Quotes from another forum:
QUOTE
manufacturers often giving what called 'margin for error' to cover for insurance claims issues...nevertheless its good to know different specs of of different companies use for the recommendation...... it'll be a margin of error but some a pretty big margins
I would accept that the margin is there....
but why make a tank to minimum specifications when it means a 50/50 chance of holding long term?? Would it not be better to build tanks to a moderate level (one size down from what the chart suggests) to ensure the survival of the tanks, the occupants, the floor and the owner's sanity??I have spent time discussing aquarium building and glass thickness with an engineer in Sydney (I went there to build a tank for a restaurant belonging to a friend, and he requested an engineers approval to the design for insurance purposes - the same went for everything that went into the building of the restaurant). The tank was to be 900high and 1800 long, he wanted a minimum of 19mm in that case.... so it pains me when I get people asking for quotes for tanks 900 high and over 1500 long and say I am double the price compared to everyone else (I have seen quotes by other tank makers, and I would not build tanks to those specifications *think* )
Just this week I saw 3 near identical quotes for a
tank 1000 high in 12mm glass... now this is pushing the boundary too far.... it is half of what it should have been, and I was happy to do it out of 19mm... but not 12mm... but I reluctantly had to give him a quote just to show him we can play in the same ball park:
So now I have to offer two quotes -
- one the way it should be for safety & long term structurally sound reasons
- and the other cheaper one is to compete with the remaining Perth quotes... this is to prove that I am not expensive as many assume I am, and to show the customer that there is a difference and I am prepared to build a better tank...
I dont make more money out of the thicker glass, and considering the weight of it, it is harder to build it and move it, so I'm mad to offer it, but it is the right thing to do.Just because a tank can hold water at the time, does not mean it is structurally sound.... I have lost count a long time ago as to how many tanks I have had to repair or throw away and make a new one for customers that have purchased a tank with thinner than required glass..... I can mention one guy in particular, that owned a 6x30x30 in 10mm and had it repaired 3 times by the original tank maker before he finally came to me and had one made of 12mm and it is still standing and operating on the same cabinet......and he has moved it to a second house in the mean time too....
I would like to get the opportunity to get an engineer to comment on this subject, and show us the reasoning behind his decision just to prove the point.....
The tanks being made in Perth are getting bigger and bigger and the
glass thickness is being kept to a minimum due to price, and for no other reason.....sorry for the rant.....