hi people

just wondering Does this need bracing on the top?

tank is 910L x 450W x 460mm H

and is made from 9mm glass

Cheers Matt

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c219/ ... 7a5410.jpg

sorry would let me show the photo?

i wouldn't think so as it 9mm glass, that is very thick for that size. my 2.0m tank is made of 8mm glass.

Without bracing this tank has a minimum safety factor of 3.63 and 1.7mm of deflection.

With bracing it would have a minimum safety factor of 4.99 (137.5% stronger) and 0.23mm of deflection.

The minimum recommended safety factor for any tank in commercial situations is 3.8. I'd say you'd be ok without bracing but much better off with it.

The main thing to consider with unbraced tanks is earthquakes. An earthquake will create a lot of diagonal stresses on the tank. If there's no bracing it will significantly increase the corner stress on the silicone which in this case will be the waekest part of the tank and most likely to let go. Top bracing will help strengthen the top of the tank and reduce the diagonal stress significantly. For this reason alone I'd look at bracing it unless you plan to have the tank with an open top...