How thick does aquarium glass need to be?

Question

I'm considering building my own tank for my water dragon and turtle. The plan would be something like this: 3 1/2 feet tall, 3 feet wide, and 2 feet deep. I would put about a foot of water, which would give me about 45 gallons of water.

How thick will the glass need to be to withstand this amount of water?

Answer 1

1/4 inch thick is a common thickness of glass, and it's plenty strong enough for what you're needing if you have aquarium sealent to seal the joints. Do not use silicone caulk, it has an odor that is bad for animals, and it could pollute the water. I hope this helps.

Answer 2

my glass tank is only like a 1/4th or less inches thick...and it holds alot.

Answer 3

don't house them together please. do some research.

Answer 4

I really think you wouldn't have to go more than 1/4" for JUST the water, but because of the turtles, I'd go thicker than that to support the turtle smashing against the sides.

If you are considering housing them together, I'd think otherwise.  The water for your water dragon would never be clean because the turtle would constantly be pooping in it.  This is not healthy for your water dragon, who needs clean water to stay hydrated.  You really need to make them their own, separate enclosures.  You are also asking for trouble because one will eventually stress the other enough to cause a problem.  And that tank is not going to be big enough for an adult dragon at all.

It will probably be fine for just the turtle for now, but depending on what kind of turtle it is, you could be looking at getting something like a 125 gallon tank.  If you're going to make your own tankS, make them much bigger than that and not completely out of glass.  Save yourself the money now and go adult sized.