's a major builder, I'd trust them

 

[nereefpat]

Rimmed tank?

 

[ca1ore]

Agree with the comment about credible builder! I owned the marineland 265 which was a foot shorter, but otherwise the same dimensions. It was non-tempered 1/2” glass on all sides and non-tempered 3/4” on the bottom. Tempered does add strength, so seems like 1/2” ought to be fine.

 

[Ocelaris]

I had a 250 built, 60x36x27 eurobraced, and they recommended 1/2", butI insisted on 3/4". Looking back I wish I had done 1/2" as either the depth (36") or 3/4" glass really distorts the viewing angle. I can't get more than a 30 degree angle off center or it really gets distorted. Now I'm sure it won't bend, but I never considered distortion. It's high clarity glass, but I'm always wondering if others with 3/4" glass have the same experience (or if it's depth). Basically you have to look straight on, which may not be an issue for some, but I have viewing access from all four sides, so I'm always bobbing around trying to see a coral from the correct side.

Also 3/4 puts you in a new magnet ballpark, have to get the super heavy duty ones. Forget about small WaveMakers they won't stick.

30" is pretty tall. My 27“ is almost too deep. It's as deep as I can reach halfway back to the tank with a step stool. And light penetration is also a problem. I'm only getting 150 par in the middle with 10xt5s and 2 kessils. Although I love the height for viewing. Mine is on a 36" stand, so I don't have to bend down. But I have to get a step stool to do any real work, which is OK because then I don't mess with things.