It certainly helped me as I was just quoting some phonon industry tech reps but if this is what it takes to get some great industry feedback from a high authority, it was all well worth it, as there nothing worse the vague answers. Thank you very much and since Iv decided to hold off until tomorrow to make my order, perhaps now I will order tempered glass. :clap: Wow this thread needs to be archived with good key search words.I hope that clears things up. Good luck with your new tank.
Andy Hudson
Central Aquatics (Aqueon, Oceanic, Coralife, Kent, and Zilla)
Research and Development
President Milwaukee Aquarium Society
Wow great link. Do you see any correlation or pattern in those tables as to why some panels are tempered and some not. Is there literature or Faq'a that that gives reason descriptions or offer options as to why tempered panels are used on some tanks and not on others. I'm just curious if its a a true option or is it the manufactures preference based on high end cost durability and short life low cost models (Honda vs Yugo). There is probubly some engineering standard reasoning going on that's not advertised based on cost, weight thickness, and safety that most people wouldn't be interested in. Except me LOL...8^DThis is the link from Marineland's site regarding Perfecto Standard Aquariums -
The thickness of the glass depends on the hight of the tank. http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=139898There is no industry standard for aquarium glass thickness although many manufacturers have their own standards that are likely very similar.
Andy
And probably more then adequate as far as strength.It is really all about cost and logistics. Small tanks the glass is generally 1/4 or 3/16" thick which is common untempered window glass and fairly inexpensive.
Andy
And I would suspect a major consideration is the weight of the tank. This is going to be a significant cost for a company transporting tanks across the country. Thinner glass (tempered) means lower transportation costs and higher profits.There isn't much cost savings between these sizes and tempering would make them more expensive. The midsize tanks need a little thicker glass but as you increase glass thickness you also increase cost. There is a lot of price difference between 1/2" and 3/8" or 3/8" and 1/4" etc... By using the tempered glass you can use cheaper thinner glass and still have the same or better strength.Andy