Acrylic Tank Build

[Troylee]

All the work is in prepping those seams... For one you ain't gonna cut 1" acrylic on any table saw lol... If you wanna try to attempt to build this you need the pieces cut by a Cnc router or something similar... Then you run each piece through a router table and shave like 1/16" off max to get a smooth flawless cut... If you don't the solvent won't hold up well.. Solvent welding 1" material is another chore haha... Plan on having like 3 people to help you run solvent on the euro and bottom... Also gonna need a few guys to pull the pins as your gluing it....get some scraps and start practicing solvent welding before jumping into this head first... Solvent welding acrylic is a art man it's not that simple at all.... Even someone like me who has done it for 20 Years doesn't get a perfect seam every time... Way to many variables involved including but not limited to temp, humidity, soak time, pin size, material, solvent etc etc etc...By the way get a price on the 4 sheets of 1" poly cast " only material you can use on a tank that size" I would estimate it being close to $3500 in materials alone... Plywood is no where near that.. Lol

 

[redtop03]

Alright, Ill make sure to enquire as to their abilities.

If I am going to have to have these sort of precision cuts anyways - It might just be better to go the plywood route.

I have seen a lot of plywood builds on MFK and it seems like lots of people have issues with leaks - and they dont seem to be that much cheaper to me IMO.

Any input?

I glanced through a few threads on MFK but didn't follow any of them closely,most of my research came from fingerlakesreef,those guys have been building wooden tanks since the '70s...Kent over there has a 1000g tank with 3 viewable panes that's awesome.....acrosteve over there built a wooden tank that probable cost more than any tank that size would be in any other material,but it could withstand a nuclear blast LOL

it really depends on how elaborate you get with it as to how much it costs,but generally,the bigger the tank,the cheaper per gallon it gets,except when you want it taller and have to use 3/4" or thicker glass.....I've never worked with acrylic except to build an overflow box once,it was a little more difficult than building my wooden tank but I know the material for a wooden tank is cheaper than 1" acrylic would be for the same size tank...I don't know how hard building a large tank with acrylic would be but it is a lot of work using plywood...it's gonna be a major job either way you go but it is so much more rewarding to DIY it than to pay someone else to build it

my tank is no where near as strong as some of those on fingerlakesreef but it didn't cost as much to build either,I think my final cost was about $970 for tank and stand....there is a few things I would do differently if I ever build another but it will soon be 3 years old and I haven't had a problem with it yet.....if you decide to go with plywood,I'll help in any way I can

All the work is in prepping those seams... For one you ain't gonna cut 1" acrylic on any table saw lol... If you wanna try to attempt to build this you need the pieces cut by a Cnc router or something similar... Then you run each piece through a router table and shave like 1/16" off max to get a smooth flawless cut... If you don't the solvent won't hold up well.. Solvent welding 1" material is another chore haha... Plan on having like 3 people to help you run solvent on the euro and bottom... Also gonna need a few guys to pull the pins as your gluing it....get some scraps and start practicing solvent welding before jumping into this head first... Solvent welding acrylic is a art man it's not that simple at all.... Even someone like me who has done it for 20 Years doesn't get a perfect seam every time... Way to many variables involved including but not limited to temp, humidity, soak time, pin size, material, solvent etc etc etc...By the way get a price on the 4 sheets of 1" poly cast " only material you can use on a tank that size" I would estimate it being close to $3500 in materials alone... Plywood is no where near that.. Lol

I didn't realize 1" acrylic couldn't be cut with a table saw,I just never thought about it,I assume it would melt and cause all kinds of problems...good to know...

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

All the work is in prepping those seams... For one you ain't gonna cut 1" acrylic on any table saw lol... If you wanna try to attempt to build this you need the pieces cut by a Cnc router or something similar... Then you run each piece through a router table and shave like 1/16" off max to get a smooth flawless cut... If you don't the solvent won't hold up well.. Solvent welding 1" material is another chore haha... Plan on having like 3 people to help you run solvent on the euro and bottom... Also gonna need a few guys to pull the pins as your gluing it....get some scraps and start practicing solvent welding before jumping into this head first... Solvent welding acrylic is a art man it's not that simple at all.... Even someone like me who has done it for 20 Years doesn't get a perfect seam every time... Way to many variables involved including but not limited to temp, humidity, soak time, pin size, material, solvent etc etc etc...By the way get a price on the 4 sheets of 1" poly cast " only material you can use on a tank that size" I would estimate it being close to $3500 in materials alone... Plywood is no where near that.. Lol

I probably dont have quite the speciality stuff that you do, but the university does have some nice tools.

