Wouldn’t it be great if you get some knowledge about the safety and potential hazards of the glass of fish tanks before buying it or making it?
Here you can get to know about the safety and potential hazards of the glass of fish tanks. Yes, you have to make a decision about the size of the tank, the material of the tank glass, thickness of the tank glass, and do you want a fish tank with or without a frame?
I will walk you through the whole process of fish tank glass safety and its potential hazards.
So, let’s begin! Following are some points needs to be considered about the glass while buying or making a fish tank at home.
- What bad can happen on the matter of fish tank glass safety?
- What is fish tank glass thickness safety factor in a fish tank?
- How to calculate fish tank glass safety?
- What is an aquarium glass thickness chart?
- What are the kinds of glass that can be used in a fish tank?
- Comparison between acrylic and glass fish tank.
- How thick should acrylic be for a fish tank?
- Are glass aquariums better than acrylic?
- Glass effect on fish health in aquarium?
There are some important points to be pondered which are given below:
- The glass starts to bend and bow.
- Glass can be broken and cracked.
- The corner of the glass gets chipped.
- Silicon is used to fix any issues regarding the crack and chipped corner.
- The best is sealant to fix the issues.
- You should try Amazon products, it’s amazing.
- Take suggestions from the experts.
- The safety factor is considered to calculate the thickness of the glass.
- Safety factor remains between 2.8 to 3.8.
- Safety factor varies with the size.
- Thickness calculator is used to calculate the fish tank glass safety.
- Some inputs like length, width and safety factor are given.
- The output is the thickness, glass weight, area, and volume.
- A chart is made to make it simple for you to decide the thickness level for your aquarium.
- The chart contains the length and height of the aquarium and shows thickness level according to length and height.
- Fish tanks are made of Acrylic or Glass.
- Acrylic like Plexiglas is the best option.
- Glass is of two types: Normal flat glass and high-quality crystal glass.
- A table of comparison is provided below that is the summary of all the comparison between glass and acrylic.
- The thickness of acrylic is according to the height of the aquarium.
- Water volume is significant in this matter.
- Both glass and acrylic have their own pros and cons.
- You should take a look at all the pros and cons of glass and acrylic before making or buying an aquarium.
- The size of the fish tank glass affects the health of the fish.
- The bigger the fish tank glass, the happier the fish will be.
Let’s dive into the details,
What bad can happen on the matter of fish tank glass safety?
First of all, you should know what bad can happen if you do not take care of the fish tank glass. The glass of the fish tank starts bending or bowing usually from the front due to pressure or stress. You have to do bracing of the fish tank glass to prevent any damage. The glass takes flexing at a certain point and if it does not then it starts to crack and breaks.
The bottom of the fish tank glass starts to crack due to many reasons and the water leaks from it. Therefore people use silicon gum to fix this issue or they replace the glass of bottom.
The corner of the fish tank glass gets chipped and it is also treated with the silicon. The sealant is used for fixing these issues. The sealant is a material used to seal something to make it watertight and airtight.
I did deal with aquarium glass issues a couple of times. My recommendation is to deal with crack or leak immediately. This sealant saves my fish habitat and apartment before getting flooded last time. This sealant is specially made for aquariums and it deals with the sealing issues. The sealant is flexible and thus making the sealed area watertight. The fastest way is to order it on Amazon, check the link, double-check on delivery time, so you can fix your situation as fast as possible. Fish tank glass sealant from Amazon.
Always take suggestions from professionals of aquariums whenever you are going to have a fish tank. They recommend the best options to adopt about the size of the aquarium and as well as about the material of fish tank glass.
Points to ponder:
- The glass starts to bend and bow.
- Glass can be broken and cracked.
- The corner of the glass gets chipped.
- Silicon is used to fix any issues regarding the crack and chipped corner.
- The best is a sealant to fix the issues.
- You should try Amazon products, it’s amazing.
- Take suggestions from the experts.
At this point, you realized that how important is the safety of fish tank glass. Now moving towards the thickness of the glass as its safety factor. How glass thickness affects the safety of your aquarium.
What is the thickness safety factor in a fish tank glass?
The strength of the glass varies, for calculating the thickness of the class there must be a factor through which thickness can be calculated. Usually, the safety factor for fish tank glass is considered 3.8 and it also varies, some say that it should be 2.92.
However, the safety factor remains from 2.8 to 3.8. This factor is considered due to the limitations of the manufacturing process of glass for fish tanks. This factor also varies with the size of the fish tank.
Points to ponder:
- The safety factor is considered to calculate the thickness of the glass.
- The safety factor remains between 2.8 to 3.8.
- The safety factor varies with the size.
By now you will be wondering how this safety factor is determined. Yes, it is determined by the length and height of the aquarium plus the most important thing is the volume of the water. To calculate the glass safety, you can use the safety factor as a threshold for calculating glass safety.
The next question arises about the calculation of glass safety. And the answer is given below;
How to calculate fish tank glass safety?
The fish tank glass safety is calculated by the fish tank glass thickness calculator. The calculator takes the input of the data like length, width, and height of the fish tank and its safety factor according to its size. And then it shows the result like aquarium glass thickness, glass weight, glass and water weight, glass area and aquarium volume. Then you choose the thickness and weight of the glass for your fish tank.
It’s that simple!
Points to ponder:
- Thickness calculator is used to calculate the fish tank glass safety.
- Some inputs like length, width and safety factor are given.
- The output is the thickness, glass weight, area, and volume.
