# Other Aquarium Forums > Equipment and Accessories >  5mm glass thickness ok for 3ft tank?

## edloh

Hi!

I am new to the hobby and have just purchased a 3ft tank. The glass thickness is 5mm. The seller said it is the standard thickness and I am hoping to seek out some expert advise here. 

Can anyone advise me?

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## chtan23

Better to get a 10mm thickness 3ft tank if you don't want your house to flood with water. 12mm if not braces.

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## Stormz

I'm not sure about the standard thickness but it's totally depending on what you planning to keep within the tank. I of course won't agree if you're going to keep a red tailed catfish with that thickness.

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## edloh

Oh dear! I have 10 tetras, 6 platies, 1 Cory and a crayfish. Gravel is about 2cm. 2 pieces of drift wood and fake plants. Does that sound too much for 5mm glass thickness?

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## 14litre

> Hi!
> 
> I am new to the hobby and have just purchased a 3ft tank. The glass thickness is 5mm. The seller said it is the standard thickness and I am hoping to seek out some expert advise here. 
> 
> Can anyone advise me?


I am not an expert in this area but I do came across a online calculation tool that might be useful.

It is here:
http://www.theaquatools.com/building-your-aquarium
which I got it from the other thread here:
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...our-tank-setup

Assuming your 3ft tank is 36" long, 12" wide and 14.5" high,
which is approximately 91cm by 30cm by 36cm,
the calculator returns 
5 mm of glass thickness, if you are put in a Safety Factor of 3 (equivalent to Safe);
6 mm of glass thickness, if you are put in a Safety Factor of 3.8 (commonly used - also equivalent to Safe, see the footnote of that web page)

It is also mentioned there that this calculator is just a guide (see the disclaimer at the footnote also).

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## mincedmeat

5mm seems too thin for a standard 3ft tank. I would rather you have it at least 8mm

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## 14litre

Hi edloh,

I forgot to mention that I have no experience with big tanks.
I have small tanks only.

That online calculator is just a guide, which I have came across.

A thicker glass is preferred as mentioned by other bros here. You might want to take their advise into serious consideration given that they have real life experience on bigger tanks.

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## Stormz

TS, did you buy it off the shelf in LFS or 2nd hand from other members? As what I remember that the usual thickness of tanks should be 6mm not 5mm.

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## felix_fx2

Mine is 6mm, it likely to have 3 braces.
Else excessive lateral pressure from the water will cause bowing easily.

My tank is around 3 years with me, see my join date.

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## edloh

Thanks guys for all your help and advice! I will try out the glass thickness calculator and see what it comes up with. I bought my tank second hand.

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## Stormz

2nd hand tanks are ok but really must see how many years has the owner used before selling to you. Just in case that he uses many years and sell you cheap. That's very risky as old tanks their silicon might not last.

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## vannel

There was no mention of whether the tank has braces or is rimless. That makes a world of difference. I would probably not be too comfortable with a 3ft length and 5mm glass if it was rimless. My current tank is a 2x1.5x1.5 rimless 5mm glass tank and it seems to be holding up so far.

Sent via Galaxy Nexus (Android 4.1, Jellybean)

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## sammajor

Yes, normal 3ft tank is 6mm thickness instead of 5mm.

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## edloh

Thanks to all for your help and advise. I am so pai seh to say I found out my tank is just 2.5ft and not 3ft. I just input the measurements into the link above and got a glass safety factor of 3 which is considered safe. Btw, by braces I suppose you mean the metal rim right? If so, my is rimless

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## apek19

I just got a 3"ft x 1.5" x 1.5" from CR Aquarium. Braceless - 8mm was the minimum recommended  :Smile: 

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

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## vannel

> Thanks to all for your help and advise. I am so pai seh to say I found out my tank is just 2.5ft and not 3ft. I just input the measurements into the link above and got a glass safety factor of 3 which is considered safe. Btw, by braces I suppose you mean the metal rim right? If so, my is rimless


Braced tanks do not have to have metal rims. A lot of tanks nowadays feature an extra piece of glass running the length, on the inside of the tank. This provides additional support against the glass bowing at its weakest point in the middle as well as allowing for slightly more silicon to hold the edges together. It is generally considered to be safer for thin glass tanks to be braced. However, its a tradeoff between beauty and safety. If quality silicon has been applied and the tank is relatively "young", then you should not have to worry.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus (Android 4.1, Jellybean) via Tapatalk 2

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## astro

my customised 3ft tank is 10yrs old and going strong
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8647791...in/photostream

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## edloh

Thanks for your clarication Vannel, mine is then definitely not braced. Thanks for sharing your pix astro :Smile:

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