Buying Glass For Custom Bookshelf Tank

So instead of spending $70 on a 3 gallon tank, when I can make a bigger one, for a similar/cheaper price, I was planning on just buying some glass panes and making a rimless tank myself, then making a low profile LED lightbar on top, and probably a small sponge filter.

This is going to be a long bookshelf shrimp tank, might eventually have fish in it as well.

I'm just curious though, about how thick the glass has to be.
I could measure my current tanks and see, but it's not going to be quite as much water so I'm sure slightly thinner is okay.

The pieces I'm looking at are 3/32" thick,
12" tall and 24" wide.
There are other pieces that are 1/8"

The idea is to have it be 24x12x10
So I would buy two of each piece, two 10x12 and two 24x12 and a 24x10 custom piece for the bottom.

That would work right? I'm not going to have to get each piece a fraction smaller? Lol
But I'm also worried that the tank could bust with the 3/32" glass, but I'm unsure if 1/8 is even enough?

 

This might help. And yes the short sides will have to be however thick the glass is shorter since they go inside and the long ones overlap the ends .

 

This might help. And yes the short sides will have to be however thick the glass is shorter since they go inside and the long ones overlap the ends .

Somewhat helpful, the one thing I don't understand is the safety factor, I'm assuming it's meaning supports?
The more safety factors there are the higher the thickness.
So maybe it's just assuming things like wobbling? I don't know.

I guess I'll probably know when I see the glass if it will be alright.
Maybe...
It says it'll be about 100lbs of tank and water.

 

Safety factor is extra. As in weight or pull power. Ladders have a 20-25% safety factor. Most products with a weight limit have some kind of safety factor but it depends on industry standards as to what it is. I think I just stuck in 20% when I did it.

 

Somewhat helpful, the one thing I don't understand is the safety factor, I'm assuming it's meaning supports?
The more safety factors there are the higher the thickness.
So maybe it's just assuming things like wobbling? I don't know.

I guess I'll probably know when I see the glass if it will be alright.
Maybe...
It says it'll be about 100lbs of tank and water.

~100 pounds? If that's the estimate for a 3 gallon tank, that's way off. But it sounds like you're talking about more like a 10 gallon tank (usually 20 x 10 x 12), judging by the measurements you provided. So, what, something like 12.5 gallons? And, well, if you catch it in a dollar per gallon sale, you're looking at $10 for a 10, and about $20 otherwise. It probably isn't worth it to go through the hassle and higher cost (between labor and materials) to make your own.

 

~100 pounds? If that's the estimate for a 3 gallon tank, that's way off. But it sounds like you're talking about more like a 10 gallon tank (usually 20 x 10 x 12), judging by the measurements you provided. So, what, something like 12.5 gallons? And, well, if you catch it in a dollar per gallon sale, you're looking at $10 for a 10, and about $20 otherwise. It probably isn't worth it to go through the hassle and higher cost (between labor and materials) to make your own.

I said the ones I could buy for $70 were 3 gallons. This one would be 12, and you can't find these bookshelf tanks that are short yet long on a dollar per gallon, and they're mostly sold in 3 and 6 gallon options. We already have a 10 gallon, which doesn't go for 10 at the dollar per gallon sale here, and It's much taller, and a similar width and depth. This will be for a space at the fire station on a dresser for some shrimps.
I'm thinking of changing the depth and height though, these were just precut options.
It's far cheaper to make it my own than to have it built or to buy it too small.

 

Great. This would be 12. Would the trouble of building this custom (and lacking a warranty) 12 gallon tank be worth it, to build it, instead of just buying a 10 or 15 gallon tank that'll be considerably less than a $70 3 gallon tank? If you think the hassles are worth it, by all means, enjoy your DIY project. If you're just looking for a tank that's pretty darn close to the measurements you cited, you're going to be hard pressed to find something more convenient and cost effective than a mass-produced 10 gallon tank.

 

Just do it. I'm also in the process of building 3 tanks from aquarium glass that I salvaged (discarded or cracked tank and a table glass). Not really doing it for the economics. just for the experience and for Fun - if there is such a thing in building tanks ;-) .

just make sure that you fill test outside for a long time just to be on the safe side.

 

Good points, Saint, but I think different scenario. You have the parts that you've salvaged already. She seems to be looking at buying the materials. At least that's the implication I understood from the way her first post was worded. If it was indicated that she already *had* the materials, my response would've been very different.

That said, if she *must* have a custom designed tank, and it sounds like she does, I'm sure there are some DIY videos available on Youtube that will include material specifications, too.