That being said - do you think that it would be safer to go the plywood route? This tank will be in a classroom - not in my lab, so looks and viewability are important. That being said my boss has told me that he is not opposed to doing a plywood tank!

Thanks for your help troylee

I glanced through a few threads on MFK but didn't follow any of them closely,most of my research came from fingerlakesreef,those guys have been building wooden tanks since the '70s...Kent over there has a 1000g tank with 3 viewable panes that's awesome.....acrosteve over there built a wooden tank that probable cost more than any tank that size would be in any other material,but it could withstand a nuclear blast LOL

it really depends on how elaborate you get with it as to how much it costs,but generally,the bigger the tank,the cheaper per gallon it gets,except when you want it taller and have to use 3/4" or thicker glass.....I've never worked with acrylic except to build an overflow box once,it was a little more difficult than building my wooden tank but I know the material for a wooden tank is cheaper than 1" acrylic would be for the same size tank...I don't know how hard building a large tank with acrylic would be but it is a lot of work using plywood...it's gonna be a major job either way you go but it is so much more rewarding to DIY it than to pay someone else to build it

my tank is no where near as strong as some of those on fingerlakesreef but it didn't cost as much to build either,I think my final cost was about $970 for tank and stand....there is a few things I would do differently if I ever build another but it will soon be 3 years old and I haven't had a problem with it yet.....if you decide to go with plywood,I'll help in any way I can

I didn't realize 1" acrylic couldn't be cut with a table saw,I just never thought about it,I assume it would melt and cause all kinds of problems...good to know...

Sounds like plywood is the way to go...Ill be starting a thread on MFK...but I will continue to to run this thread here. I think we will stick with our current dimensions because they will still be convenient as far as sheets of plywood and what not. Agreed?

 

[redtop03]

Hey guys...a couple years ago I talked to Troylee about building a tank on here, but it never materialized.

Now for my work I am supposed to start spec-ing out the building and cost of a tank that is no less than 8'x3'x2'. If this is wasting acrylic though we can always go bigger to maximize the sheets we will have to buy. :xd:

What is the best way to go about this...Im all new. One note, this tank will be used for freshwater, but Troylee told me that you guys would help, and that he would like to have this thread here to help out the R2R community in general, so here is!

I probably dont have quite the speciality stuff that you do, but the university does have some nice tools.

That being said - do you think that it would be safer to go the plywood route? This tank will be in a classroom - not in my lab, so looks and viewability are important. That being said my boss has told me that he is not opposed to doing a plywood tank!

Thanks for your help troylee



Sounds like plywood is the way to go...Ill be starting a thread on MFK...but I will continue to to run this thread here. I think we will stick with our current dimensions because they will still be convenient as far as sheets of plywood and what not. Agreed?

agreed....are your dimension with 36" water level or 24" ? if you're going with 24" water level,that is the same dimensions as my tank,about 360g,if you're going with 36" water level,you'll have to use 3/4" glass or 1" acrylic for the viewing pane,which will add a lot to the final cost but it wouldn't take up as much room in the classroom,it will require more light for a reef or a freshwater planted tank though...

with the water level at 24",the 36" depth is awesome,you can go on to 48" depth for 480g which would save even more on material waste and still be able to use 1/2" glass or IIRC 3/4" acrylic if you keep the 24" water level....

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

Well the idea was that the tank would be eight feet long, four feet wide, and the water would be two feet deep.

What do you think about that?

We have a local glass shop that does a good job and gives good prices as well.

As far as stocking, it will be large, cold, freshwater oddballs.

Murray cod, american eel, carp, burbot, bowfin etc

 

[redtop03]

Well the idea was that the tank would be eight feet long, four feet wide, and the water would be two feet deep.

What do you think about that?

We have a local glass shop that does a good job and gives good prices as well.

As far as stocking, it will be large, cold, freshwater oddballs.

