Acrylic thickness - 375 Gallon Build

[phixer]

Yeah, I was really surprised. It was a bowfront tank and looked to be about 5ft long and about 3' wide from the middle to the back. There was a guy on another site that was trying to sell a 8x4x4' made from 1" . The only problem with it was it blew out one of the seams at the top fracturing the entire side panel into a bunch of smaller cracks. One would have to cut out an entire section to replace it. He wanted $500 for it a few months back, it's still for sale.

 

[richamc01]

So I think I've decided to knock down the height and make it a little bit deeper. I think I'll keep the height right at 24" and make it 38" deep. Making the "chambers" 32"x38"x24" (LXWXH). That will make each chamber right around 125 gallons. So, that being said, what thickness should I go with? 3/4"? 1/2"?
From the pic shown in an earlier post the if that is a view of the top bracing you could see premature breakage with how the bracing is designed....Squared off corners would be a stress point.  The corners on the bracing need to be a radius cut which isn't hard to do, but is the correct way, since that is where the stress or load will be distributed.....
Excellent point. I meant to say that they would be rounded. I couldn't figure out how to make a rectangle with rounded edges on the iPhone app I used to make this drawing. Haha.
Thanks for everyone's help. This tank is a long ways down the road and I want everything to be planned perfectly.

 

[richamc01]

Also, this is the calc I've been using. Just did a google search and it was the first one that came up. http://www.firsttankguide.net/calculator.php

 

[richamc01]

Aside from just the building design, are there any mechanical issues you guys see here? I know that I need to be on the lookout for salt creep. Other than that, what concerns would there be?

 

[acrylic51]

I honestly don't see any issues......Just overbuild.....

 

[richamc01]

So the tank height and length would be fine with 3/4" material.....Shouldn't be any crazy bowing or stress if properly braced up top.
This being said, would I be able to use 3/4" for the front and back and 1/2" for the rest to save some cash? With my new dimensions? I'll probably go 3/4" all the way around just to be safe but it doesn't hurt to explore all of my possibilities.

 

[saxman]

If you use 1/2" for the back, it's likely gonna bow...we have several acrylic tanks, and the "off-the-shelf" tanks almost always bow because they're made with stock that's too thin. You're planning a really nice, and I assume your "flagship" tank...I'd do it "right" from the get-go.

 

[richamc01]

If you use 1/2" for the back, it's likely gonna bow...we have several acrylic tanks, and the "off-the-shelf" tanks almost always bow because they're made with stock that's too thin.  You're planning a really nice, and I assume your "flagship" tank...I'd do it "right" from the get-go.
Yeah I meant 3/4" for the front, back, and sides and 1/2" for the top and bottom. I think I'll just save my pennies and go 3/4" all the way around and do it right.

 

[acrylic51]

Nope 3/4" material all around. You might get away with 1/2" on the bottom but personally 3/4" for the entire build.