120g acrylic aquarium

proud2bcanadian · 03-26-2005, 06:35 PM

I'm just wondering if it's possible to make a 120gallon acrylic aquarium (4' x 2' x 2') out of 1/4'' acrylic. It's just regular acrylic, not cast or polycast, and there would be a eurobrace.

I've checked the Garf tank building site, and it says that you should use 1/2''.

My question is - Is 1/4'' acrylic for a 120g a potential for disaster, or would it actually work?

Thank you,

proud2bcanadian · 03-26-2005, 10:26 PM

Actually, I'm just going to stick with 1/2'' acrylic (normal acrylic, not extruded, cast, or polycast) and I'm going to get some quotes on Monday.

Weld-On 16 should be fine for this, right?

Thank you,

NaH2O · 03-26-2005, 11:57 PM

For a 120 gallon, I would go with what you have posted, the 1/2". Are you building this tank yourself? Here are some links on Solvents:

Gluing Acrylic

Weld-on Set, Cure Times, and Usage Table

Building an Acrylic Aquarium - Solvent Seaming

proud2bcanadian · 03-27-2005, 12:15 AM

Thanks for getting back to me Nikki!

Yeah, I'm gonna give it a shot probably within the next week or two, depending on how fast the materials get to me, but I think I'm just going to start of with something small, like a 30gallon, and if that works out to be fine, I'll sell it and do the 120gallon.

I'm confused with what Weld-On to use...Anyone got any advice on that? It's just that there are so many different types of solvent out there!

Thank you,

big t · 03-27-2005, 04:49 AM

Hey David,

I can help you out a bit and save you a lot of money. There is no such thing as 'regular acrylic' it is either cast or extruded, or continous cast (another name for extruded) It is going to cost you a little more to do this, but you should have to do it only 1 time and not twice

Ok the plastic you want is cell cast. Go with a reputable manufacturer such as Plexiglas, get the G version. Or Acralyte sp.? version of cell cast. There are quite a few others just don't get any that are from asia. The reason for this is that the joints will fail in a fairly short manor if you use extruded. I had a friend recently who didn't believe me, he made a mess on the floor! The glue that you want is called weld-on 4. You apply this with a needle applicator attachted to a squeeze bottle. Take a look on RC in the diy section, do a search for 'pins method' by username Zephrant. He explians how to make high quality joints that will last. There is another great thread by Acrylicman called 'fabrication questions? I can help' I learned everything that I needed to know from those 2 threads. I ended up going to work for a local aquarium manufacturer so I do have a idea of what I am talking about too

To answer your first question you could use 3/8 material but 1/2" would be much better. 1/4" is absolutely out of the question. HTH

T

Gina · 03-27-2005, 08:08 AM

Don't know the first thing about making my own tank but, wishing you luck on your first one! I know you've been wanting a large set up for some time now and am glad to see it may finally be coming together for you! If you build this thing....I'm sure you won't forget to post pics of your progress!!

Good luck!

proud2bcanadian · 03-27-2005, 01:07 PM

Wow!! Thank you SO much Tom!!! I'm going to go to some place just down the street from me and ask them if they carry cell cast.

Is any type of cast okay to use? I know there's polycast...but I'm not sure if there are many others.

Gina - When I get the materials, I'll start posting some pics of the process for the 30g that I'm going to make first to try it out. All of my testing will be done in the garage where there wouldn't be too big of a problem if there was a leak; and the application of the Weld-On will be done in the middle of the street (I'm on a court, so it's safe) so that there's more than enough ventilation.

I will be doing this in close to freezing temperatures (5°C) since I'm in Canada. Will the glue still bond the acrylic together as good as it usually would?

One last question - Is Weld-On 4 the glue that I should use no matter what the type of acrylic or thickness?

Thank you,

proud2bcanadian · 03-27-2005, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zephrant

Weldon #4 is fine for small tanks and sumps, as well as skimmers and similar. If you are building a large tank, I would consider Weldon #40 though, it is 3.5 times stronger.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zephrant

you may want to consider using the gap filling Weldon #16 instead

Is it possible to use Weld-On #16 first to fill the gaps, and then use Weld-On #40 to create a really strong bond?

Thank you,

big t · 03-27-2005, 03:58 PM

Ok by small tanks I do believe he is refering to tanks smaller then 500g. A 120 does qualify as a small tank. I would say that you should wait untill it warms up or build in a shop that is at least 60deg F. The weldon dosn't seem to work as well at lower temps. Using weldon 40 is a bit complicated for building tanks, they use it for really large aquariums that are over 1.5" thick. If you do a little practice and have good clean edges you will have no need for weldon 16 or 40. Go to your supplier and get some scraps to practice on before you go and spend all that money on your 1/2" cast sheet. Polycast I believe is polycarbinate, not what your looking for. Plexiglas G, Acrylite GP and Chemcast are good brands to look for. The tools that you need are as follows: Table saw, router w/ flush trim bit and straight cut but mounted in a router table, or a jointer to clean up the edges, lots of clamps, jigs for setting up the 90deg corners and the gluing materials. You also need a big flat surface to build on.

proud2bcanadian · 03-27-2005, 04:07 PM

Well, with all of that, I'm thinking that it's going to take me a couple weeks before I can get all the materials and everything setup.

