Polycarbonate good or bad

[coppessfam]

Does anybody know if polycarbonate is good or bad to use in a reef/saltwater tank? I am looking at building a kalkwasser reactor and was looking at the cost of acrylic. The guy I buy my supplies from said he had a piece of polycaronate that is 28" long for $20. The acrylic is $24 per ft. I am looking at building it using pvc supplies with the polycarbonate. My supplier said it would bond to the acrylic better. Any opinions out there?

 

[BigAl07]

I wouldn't skimp on supplies. I think (stress the word think) poly gets brittle but I may be getting my polymers out of order here!!

 

[wonderloss]

My first thought was also that polycarbonate will get brittle. I believe it is sensitive to light, especially UV.

 

[coppessfam]

So if i would use acrylic. Do any of you know how well it will bond to pvc using pvc glue? I have read in one of the DIY's that they used it and they haven't had any problems with it holding. But they said it was not a pressurized system were they used it.

 

[mywivestank]

It does not bond well for use with pressure. Polycarbonate wouldn't have any problems with becoming brittle, but, it is a real pain to work with and not worth the small savings. ABS bonds well with PVC, but not acrylic or polycarbonate. It will bond but I think it is not a good idea. I wish I had a suggestion, and not just warnings.

 

[Disciple882542]

This PVC design worked well for me and a few others on the board. I believe it cost around $110 for all materials, pumps, and tools.

I haven't had any problems with mine...absolutely love it!

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/diy/15582-4-diy-kalk-reactor-probuilder.html