Murray cod, american eel, carp, burbot, bowfin etc

excellent,you can use 1/2" glass and you'll have about 480g of pure freshwater joy....my local glass shop cut and tempered my glass pane for less than $200 but I have a friend with a cabinet shop who gets all his glass work done there and he pulled a few strings for me

when you get started,you can follow my build thread and see how I built my tank,the wood work is basically the same with any plywood build,I think I detailed my techniques pretty well but if there's any doubt just ask...usually,it's the epoxy and fiberglass work that differs from build to build...I'll help you out anyway I can,just let me know

I love seeing these big tanks come to life,especially when it is for a group of kids to learn from,that's so cool of you to do..thank you for your contribution to their knowledge

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

Sweet. I am looking at your thread now.

Could you help me figure out what all I will need to complete a plywood tank, like a list of supplies?

And yea, I cant complain. This is my job. I am a student at the university, and I have held this "live fishes collection manager" title now for three years.

I work 20-40 hours a week and make $30. Most of it comes right back here. I would really love to redo our saltwater system - and slowly but surely I am, but the grand vision most likely wont be completed during my time at the university.

Running, maintaining and expanding your collection on $500 a year is a pretty tough gig. We think that I might have more familes of fish displayed in my lab howver than anyone else in the state. (University, lab, zoo, aquarium)

I will have to go and verify this however. Thanks again thus far with your help!

 

[redtop03]

Sweet. I am looking at your thread now.

Could you help me figure out what all I will need to complete a plywood tank, like a list of supplies?

And yea, I cant complain. This is my job. I am a student at the university, and I have held this "live fishes collection manager" title now for three years.

I work 20-40 hours a week and make $30. Most of it comes right back here. I would really love to redo our saltwater system - and slowly but surely I am, but the grand vision most likely wont be completed during my time at the university.

Running, maintaining and expanding your collection on $500 a year is a pretty tough gig. We think that I might have more familes of fish displayed in my lab howver than anyone else in the state. (University, lab, zoo, aquarium)

I will have to go and verify this however. Thanks again thus far with your help!

ah,OK,so you're a student too,it's cool that you're doing stuff like this....

I'll have to do some figuring,but right off the top of my head,you need 4 sheets of 3/4"x48"x96" plywood,you could go with 1" thickness and make it a lot stronger too,which would probable be a good idea since it's gonna be in a classroom and will probable take some bumps...I have a list somewhere of what I used,I'll try to find it all and get it posted for you here in the next couple of days...and no problem,glad to help any way I can,I'd really like to help you build it,hands on,but we're a little too far apart for that

does your school have a carpentry class that could help out with tools and stuff of that nature ?

 

[Troylee]

It's not that you couldn't cut 1" on a table saw the cuts will just be ***** man... It's all about a router table when it comes to thick acrylic.. I would rough cut on a panel saw then come back wtih a final cut on a router table... Not a store bought one either it has to be custom made and it has to be a single pass no starting and stopping.... its honestly way more hassle then it's worth unless your setup for it...

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

It's not that you couldn't cut 1" on a table saw the cuts will just be ***** man... It's all about a router table when it comes to thick acrylic.. I would rough cut on a panel saw then come back wtih a final cut on a router table... Not a store bought one either it has to be custom made and it has to be a single pass no starting and stopping.... its honestly way more hassle then it's worth unless your setup for it...

Agreed. I have done small things with acrylic before, but its good to know this. Between this and cost, we are going in a new direction. Its a shame you arent closer, Id pay for some lessons in working with the stuff. :/

ah,OK,so you're a student too,it's cool that you're doing stuff like this....

I'll have to do some figuring,but right off the top of my head,you need 4 sheets of 3/4"x48"x96" plywood,you could go with 1" thickness and make it a lot stronger too,which would probable be a good idea since it's gonna be in a classroom and will probable take some bumps...I have a list somewhere of what I used,I'll try to find it all and get it posted for you here in the next couple of days...and no problem,glad to help any way I can,I'd really like to help you build it,hands on,but we're a little too far apart for that

does your school have a carpentry class that could help out with tools and stuff of that nature ?

Yea, doesnt make it easier but its super rewwarding. Fish biology is my major, my boss is the same, and running the collection and helping to TA the icthy class I am pretty involved.

Thanks - the list would be super helpful. We will definitely go with the 1" cant be too overbuilt IMO. And yes, that would be great, but unfortunately we are. My cousins all live in Newhaven KY - maybe a visit will be arranged someday.

Our school has a very large "Fine Arts" center where they have both acrylic and woodworking tools of many natures. In addition to that I have a circular saw, and a table saw available on site for this build.

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

Bump - anyone have any plywood tips?

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

What is everyone's favorite sealant for plywood tanks and why?