DIY - Calculate Glass Thickness That Fits Your Aquarium

Building Your Aquarium

Submitted by aquatools on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 18:53

Here is a very useful calculator when building your own fish tank.
This calculator provides the information you need to know about the glass of your new fish tank.
To use this tool: Simply fill in your aquarium length, width and height and you should get the following results:

Aquarium Volume: Your fish tank volume.
Glass Thickness: A glass thickness that will hold under the pressure of your fish tank, considering the safety factor specified.
Glass Area: The sum of areas of the six sides of your aquarium.
Glass Weight: The weight of your fish tank when empty (assuming glass density of 3.1).
Glass+Water Weight: The weight of your fish tank when filled with water.
You will also get your glass surfaces dimensions. Notice the sides surfaces are reduced by the glass thickness.

Safety Factor

The variability of the strength of glass due to limitations of the manufacturing process means a suitable safety factor must be used when calculating glass thickness. The factor commonly used is 3.8. While not a perfect guarantee, it will remove all risk bar that of damaged or very poor quality glass.

Disclaimer Notification: The information provided here is only intended as a guide, TheAquaTools.com is not responsible for any problems that may arise from glass manufacturing defects, construction faults, or any other factors.

#1Submitted by cayocji on Fri, 01/16/2009 - 16:52.

Aquario nao todo plantado,

Aquario nao todo plantado, com laterita e cascalho fino por cima

#2Submitted by pelon_mx on Sat, 07/04/2009 - 09:35.

aquarium calculator

I hope I'm on the right place her for the following questions

The height you specify in the aquariun calculator is the total glass height or just the water level height

#3Submitted by aquatools on Sun, 07/05/2009 - 06:44.

It is assumed to be about the same

Anyway, the water level has a much greater impact on the glass thickness than the height of the glass.

#4Submitted by joes on Sun, 08/02/2009 - 21:06.

Building your aquarium is

Building your aquarium is good but never try this alone. You can do this in the presence of a professional. If you are looking for good windows and glasses than I would like to tell you that Austin windows is really good and are offering their services at a very nominal price.

#5Submitted by Carlvdm on Wed, 09/16/2009 - 00:39.

Bracing

Hi Guys if I use euro bracing as well as cross bracing what will the effect be on the glass thickness

Many thanks

Carl

#6Submitted by bawatandon on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 17:14.

regarding safety factor

Why are u calculating with safety factor 2.5 if 3.8 is recommended.

#7Submitted by EdmontonAquarium on Fri, 12/25/2009 - 23:32.

Just type

You can change the safety factor by clicking in the field and putting whatever you like instead.

#8Submitted by Pumpkinate on Mon, 12/07/2009 - 12:39.

braceless and rimless

I assume the calculator is for aquariums with bracing such that the front and back glass are supported essentially on all 4 sides? What if you are building a braceless and rimless aquarium?

#9Submitted by aquatools on Mon, 12/07/2009 - 22:31.

Actually the calculator is

Actually the calculator is not for aquariums with bracing...

#10Submitted by Pumpkinate on Tue, 12/08/2009 - 06:07.

Great, thank you for this

Great, thank you for this useful tool

#11Submitted by aquatools on Tue, 12/08/2009 - 21:37.

I'm glad you like it :)

#12Submitted by Hanex on Sat, 12/26/2009 - 21:43.

error in calculation

This is a helpfull tool!
Please note that for the aquarists it is more important to know the volume of water that the aquarium holds rather than the volme of air it displaces. The total weight when full is in error.

#13Submitted by aquatools on Tue, 12/29/2009 - 00:50.

mmmmm

yes, I guess you right. But notice it says weight of glass+water... which I think is pretty close - minus the volume the gravel takes.

Also notice, the gravel takes space, but is also heavier than water. And it gets even more complicated if you consider the water that are inside the gravel.... this is why I didn't provide a more accurate total weight.

#14Submitted by tytryn on Tue, 01/05/2010 - 23:27.

how is calculated Glass Thickness

Hi Guys, very cool site. it is very interesting to me to know how is calculated the glass thickness.(formula)
Sorry for my english i am from russia)))

#15Submitted by tuandang on Thu, 05/27/2010 - 18:56.

thanks

hello

#16Submitted by bigshineybike on Tue, 06/22/2010 - 15:34.

my tank

Just to let you know of a tank I made some years ago.
Its a four foot cube. Glass sides not toughened we didnt even have the edges ground which is a sensible extra.
we used 15 mm thick plate glass.
its been filled to the top many times.
It has a steel angle frame.

I wanted to say we had done this so some of you can compare what works with what the calculator says.
In our case the calculator tells us 19mm.

I guess we are getting away with it!
The glass does bulge about 8mm when full

#17Submitted by md on Tue, 06/29/2010 - 20:36.

hi Guys.I dont understand

hi Guys.I dont understand what it means by thickness and that safety factor thing.I want 2 tanks the first L 250
B 180
H 180

and the second L 200
B 100
H 100

can someone please help me.Guys is its difficult to build this on your own?

#18Submitted by aquatools on Wed, 06/30/2010 - 10:38.

180??

Are you building a tank with a height of 180cm???

#19Submitted by md on Sun, 07/04/2010 - 14:09.

yes.yes I am.Why is that a

yes.yes I am.Why is that a problem?

#20Submitted by aquatools on Tue, 07/06/2010 - 10:12.

That is huge!

With that hight the water pressure will be really powerful.
Good luck!

#21Submitted by manicky01 on Mon, 08/02/2010 - 04:15.

mass units on aquarium calculator

Hi,

Surely the units of mass on the mass calculator are in
grams and not kilograms, no???

#22Submitted by aquatools on Wed, 08/04/2010 - 00:01.

Actually, it is kilograms.

#23Submitted by manicky01 on Mon, 08/02/2010 - 04:18.

parameter equations

Hi again,

What equations are you using to get the answers
to the parameters indicated on the aquarium calculator???

#24Submitted by Thomas on Wed, 08/18/2010 - 00:18.

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