The acrylic place cuts the acrylic to size, so I can get them to cut it, and ask them to make sure its a perfectly flat edge.

I'll go buy the tools and I will wait either until it's warmer outside, or maybe just do it in the garage with a heater on.

I'm just going to keep doing some reading about the 'Pins Method' and make sure I completely understand it before I do anything.

Thank you so much Tom!!!

big t · 03-27-2005, 04:13 PM

Ok I am looking for another great link right now. Glad I could help a little.

big t · 03-27-2005, 04:28 PM

Ok here you go bud, http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...ight=acryli c . Sorry for the cross link mods, but there is just so much good info there.

On the subject of getting your material cut for you, have them either diamond grind the edges or clean them up on a jointer for you. Saw finish will result in some bubbles in your seams. Good luck

proud2bcanadian · 03-27-2005, 06:48 PM

Wow! Thanks for the link!
And thank you soooooooo much! This is really going to help me a ton!

It's hard to express how much I really appreciate all the help, but to sum it all up - THANK YOU! x a million! lol

proud2bcanadian · 03-27-2005, 11:09 PM

I have some great news!! lol
The temperature is going to hit 60°F/16°C this Friday!

As long as I get the acrylic tomorrow, I should be able to make a 30g or a 20g on Friday!

big t · 03-27-2005, 11:32 PM

Take your time, relax and make sure you read thru those threads. I would try to get some scraps to play with before you mess around w/ building a 20 or whatever. To practice extruded material will be fine too. Best of all have fun diy'n! Glad that I could help you out a little.

03-26-2005, 06:35 PM	#1 (permalink)
proud2bcanadian Plate Coral Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 709 View Gallery Karma Komment	120g acrylic aquarium I'm just wondering if it's possible to make a 120gallon acrylic aquarium (4' x 2' x 2') out of 1/4'' acrylic. It's just regular acrylic, not cast or polycast, and there would be a eurobrace. I've checked the Garf tank building site, and it says that you should use 1/2''. My question is - Is 1/4'' acrylic for a 120g a potential for disaster, or would it actually work? Thank you, __________________ David Liles

03-26-2005, 10:26 PM	#2 (permalink)
proud2bcanadian Plate Coral Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 709 View Gallery Karma Komment	Actually, I'm just going to stick with 1/2'' acrylic (normal acrylic, not extruded, cast, or polycast) and I'm going to get some quotes on Monday. Weld-On 16 should be fine for this, right? Thank you, __________________ David Liles

03-26-2005, 11:57 PM	#3 (permalink)
NaH2O Contributing Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 1,929 View Gallery Karma Komment	For a 120 gallon, I would go with what you have posted, the 1/2". Are you building this tank yourself? Here are some links on Solvents: Gluing Acrylic Weld-on Set, Cure Times, and Usage Table Building an Acrylic Aquarium - Solvent Seaming __________________ ~Nikki~

03-27-2005, 12:15 AM	#4 (permalink)
proud2bcanadian Plate Coral Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 709 View Gallery Karma Komment	Thanks for getting back to me Nikki! Yeah, I'm gonna give it a shot probably within the next week or two, depending on how fast the materials get to me, but I think I'm just going to start of with something small, like a 30gallon, and if that works out to be fine, I'll sell it and do the 120gallon. I'm confused with what Weld-On to use...Anyone got any advice on that? It's just that there are so many different types of solvent out there! Thank you, __________________ David Liles

03-27-2005, 04:49 AM	#5 (permalink)
big t Fire Coral Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Lakewood WA Posts: 77 View Gallery Karma Komment	Hey David, I can help you out a bit and save you a lot of money. There is no such thing as 'regular acrylic' it is either cast or extruded, or continous cast (another name for extruded) It is going to cost you a little more to do this, but you should have to do it only 1 time and not twice Ok the plastic you want is cell cast. Go with a reputable manufacturer such as Plexiglas, get the G version. Or Acralyte sp.? version of cell cast. There are quite a few others just don't get any that are from asia. The reason for this is that the joints will fail in a fairly short manor if you use extruded. I had a friend recently who didn't believe me, he made a mess on the floor! The glue that you want is called weld-on 4. You apply this with a needle applicator attachted to a squeeze bottle. Take a look on RC in the diy section, do a search for 'pins method' by username Zephrant. He explians how to make high quality joints that will last. There is another great thread by Acrylicman called 'fabrication questions? I can help' I learned everything that I needed to know from those 2 threads. I ended up going to work for a local aquarium manufacturer so I do have a idea of what I am talking about too To answer your first question you could use 3/8 material but 1/2" would be much better. 1/4" is absolutely out of the question. HTH T __________________ Tom

