Rhodophyta
New member
Silicone does not stick well to acrylic, so adding silicone may be like those foam corners for furniture. There is some protection, but nothing is really stuck on.
2 part epoxy paint?
- Thread starter apayne
- Start date
Rhodophyta
New member
I would be very uneasy myself if I had an aquarium using materials and adhesives that are not supposed to go together. And I am a person who every morning puts a hot liquid into a flimsy container made of coated paper or super-thin styrofoam. But 20 oz. of coffee soaked into my car upholstry or even my pants is less of a disaster than an aquarium full of saltwater flooding my house.
Fiziksgeek
New member
Epoxy resins such as MAS or West System can leach some "stuff" into the water. It is also UV sensitive. An FDA approve epoxy paint for potable water solves both issues.
I would also skip the acrylic over wood on the tank bottom. I think that's a failure waiting to happen, but its just my opinion. I wouldn't trust Mr. Sticky's!
I would also skip the acrylic over wood on the tank bottom. I think that's a failure waiting to happen, but its just my opinion. I wouldn't trust Mr. Sticky's!
Well here is the strength of Mr Sticky's under water epoxy. And it is safe for fish according to many on line retailers like Dr. F+S.
Lap Shear (Psi)
Acrylic -450+
Glass (compressive shear) -1,600+
The joint will only be holding the water in, not the sheer of the water, that will be supported by the hard wood rim on the bottom, I think this is a viable idea.
Fiziksgeek why do you think having the acrylic supported by a piece of plywood is a bad idea? I thought acrylic tanks were suppose to be supported any way?
Lap Shear (Psi)
Acrylic -450+
Glass (compressive shear) -1,600+
The joint will only be holding the water in, not the sheer of the water, that will be supported by the hard wood rim on the bottom, I think this is a viable idea.
Fiziksgeek why do you think having the acrylic supported by a piece of plywood is a bad idea? I thought acrylic tanks were suppose to be supported any way?
Rhodophyta
New member
I don't know Fiziksgeek's reasons, but I can give you mine. Keep It Simple, Stupid. KISS. I've built, repaired, and been around a lot of plywood tanks. Those where someone added one more step or an extra beefening of the joints are the ones that leak the most often. One example. Every one of a bank of several 900 gallon saltwater tanks that I had nothing to do with building, leaked and had to have plastic rain gutter installed to catch the leakage and run it through an added filter to return to each tank. The extra step that caused the leaking was to double the plywood bottom. I'm sure it was intended to reduce the chance of a leak, but it seemed to cause them. You are simply adding more possible failure points. Screwing extra wood or quarter cut pipe lengths as an extra seal inside a tank also seems to cause leaks.
When you start complicating the design, it is difficult to forsee how everything will interact. Extra boards and panels also mean extra screws, each with a finite chance of being mis-installed or colliding mid-wood with another obstructing screw. Different materials mean different coefficients of expansion and complex, often compromised, methods of sealing and connecting them. Keep the design simple. Keep the materials list simple. Keep the assembly simple.
When i read your ideas on how to complicate the building of your tank, I get the same tense feeling as when I see someone stick their head inside the wood chipper to figure out what's wrong, or when I see a small child dart out into a busy street intent on chasing a ball. I hope they are lucky and figure out what's wrong with the chipper, and that they catch the ball and win the game, but you and they all make me worry.
fat-tony
New member
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1441135
Acrosteve's build. Keep in mind he purposely overbuilt it, but the basic idea is a frame with glass panels in there. The sides/joints were setup using a series of thin layers poured and leveled on each area. If you're building a plywood tank, there should be no reason to use silicone EXCEPT to seal glass to the side. You will get nowhere using it as a seal for the sides.
Acrosteve's build. Keep in mind he purposely overbuilt it, but the basic idea is a frame with glass panels in there. The sides/joints were setup using a series of thin layers poured and leveled on each area. If you're building a plywood tank, there should be no reason to use silicone EXCEPT to seal glass to the side. You will get nowhere using it as a seal for the sides.
