what thickness of acrylic do I need for an aquarium (60x30x25 inch)

Baragor75 · Aug 31, 2020

Hello everybody,

I'm from the Netherlands and i want to build my own acrylic reef aquarium. Unfortunately there is allmost no info available over here what thickness acrylic i should use.

So, i want to build a 60x30x25 inch (lxdxh) aquarium, preferably rimless (but a cover lid is no problem either), how thick acrylic should i use?

Thanks in advance for the help

shwareefer · Aug 31, 2020

A calculator from an acrylic sheet manufacturer:

https://www.acrylite.co/technical-support/calculators.html

or this one if you want to do the math yourself:

http://www.plasticgenius.com/2009/05/calculate-aquarium-thickness.html

Baragor75 · Aug 31, 2020

Thanks shwareefer

The first link doesn't work, but i used the 2nd link to calculate.

Correct me if i'm wrong.

L/H (60/25) = 2,4 so i have to use β from 3.0 (0,866)
q = 0,0361 x 25 = 0.9025

So: (0,866x0,9025x25²) / 750 = 0,6513

√ 0,6513 = 0,807 inch thick acrylic.

So i should use 1 inch thick to be safe ?

shwareefer · Aug 31, 2020

Your math is correct. From their chart the β chosen is already above your actual need so 7/8" (.875) would be more than enough and 1 inch even more so. Knowing what you now know, see what's available and the cost difference and go from there. I don't work in acrylic so I don't know what the standard available thicknesses are.

Baragor75 · Aug 31, 2020

Here in the Netherlands we use millimeter (or centimeter) instead of inch.

.875 inch is 22.2 mm, available options are 20 mm (.787 inch) or 25 mm (.984 inch). So i have to use 25 mm, or lower the height by an inch. Looking at the price difference between 20 mm and 25 mm i'll probably lower the height a bit

saves me about 20% in costs.

Thanks for the help

shwareefer · Aug 31, 2020

I'm in Canada, we use metric too.

Bluedore · Aug 31, 2020

I would suggest to use at least the 1” or more due to rimless. If not, you’ll having bowing issues later on.

Baragor75 · Aug 31, 2020

Yeah i have thought about that. In my opinion a rimless aquarium is more beautiful, but i don't mind a lid.

But looking at the price difference between 20 mm (.787 inch) which is about € 240,- per 10,75 square feet, which brings the price including lid to a total of +/- € 1400,-
or 30 mm (1.18 inch) which is about € 480,- per 10,75 square feet, which brings the price to a total of +/- € 2300,-

€ 900,- buys me some nice equipment

Bluedore · Aug 31, 2020

Baragor75 said:
Yeah i have thought about that. In my opinion a rimless aquarium is more beautiful, but i don't mind a lid.

But looking at the price difference between 20 mm (.787 inch) which is about € 240,- per 9 square feet, which brings the price including lid to a total of +/- € 1400,-
or 30 mm (1.18 inch) which is about € 480,- per 9 square feet, which brings the price to a total of +/- € 2300,-

€ 900,- buys me some nice equipment

Yes, really nice equipment with bowing tank, not so good!!! I have a 4 footer(48”x24”x20”) acrylic with 3/4” all around and 3” Euro-brace. And you are going for the 6 footer, I would be concern a year or two later if not adding an Euro-brace. I would suggest to do more research and ask acrylic builders or people that have more experiences in this area. Good luck!

Bluedore · Aug 31, 2020

Sorry! Thought it was a 6 footer, just re-checked it’s a 60” you are aiming for but still recommend an Euro-brace.

Baragor75 · Aug 31, 2020

I think we mean the same, but i say it differently (maybe wrong, English is not my main language)

I said i was going to use a lid when i build my aquarium with .787 inch acrylic, i had to search for a picture, but this is what i had in mind.... (not exactly this offcourse)

A lid (this is what you mean by euro-brace?) glued on top of the aquarium.

