DIY 4 foot tank

[DriftingNemo]

So I'm planning on building my first ever tank and I need some advice.

 

I've never built an aquarium before and have decided on a new project for the summer. My plan is a 12" x 12" x 48" acrylic tank. The acrylic that I chose is 5mm thick and I have already designed the aquarium. The only question in mind is bracing. I decided to use a 80mm long, 300mm wide and 5mm thick acrylic brace to put in the middle of the tank. Is this simple design going to be strong enough to hold around 30 gallons of water? I would also purchase a used 4ft tank stand and use a canister filter.

[Beer]

You realize that 5mm is barely over 3/16? (1/64th over to be exact)

Way too thin for something that long, even if it is euro-braced and fairly shallow.

Try searching for some online acrylic aquarium building calculators. I'd imagine 1/4 would even be way too thin. You will probably need more than one brace. 1/2 might eliminate the need for bracing, not sure on that one though.

 

I do like the dimensions though.

[DriftingNemo]

So I realised that my LFS stock a wide range of used aquariums with stands in fairly good condition for a hell of a low price. I saw them bring in at least a 3x1x2 foot tank with stand, lid and light unit and label it for £50 which would equal to around $80. It would just be easier and cheaper for me to buy one of these used tanks and modify it to my needs.