03-27-2005, 08:08 AM	#6 (permalink)
Gina Moderator Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,842 View Gallery Karma Komment	Don't know the first thing about making my own tank but, wishing you luck on your first one! I know you've been wanting a large set up for some time now and am glad to see it may finally be coming together for you! If you build this thing....I'm sure you won't forget to post pics of your progress!! Good luck! __________________ Gina and Mark's 75 Visit Our Sponsors Gina's Cube Gina

03-27-2005, 01:07 PM	#7 (permalink)
proud2bcanadian Plate Coral Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 709 View Gallery Karma Komment	Wow!! Thank you SO much Tom!!! I'm going to go to some place just down the street from me and ask them if they carry cell cast. Is any type of cast okay to use? I know there's polycast...but I'm not sure if there are many others. Gina - When I get the materials, I'll start posting some pics of the process for the 30g that I'm going to make first to try it out. All of my testing will be done in the garage where there wouldn't be too big of a problem if there was a leak; and the application of the Weld-On will be done in the middle of the street (I'm on a court, so it's safe) so that there's more than enough ventilation. I will be doing this in close to freezing temperatures (5°C) since I'm in Canada. Will the glue still bond the acrylic together as good as it usually would? One last question - Is Weld-On 4 the glue that I should use no matter what the type of acrylic or thickness? Thank you, __________________ David Liles

03-27-2005, 03:58 PM	#9 (permalink)
big t Fire Coral Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Lakewood WA Posts: 77 View Gallery Karma Komment	Ok by small tanks I do believe he is refering to tanks smaller then 500g. A 120 does qualify as a small tank. I would say that you should wait untill it warms up or build in a shop that is at least 60deg F. The weldon dosn't seem to work as well at lower temps. Using weldon 40 is a bit complicated for building tanks, they use it for really large aquariums that are over 1.5" thick. If you do a little practice and have good clean edges you will have no need for weldon 16 or 40. Go to your supplier and get some scraps to practice on before you go and spend all that money on your 1/2" cast sheet. Polycast I believe is polycarbinate, not what your looking for. Plexiglas G, Acrylite GP and Chemcast are good brands to look for. The tools that you need are as follows: Table saw, router w/ flush trim bit and straight cut but mounted in a router table, or a jointer to clean up the edges, lots of clamps, jigs for setting up the 90deg corners and the gluing materials. You also need a big flat surface to build on. __________________ Tom

03-27-2005, 04:07 PM	#10 (permalink)
proud2bcanadian Plate Coral Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 709 View Gallery Karma Komment	Well, with all of that, I'm thinking that it's going to take me a couple weeks before I can get all the materials and everything setup. The acrylic place cuts the acrylic to size, so I can get them to cut it, and ask them to make sure its a perfectly flat edge. I'll go buy the tools and I will wait either until it's warmer outside, or maybe just do it in the garage with a heater on. I'm just going to keep doing some reading about the 'Pins Method' and make sure I completely understand it before I do anything. Thank you so much Tom!!! __________________ David Liles

03-27-2005, 04:13 PM	#11 (permalink)
big t Fire Coral Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Lakewood WA Posts: 77 View Gallery Karma Komment	Ok I am looking for another great link right now. Glad I could help a little. __________________ Tom

03-27-2005, 04:28 PM	#12 (permalink)
big t Fire Coral Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Lakewood WA Posts: 77 View Gallery Karma Komment	Ok here you go bud, http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...ight=acryli c . Sorry for the cross link mods, but there is just so much good info there. On the subject of getting your material cut for you, have them either diamond grind the edges or clean them up on a jointer for you. Saw finish will result in some bubbles in your seams. Good luck __________________ Tom

03-27-2005, 06:48 PM	#13 (permalink)
proud2bcanadian Plate Coral Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 709 View Gallery Karma Komment	Wow! Thanks for the link! And thank you soooooooo much! This is really going to help me a ton! It's hard to express how much I really appreciate all the help, but to sum it all up - THANK YOU! x a million! lol __________________ David Liles

03-27-2005, 11:09 PM	#14 (permalink)
proud2bcanadian Plate Coral Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 709 View Gallery Karma Komment	I have some great news!! lol The temperature is going to hit 60°F/16°C this Friday! As long as I get the acrylic tomorrow, I should be able to make a 30g or a 20g on Friday! __________________ David Liles

03-27-2005, 11:32 PM	#15 (permalink)
big t Fire Coral Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Lakewood WA Posts: 77 View Gallery Karma Komment	Take your time, relax and make sure you read thru those threads. I would try to get some scraps to play with before you mess around w/ building a 20 or whatever. To practice extruded material will be fine too. Best of all have fun diy'n! Glad that I could help you out a little. __________________ Tom

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