If i build a rimless aquarium, i would use 30 mm (1.18 inch)

gray808 · Aug 31, 2020

shwareefer said:
I'm in Canada, we use metric too.

We poor Americans are about the only ones dumb enough anymore to not be using it. :|

--Gray

Bluedore · Aug 31, 2020

Baragor75 said:
I think we mean the same, but i say it differently (maybe wrong, English is not my main language)

I said i was going to use a lid when i build my aquarium with .787 inch acrylic, i had to search for a picture, but this is what i had in mind.... (not exactly this offcourse)

A lid (this is what you mean by euro-brace?) glued on top of the aquarium.

If i build a rimless aquarium, i would use 30 mm (1.18 inch)

If that’s what you meant by lid then it’s good. Pic attached is my.

shwareefer · Aug 31, 2020

gray808 said:
We poor Americans are about the only ones dumb enough anymore to not be using it. :|

--Gray

Ironically I work in tool & die and the majority of customers/suppliers still talk imperial. Whenever we deal with The States they always are in metric. Go figure.

Tenecor Aquariums · Nov 30, 2020

Baragor75 said:
Hello everybody,

I'm from the Netherlands and i want to build my own acrylic reef aquarium. Unfortunately there is allmost no info available over here what thickness acrylic i should use.

So, i want to build a 60x30x25 inch (lxdxh) aquarium, preferably rimless (but a cover lid is no problem either), how thick acrylic should i use?

Thanks in advance for the help

For this size aquarium, you should not need anything thicker than 1/2" BUT (I usually disregard everything before the word "BUT") there are many other considerations you need to be aware of. First, let's begin with how a typical acrylic aquarium is fabricated. On tanks this size, you are probably going to end up with square corners instead of the rounded ones for two simple reasons: 1) you probably don't have a bending table that will handle this dimension and 2) you probably don't want to spend the money for an oversize sheet. (60" front + 30" + 30" is greater than 96" which is your typical acrylic sheet size).

So now we are going to assume this is a square corner build. The next thing to be aware of is that the structural integrity of an acrylic aquarium is the sum of all its parts. Take one away and the structure is severely compromised. Let me explain: An acrylic aquarium, save for the very tiny (less than 5 gallon) tanks needs to have an integrated top. Without the top, you will eventually have a catastrophic failure. Not today or tomorrow, but eventually. Almost always when you are away having dinner. This is also why you must, without exception, use full bottom supports on any acrylic aquarium. You will also notice many acrylic fabricators will skimp and make the bottom out of a thinner gauge than the walls. While this is technically OK, it is not the way it should be done.

The top is essential to keeping the front of the tank from bowing out due to the water pressure. Same applies to the bottom. If the bottom is not supported and the top is non there, you just built yourself a water mattress. Even small sumps and external filters will stop looking like the picture on the box and begin to bow out over time if they do not have an integrated top.

Ok, so now let's talk about the actual build. Acrylic is not glued to acrylic. it is chemically welded. Both surfaces are softened with solvent and then put together under pressure until a weld forms. This is where it gets tricky. Acrylic sheets are not absolutely flat or parallel. Most people will intuitively cut the piece to be the bottom first then try to attach the sides to the bottom next. If you try to do it this way, you will be very disappointed in the results. For very small tanks or little filters, you may be able to pull it off with decent seams, but not a tank the size you are trying to build. You will get solvent puddles, bubbles and occlusions. It is not easy. And remember, you need to keep the pieces you are welding under pressure until the weld sets.

Back to the thickness question for a minute. It is not a hard a fast rule but the thickness of acrylic is based in part on the height of the build. The taller the build, greater the water pressure. It is also a factor of the size of the panels. More on that some other time.

I don't want to discourage you from trying to do this. But I would advise you try to do it on a much smaller scale first. I did not even discuss edge preparation or final finishing.

DISCLOSURE: We are manufacturers of acrylic AND glass aquariums. If you want some tips on glass please reply. Compared to acrylic, glass builds are very doable by the DIY hobbyist. Good luck