Going to build a 75 gallon acrylic cube tank

[Juscuziam]

Hi guys

So I've been looking at buying a 65 to 75 gallon tank and decided to give building one a shot. I have a place locally I can order the plexiglass and have it laser cut for me. I hope I can use this thread to get advice from everyone on the best equipment to buy for it. But what I wanted to know was what is the exact dimensions that I should be looking at getting the pieces cut. It can be anywhere from 70 to 75 gallons. I know how to build the stand that won't be an issue it's just making sure that I get the tank cut correctly. It's going to be an open top Cube tank. I have some ideas for lighting and possibly making my own sump. So if any of you know what the exact dimensions would be I would appreciate you letting me know I just don't want to get the parts cut wrong

 

[Matthew Frost]

Google aquarium volume calculator and play with the numbers. Thats your best bet.

 

[Sits Unafraid]

Ok along for the ride.
Ive just started dabbling in acrylic construction and reading what I can on here to gain knowledge and confidence. Im not brave enough to tackle anything this ambitious yet. When I build random things out of acrylic I like to check volume with cubic inches calculator.


Do you have experience joining acrylic already? (not asking in a negative way)
In any case, sounds like an awesome project, and welcome to the group!

 

[Sits Unafraid]

also... 40" x 40" 11" is 17,600 cubic inches, which would be just over 75 gallons.
But the gurus will chime in with more knowledgable comments about how thick the acrylic needs to be depending on height, volume, etc.

 

[KrisReef]

Figure out how big of a cube you want (~inch sizes) and work with the plastic shop to get the actual cut sizes. They should be able to figure out quickly how to size and cut the 5 or 6 pieces for a clean assembly.

I would also double check with the plastics shop and make certain that you get the proper acrylic solvent for the plastic they cut.

There is another thread on here where someone was planning on using silicone sealer on acrylic and not acrylic solvent. I would guess you already know this stuff, but just in case I am posting this to make sure I don't have to read a sad story later. I love DIY! GL

 

[Ratherbeflyen]

The best advice I ever got in this hobby was to build what ever you wanted because someone will always try to talk you out of what you want.

A 2' cube (24"x24"x24") is 60 gallons and will have the least waste from a 4'x8' sheet of acrylic. (Most acrylic comes in 4'x8' sheets.) If you push that to 25"x25"x25" you gain ~8 gallons of water volume to a 68 gallon tank, but you'll have a lot of waste and added expense to get that extra inch. The best part of building your own anything is making something exactly how you want it or cant buy it. In this case, for 8 or 10 gallons, I would cheap out and just build the 60 gallon cube. For you it might be worth the added expense for 1" bigger. Maybe something that isn't a true cube would better suit you? 30"x30"x20" is ~78 gallons. Here is a pretty good calculator, use it to build what ever you want and run with it. http://www.firsttankguide.net/calculator.php

 

[Juscuziam]

No I have never done anything like this before. I’ve been watching several YouTube videos and looks fairly straight forward. I pretty mechanically inclined so I’m willing to give it a try. I decided to do a 90 gallon tank as my space will allow. I’m just not sure at how thick it should be. I can get all the sides cut locally so that will be the easy part.

Thank you for the welcome and I will have loads of questions on what I will need equipment wise to make this all come together

 

[Juscuziam]

So I decided to go with a 90 gallon but the chart does not tell me how thick the Acrylic should be and also how would be put together. So there will be five sides all together with two top braces so the measurements wouldn’t be as they are listed below. So before I order the pieces here are my questions any help would be amazing
When I look at pictures of the plexiglass tanks all four sides but on top of the bottom plate. So if the front and back are 36 inches what is the exact dimensions of the left and right panels? And if it has to be 15 mm thick does the bottom plate in the top plate also have to be 15 mm? I hope I’m not making this too complicated LOL
Width: 36" (91.44cm)
Height: 24" (60.96cm)
Depth: 24" (60.96cm)
Your tank's volume is approximately 20,736.0 cubic inches or 89.8 U.S. gallons, which is approximately

 

[Sits Unafraid]

Oh man! Like I said... ambitious. Lol.
Always compensate for the thickness of the plexi/glass in two of the the panels. So if you had a 10” cube sitting on a 10x10 piece with 1/2” thickness. Two sides would actually be 9” more experienced reefers will let you know about thickness and methods of joining, such as the “pin method” I believe it’s called

 

[Juscuziam]

So I'm at the stage of buying the acrylic but I wanted to know how thick it should be, is 3/4 too thick?

It's for 90 gallon cube

 

[Juscuziam]

Okay I did some research myself and I thought I would post this for anyone wanting to build one. I will be purchasing the acrylic tomorrow it's going to take a week to come in and then I'll start posting pictures of the build I think this is important because acrylic is an amazing tank for saltwater if taken care of and I hope this thread helps others looking to build their own.

Aquarium Height Sheet Thickness
1 to 12 inches 1/4 inch
12 - 18 inches 3/8 inch
18 - 24 inches 1/2 inch
24 - 30 inches 3/4 inch
These are just guidelines and have been used by most of the
commercial tank builders, the Acrylic manufacturers

 

[Sits Unafraid]

Good info to have on hand. I would imagine it’s relatively impossible to go too thick. We’re there any references to max volume for each of those height to thickness ratios? Is this info relative to a specific length like a cube? I would imagine a coral flat/frag tank of several hundred gallons at 12 -18” tall would really want to bow in the centers. Without extra bracing.
Can’t wait to see the finished product!

 

[Weam]

Hi,
I just uploaded a few pictures for a semi built 70 Gallon tank, please view it for a few ideas...

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/70-gallon-reef-tank-project.447442/

Thanks and good luck

 

[Juscuziam]

I will post a link to that article and everything else that I research as I go along with project.
I'm still deciding on size LOL

 

[lapin]

You need to read some threads on acrylic tank building and how to create a bubble free seams. Type of acrylic, glue ect.... A fillet is very important, as is using pins to make sure the pieces are welded together properly. Read this thread. This is where the brave discuss how to work with acrylic and whats worked for them. They are now professionals and have businesses
www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169326

 

[Juscuziam]

Perfect !

Im being Youtube trained as we speak.....one big mistake and there goes $700 of product down the drain $(

 

[Juscuziam]

I will be beveling the edges and never used a router either lol

 

[lapin]

There is a lot of Utube stuff. Some good, some not. Beware

 

[Juscuziam]

All you need to know....just click the link below. Gives you thickness and materials needed to put it all together, Awesome !


http://www.garf.org/tank/buildtank.asp

 

[Juscuziam]

Only watching builds with Joey Mullen and guys like that, I have some pieces to practise with so Ill go slow on this build