# Glass thickness without bracing?



## Chris2500DK (Feb 15, 2006)

Will a tank made from 8 mm (5/16th inches) glass that measures 80cm by 47cm, 40 cm high (32" by 19", 16" high) need a brace or will it hold without it?

They sure do look nicer without the brace, but 40 gallons on the floor isn't much fun


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## Chris2500DK (Feb 15, 2006)

Hmm... amazing what a bit of googling can do 

Found this calculator

According to it I need at least 6.38mm for that size tank, so that leaves me with a decent margin.

Any other input/experiences will still be appreciated.


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## Britnick (Apr 18, 2008)

Hi Ya

try it and see if the front/back starts to bow, you can always add one later if it does. The point you are going to be most at risk is when you are filling the tank and large water changes.

Is there a reason you donâ€™t want to use a brace?


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## Chris2500DK (Feb 15, 2006)

I have the tank now. It doesn't have a standard brace but it has a divider about 1/4 down the length. I've used it for salt water, but for cichlids I want to use the full length and cut out the divider.


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## Britnick (Apr 18, 2008)

Ahhh - OK. Certainly from all the evidence it looks like it will hold, but keep in mind the older the tank gets the less tolerance the glass has to stress. Same for the silicon. Every time you do a water change the tank is stressed a little, over the course of a year this can add up.

Let me know how you get on :thumb:


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## Chris2500DK (Feb 15, 2006)

Well you can be very sure you'll hear if it goes bad :lol:


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