Now, it is made easy for you by making a chart for different sizes of the aquarium to choose the thickness of the glass.
What is an aquarium glass thickness chart?
A chart that shows the level of thickness for your fish tanks. The thickness is indicated according to the length and depth of the aquarium.
The above image is the result of all the calculations done to find out the thickness of the glass for the fish tank. The first row is the different lengths of the aquariums. And the first column is the different heights of the aquariums. By matching the length and the height of your aquarium, you can just find out the thickness of your aquarium.
Points to ponder:
- A chart is made to make it simple for you to decide the thickness level for your aquarium.
- The chart contains the length and height of the aquarium and shows thickness level according to length and height.
Now hang on, can there be kinds of the glass used for a fish tank? Yes, there are kinds of glass and acrylic material used to make the fish tank. The details are given below;
What are the kinds of glass that can be used in a fish tank?
Fish tanks can be made from both the glass and acrylic. In acrylic, Plexiglas is the clearest and light in weight.
Moreover, in glass, there can be two types; the one is normal flat glass and the other is the high-quality crystal glass. The normal flat glass has low clarity and the crystal one has high clarity but too expensive to buy.
Points to ponder:
- Fish tanks are made of Acrylic or Glass.
- Acrylic like Plexiglas is the best option.
- Glass is of two types: Normal flat glass and high-quality crystal glass.
When it comes to choosing between glass and acrylic for your fish tank, all you need to do is the comparison between both the things to find out the answer that which is best for your aquarium.
Comparison between acrylic and glass fish tank.
There is a lot of difference between acrylic and glass. Some people use acrylic and some use glass for fish tank. Both have different pros and cons. The main thing is that both can be used for making a fish tank.
| Qualities that differentiate: | Acrylic | Glass |
| Shape | Can be molded to give any shape | Cannot be given any shape due to its high weight and rigidity. |
| Clarity | Less clarity | High clarity |
| Scratching | Prone to scratches | Scratches resistant |
| Weight | Light in weight | Heavy in weight |
| Strength | Considered stronger | Despite the heavyweight, glass can be broken easily |
| Support | It needs much more support to stand because it is light in weight | It does not need much support because it is heavy in weight and can be handled without a stand but with braces on the top |
| Price | Expensive | Cheap |
| Discoloration | Becomes yellowish with the passing time | It will not discolor with the passing time |
| Joints | More chemically fused to give more strength | Silicon used for glass joints is less strong than acrylic joints |
| Customizability | Can be customized easily | Cannot be customized |
Points to ponder:
- A table of comparison is provided above that is the summary of all the comparison between glass and acrylic.
Now you are ready to make a decision that what you are going to use for your fish tank. But wait! We talked about the thickness of the glass. And if you choose acrylic for your fish tank. Then what should be the thickness for your acrylic fish tank? Find out the answer in the next question detail.
How thick should acrylic be for a fish tank?
The thickness of the acrylic is maintained according to the height of the aquarium. And the main thing is that you will not choose the length number, but you will choose the number according to the water volume. Say, if the length is 30” and the water it holds is at 28” then you will consider 28” for the thickness of the acrylic.
Moreover, some calculations are that if the aquarium is from 0 to 12 inches high then the thickness of acrylic should be 1/4”. And if it is 13/19 inches high then the thickness should be 3/8”. For 20/24 inches high aquarium the thickness of acrylic should be 1/2”.
Points to ponder:
- The thickness of acrylic is according to the height of the aquarium.
- Water volume is significant in this matter.
So, what are you waiting for? Do you want to know more about glass and acrylic? I just found more about glass and acrylic so that you can have more knowledge to make a final decision.
Are glass aquariums better than acrylic aquariums?
Let me say this straight that there are both advantages and disadvantages of glass. Most of the people think that acrylic is better than the glass. But when it comes to cost, then the glass is preferred for its advantages. Glass is cost-effective for small aquariums. It has more clarity than acrylic. Glass will not be discolored with the time. Preference is also given because it is resistant to scratches. Glass is more rigid than the acrylic.
On the other hand, glass is heavier than acrylic and it cannot be customized to give any shape.
Whereas, acrylic has its own benefits. Acrylic is lighter in weight and is considered stronger than glass. Because of the lightweight acrylic can be given any shape. The joints between acrylic sheets are stronger than between glass sheets. Despite all these good things about acrylic, it is much more expensive than the glass. It can have scratches over it if the quality is low. Acrylic is discolored with the passage of time.
So, one cannot say that glass is better than acrylic. Both has its own pros and cons. And it’s your choice to opt for any material for your aquarium.
Points to ponder:
- Both glass and acrylic have their own pros and cons.
- You should take a look at all the pros and cons of glass and acrylic before making or buying an aquarium.
Above all, fish health is also affected in the aquarium. Is this the glass that affects fish health? Or is it another reason. Let’s find out.
Glass effect on fish health in aquarium?
If we talk about the material of the glass, it does not have any effect on fish health. But if we talk about the size of the glass tank, then it should be the factor that affects fish health. The bigger the tank is, the more the fish is happy. Because it will have more room to enjoy and swim. The depression and stress level of the fish is low in bigger tanks. Fish feels stress in congested aquariums.
Points to ponder:
- The size of the fish tank glass affects the health of the fish.
- The bigger the fish tank glass, the happier the fish will be.
That’s all that really matters while talking about the safety and hazards of the fish tank. I hope it helped you in a better way.
