# Glass Thickness for Lid



## a628627 (Jan 24, 2013)

How thick should I make the glass for a 20 long lid? There will be a small light fixture on it and I don't want to get glass that will be too thin.

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## patm (Mar 21, 2004)

I usually use the 1/8" double strength on 20 highs, and would assume it would be fine for the 20 long.

-Pat


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## oldlady25715 (Nov 17, 2007)

I like 1/4" because I don't have to worry about someone resting heavy stuff on it and breaking through.


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## athiker04 (Nov 15, 2013)

I went with 1/8 inch and it seems fine but my light does not rest directly on the glass. Plus I'm kind of a loner so it's not very often anyone else will be around to mess with the frog tank. 

I initially got a couple of pieces cut at lowes. I think it must've been 3/32". When I put it on my 29 gal it visibly bowed down. Scrapped that and headed to the local glass shop for the 1/8".


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## a628627 (Jan 24, 2013)

patm said:


> I usually use the 1/8" double strength on 20 highs, and would assume it would be fine for the 20 long.
> 
> -Pat


What does double strength mean?

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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

*Glass 101*
Single Strength (SS) is approximately 1/16" thick.
Double Strength (DS) is approximately 1/8" thick.
Beyond that there is NO triple or quadruple strength. Beyond double strength, glass is simply identified by it's thickness. i.e. 3/16, 1/4" and so on.
Annealed is what we all think of as "standard" glass. It can be easily cut and drilled.
Tempered is baked for safety. It cannot be cut or drilled after it has been tempered, or it will simply explode into a thousand pieces. This is a safety feature that keeps broken shower doors, patio doors, etc, from doing serious bodily harm if broken.
Toughened, or heat strengthened glass, is partially tempered glass. It should not be drilled or cut either. If it is only mildly toughened, you may get away with it...for a while. It will eventually explode into a thousand pieces.


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## gturmindright (Mar 15, 2006)

I would get thicker than 1/8 if you have cats and 1/8 if you don't.


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## a628627 (Jan 24, 2013)

Thanks for the replies I think I will go with 1/8. Is there anywhere near Raliegh that anyone would reccomend to get glass?

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## treyb (Mar 5, 2012)

1/8 is definitely a good choice


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## mrzoggs (May 27, 2012)

Home depot will cut glass for you.


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## gturmindright (Mar 15, 2006)

How does home depot cut glass? How much does it cost?

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## mrzoggs (May 27, 2012)

You pick a sheet that you can get your size from, tell them the size you need, and they cut it for you. Depending on what size you need, I couldn't see it costing much. You are basically buying the whole piece of glass and they just cut it to size. So if you can get the size you need from a smaller size piece of glass, of course it will be cheaper. But if they only have certain sizes of glass, you might have to use a bigger piece to get your size. Just remember, they can cut small amounts off of glass or it will shatter the glass. You have to give them some room to work with. I think my piece was around $10ish give or take for my 28 gallon. Don't take my word on it though. Glass top for the zoomed was under $10 I think 12x12x18 zoomed.


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## gturmindright (Mar 15, 2006)

Score and break? No grinding edges?

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## gturmindright (Mar 15, 2006)

So it probably not a good place to get glass for a build just a lid?

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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

gturmindright said:


> How does home depot cut glass? How much does it cost?
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I547 using Tapatalk


Lowe's and Home Depot will have a large ,wall mounted, Fletcher glass cutter. However, their people are likely not well qualified to run it. What that means is that IF their Fletcher is properly squared up and maintained, you will get good, square glass from them. On the other hand, if you get a piece of glass from a Lowe's or Home Depot that is NOT squared up and true, then it is likely that every piece of glass they cut for the next 10 years will be slightly trapezoidal. 
Keep in mind that being 1/16" off is considered an acceptable standard. You want to keep that in mind when giving your measurements. It could be 1/16" larger, or 1/16" smaller, but at most stores, you still bought it, so make sure you measure appropriately. You also want to make sure that you get the right thickness. Your choices will be very limited at Lowe's or HD. I've found you get much better service from Ace Hardware.
As far as pricing goes, around here it is easily 1/3 the cost to get it from Lowe's instead of from a glass shop. On the flip side, many glass shops will sand the edges for safety at no additional cost, if you request it. I doubt any big box would sand edges at all. Ace just might.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

gturmindright said:


> So it probably not a good place to get glass for a build just a lid?
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I547 using Tapatalk


Correct. I've never seen any hardware store stock anything over DS, which is about 1/8" thick.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

If you learn to cut yourself, scrap glass can be begged for free from your local glazier. Show him some frog pics and you just might get some free scrap to cut down. I've built a LOT of vivs from free scrapped glass, from my glass manufacturer.


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## mrzoggs (May 27, 2012)

That is correct. Although my glass was straight, it was not sanded and it is only 1/8 inch thick. I haven't broken it and have been using it for a long time now, but it's better to be safe then sorry. I have however sliced a finger or two on it. You get what you pay for. I paid more for glass on my 75 gallon and got 1/4 inch with sanded edges. Feels stronger and safer. Drilling 1/8 inch glass broke when a friend of mine drilled it, 1/4 inch glass worked like a charm


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## gturmindright (Mar 15, 2006)

My glass guy is an aquarium builder and will sell me 1/4" for 4 $ a square foot thats cheap right?

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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

gturmindright said:


> My glass guy is an aquarium builder and will sell me 1/4" for 4 $ a square foot thats cheap right?
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I547 using Tapatalk


Sounds pretty good. I don't work with much sheet glass. I do mostly insulated units, so my pricing tier is not the cheapest for sheet, but that's not too much more than I pay wholesale.
Ask him if he has any badly scratched glass you can get cheaper. Do you really care if the bottom, or the back is marred up? Doesn't matter a bit if you are going to use a background. Sometimes the sides don't matter either. There could be a substantial savings there.


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## gturmindright (Mar 15, 2006)

Thanks for the tip. I will ask him.

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