Chineseghoststory Posted November 9, 2002 Share Posted November 9, 2002 I am soon going to buy a minibow 7 and get that running as a way to quell my long standing but thus far poorly financed desire for a reef tank, also to re-gain some experience in keeping a salt tank of some kind. Last time I tried with moderate success was about 10 years ago. But what I really want to work up to eventually is something more in the neighborhood of a 20 gallon tank (or slightly smaller) with a custom hood. I have had some inkling of desire to build my own tank out of 1/4 inch thick acrylic. I dropped by a glass/acrylic place today and examined some, talked to the guy behind the counter who said it was a noble idea, but most who tried it (and he had seen a few) ended up calling it off in disgust after their first attempt. Has anyone here tried this? Do you have recommended parameters as far as what size and dimensions work well? Is it worthwhile? Is it tough to join the pieces together? What material do you use to do that? Will it bow out too much in the middle if I use, say, a length of about 30 inches? Is it even worth it? Thanks for any input. Jeff Link to comment
Dazureus Posted November 9, 2002 Share Posted November 9, 2002 The tanks I've built from acrylic have been small so bowing isn't much of a problem, but when you increase to the lengths you're talking about, you'll need bracing. I believe acrylic has a natural tendency to curve when one side is exposed to water. Unless you're looking at an odd tank footprint, I would purchase a standard glass aquarium for a 20 gallon or more sized tank. Unless you've had some practice, it becomes progressively harder as you increase the tank size. The canopy should be easy, though, with basic woodworking skills and the proper tools. Link to comment
Dave ESPI Posted November 10, 2002 Share Posted November 10, 2002 its best left to the 'spurts. the tools and equipment needed to do it right ( so you can sleep at night and not worry) are far beyond a normal persons scope of affordability. If you are on a Budget, simly get a 10 gal glass. it is the most cost effective way. Link to comment
Xavier Posted November 11, 2002 Share Posted November 11, 2002 I have an acrylic 60 gallon and bowing is evident on it's surface. I've worked with acrylic before, and I'd definitely agree that it's not something to jump into unless you want to start small, and have plenty of drainage under the tank should it give . You can try bending it (the high-temp hair dryer used in science experiements at my old college worked wonders - just have to go slow or rise snapping) or try to piece them together. Either way you're going to need a good even, flat edge and calking that has no metals or harmful chemicals (for obvious reasons). If all else fails, the Marineland Eclipse tanks are pretty nice. I just purchased a 25 gallon (which should be delivered today!) in which I'm going to start a nano. Not to expensive (actually, http://www.Petco.com is having a sale online only) for the marine newbie that I am. Link to comment
Twobuck40 Posted December 6, 2002 Share Posted December 6, 2002 I just made a refuge for my 10 gal out of acrylic. It was alot easier that I thought it was going to be. The place I purchased the acrylic (TAP plastics) was able to cut all my pieces for me. Total cost under $30. I made it out of 1/8" but they have alot of thicknesses. The unit I made is simalar to the CPR aquafuge. Measures 18l x 5w x14h hold about 5 gal. I recommended trying a project first before buliding a complete aquarium Link to comment
loganj Posted December 10, 2002 Share Posted December 10, 2002 On the subject of joining acrylic, I recommend that you get some Weld On #16 glue. If you have a table saw and can get perfectly square and flat edges, get some #3 also. I don't recommend joining acrylic with silicone or any other kind of caulking. I'm sure there are those who will not agree with this, but I don't feel you get a secure joint with silicone...it just doesn't stick to acrylic well. The Weld On glue melts the plastic together and forms a very strong joint. As others have said already, don't make your first acrylic project an aquarium. Start small and gain experience...it'll be worth it in the long run. To cut down on bowing, glue a strip of acrylic around the top of the tank, perpendicular to the sides, as a brace. This will not eliminate bowing, but will minimize it and make a much stronger tank. Under 24", I think you would be OK with 1/4" acrylic....anything larger and I'd go with 3/8" at least. You can use silicone to seal the inside if you wish...just don't depend on it to hold the thing together. You'll get a much neater job using the #16 glue to seal any leaks though. With a little experience, you'll find you can build just about anything you want out of acrylic...it's lots of fun to work with. JMHO, as always. Logan J Link to comment
NaNO ReeFiN Posted December 10, 2002 Share Posted December 10, 2002 Originally posted by Dave ESPI its best left to the 'spurts. the tools and equipment needed to do it right ( so you can sleep at night and not worry) are far beyond a normal persons scope of affordability. If you are on a Budget, simly get a 10 gal glass. it is the most cost effective way. Or a 20 Gallon Long.. it's about 20 - 25 bucks.. Link to comment
ross76053 Posted January 1, 2003 Share Posted January 1, 2003 Or a Kritter Keeper (ala Glazer, I think). Easily drilled. Link to comment
Twobuck40 Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 here is a link i found for making acrylic tanks. http://garf.org/tank/buildtank.asp Thanks GARF Link to comment
kimura Posted January 12, 2003 Share Posted January 12, 2003 I just went to the Garf site, Thanks Twobuck40. I'm trying to complete my own project using acrylic. I found this site to have all the adhesives mentioned here and on other sites as well. I hope it helps. http://www.tapplastics.com/plastics/adhesi...ives/index.html Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.