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-   -   LF - Acrylic tank builder (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=131441)

GreenSpottedPuffer 01-17-2021 07:56 PM

LF - Acrylic tank builder
 
I have one quote but I’m hoping to find a few more. Anyone know any tank builders who work with acrylic? I know there are not many in Canada.

Ritteri 01-18-2021 05:26 AM

What dimensions are you looking at?

I built my tank 5ftx3ftx2ftH. Very pleased with it.

AlbertanReef777 01-18-2021 01:25 PM

Glass cages does acrylic work as well. And even with shipping my tank cost less then having built here local to me, and better quality.


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GreenSpottedPuffer 01-18-2021 11:17 PM

Not 100% sure on dimensions yet but around 84"x36"x18"

I have a few quotes now and it's not nearly as expensive as I expected.

Ritteri 01-19-2021 12:15 AM

Be wary of your quotes with regard to thickness of acrylic for the build.

Before I built mine, I got a quote and was told that it would be 1/2", I made mine out of 3/4 and am glad I did.

Halloween Urchins and smaller snails being sold on the forum here have not marked the acrylic at all, what a relief.

Best of luck with it.

GreenSpottedPuffer 01-19-2021 12:47 AM

Yes, the quotes are 1/2". Do you think that is too thin? Even at only 18" height?

Ritteri 01-19-2021 01:06 AM

Acrylic
 
Cellcast acrylic is soft. It bends with ease. Your height isn't bad. Do you plan on running your tank with water to the top or down a couple inches? Something to consider...

There are a couple of acrylic calculators on the web, DYI Guy from YouTube has one.

Your top and bottom pane can be 1/2", I can't speak for your 7ft length vertical panels though. When I researched mine, before I started my design/build, I found a few guys that went thicker on the sides and never regretted it. It's the distortion in the material bending that can cause hazing along with the slight fishbowl look.

Your going to gain so much from strength and clarity. :tea:

GreenSpottedPuffer 01-19-2021 01:27 AM

When empty, do you know how heavy your tank is?

Part of the reason for acrylic is weight. My current glass tank was way to heavy to get into my place and this tank will be larger.

Ritteri 01-19-2021 03:07 AM

Weight
 
Weight is maybe 30-40% of what it would weigh in glass, guessing off the top of my head. My tank is a two person lift, your tank will be the same.

The biggest gains is:
Clarity
Strength
Can buff out fine scratches.
Cutting holes.

Obviously the downside is:
Cost
Scratches easy
Have to be careful rubbing/scraping algae and choraline algae off the side.

Invest in a Shark Magnet.

I put my overflow on the side of my tank and not through the bottom. I wanted to eliminate any chance of a bottom installed bulkhead from failing and draining my tank.

I built my stand out of 2x6's which cost me $80 and will hold a ridiculous amount of weight, maybe 3-4 times the tank weight.

I went with a fab process that takes much more time but offers almost double the PSI strength. :)

All this was for my Anularis Angle that I grew from 1" and is now 9"

GreenSpottedPuffer 01-19-2021 10:19 PM

Thanks, that is great info.

For me it's all about being able to go larger but be careful with weight. Both for my floor and also to get the thing inside my place.

The builder said that it should be about half the weight of a glass tank depending on what thickness the glass is.

I had a smaller acrylic tank years ago and only scratched it once. It was easy to buff out. I always loved how the fish looked in that tank, there was no distortion and clarity was incredible. I upgraded to a starfire tank but it was not nearly as clear.

I am also a little paranoid about tanks failing because I have had a seam burst once...so acrylic puts my mind at ease.


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