Cost of making your own acrylic tank?

[swordfish]

When I went to the loacl glass shop and asked them what it'd cost for the (cut) glass to make a 26L X 12W X 10H tank, they said it's be something like $55. The tank would hold about 13 gallons.

 

Well, what if I did it in acrylic instead? I am going to check with them soon but could that be done, and if so, how thick should it be to avoid bowing? Will that even be a concern? And what kind of glue to you use to fuse the pieces together? Do you use silicone to reinforce and "insure" where the edges meet?

 

Thanks,

 

Jeff

 

P.S. Did you know Nylon got it's name from the fact that it's inventors thought it would first catch on as a women's stocking material in New York and London? They wanted it to have an international sort of air to it.

[yea]

Acrylic can be less expensive in at some places and more at others. Acrylic gives a "true view" without distorting light like glass does. The main problem with acyrlic is that it scratches easily and also acts as an insulator. Just a few things you might want to think about before you make your final descision. Bowing is not a problem just make sure to use quarter inch or thincker acrylic. I would use aquarium sealant and silicon together for sure fit.

 

P.S. Try to get the acrylic somewhere that can angle your edges to give you a solid fit. You can buy acrylic many places such as Home Depot and they cut it free but they cannot angle your edges.

 

Seth

[Dazureus]

I've gottedn my acrylic from Home Depot and plastics suppliers. I prefer the later because the acrylic they provide is protected by paper instead of plastic like HD. The only difference this makes is during cutting. Iive found that the protective plastic can be more troublesome when cutting. The paper is also easier to mark on.

Even with 1/4" I get bowing, but it's not much. You can get regular aquarium trim to top you tank, as it helps prevent bowing.

I use weldon 3, which is very fluid, from a needle applicator bottle. All constuctions with butt joints and routed edges using a laminate routing bit. No silicone is needed.

Near me, HD sells acrylic for about $30 for a 24x48x.25" sheet. If you do find a plastics provider that will sell retail, you can sometimes buy scraps for less.

[swordfish]

I dropped by the glass place today (they also0 sell acrylic there) and they said thast to make that tank ity would cost about $41 in acrylic which they'd cut for me. That's about ten bucks less than the cost of glass. Translation: I am going to have a straight factory made ten gallon as my next tank. Ironically, I think the making of a custom tank out of acrylic would only be woeth it if you wanted one of about, say, 20 gallons or more. Seachem charges about $120 for their 20 gallon acrylic tank. I can't see the amount of acrylic you'd have to use to make one of your own costing that much. Same as standard-sized manufactured tanks: The smalle they are, the more pricey they are per gallon.