280 Gallon Acrylic Tank

I

izzy_real

New member
OK all you acrylic-smiths', I need your help, and advice.

I have acquired a 280 gallon, 4ftX8ftX16in. tall acrylic tank. This tank was originally designed and built by MRC, and used for not even a year, at a LFS.

The LFS has since closed it's doors, and through various contacts, I have purchased it for a display system. This system has so much potential, and only one down fall: it bows along both 8ft sides. (No fault of the designer, but the buyer refused to pay for extra acrylic to install a euro brace.)

The bow isn't bad, but enough to cause concern. Being not even a year old, I'm sure I can salvage this beast for many years of dependable marine use, if I euro, or brace it in some other fashion.

The rectangle is 48 inches on either end, and 96 inches on the sides, constructed of 1" acrylic, and reaching only 16 inches in height. As previously stated, the bow is ever so slight, but I feel it needs addressed in some way. I have some experience with acrylic, but am in no way a master, guru, or other such adjective.

Would anyone know of a cost efficient, and right way, of correcting this bow? All help is encouraged, and appreciated.

Thank you in advance for reading, and replying.

Sincerely,

izzy
 
Use 3/4 or 1" thick acrylic and fix the bow and you will have a great tank for life.

i know i have built over 20 acrylic tanks from 200 - 700 gallon systems.
 
Personally, I'd just glue in strips as a eurobrace. 3/4" material, maybe 3" wide, and about 1/4 - 1/2" below the top of the tank, even 1/2' material would prolly be just fine. Given the material thickness, I wouldn't bother with crossbracing, just the perimeter flange (unless you're really worried).

HTH,
James
 
I think the rest of the vat is secure. I like the euro brace idea alot.

Acrylics, should I make the strips 8ft long?

Sac, when you say fix the bow, do you mean attatch to the over flow (which is centrally located) or brace to another place?

izzy
 
Make them just under 94" long, since (presumably) the inside length of the tank is 94". Hope this makes sense :)

James
 
james,

You have been a huge help! You are correct on the length of the inside. Seeing as how this thing has a slight bow, do I need to use ratchet straps, and two 2X4's, the straighten the bow on the 8ft sides?

If I use the ratchet straps, and two 2 X4's, I can slowly crank it until it straightens again. SLOWLY, over a period of days. Previously stated, it's less than a 1/4" bow, so it will be a slight adjustment. OR, should I tighten it slowly over a period of hours? Do I even tighten it?

James, tell me if I'm getting on your nerves, I just wanna do it right. I ended up with the two pieces of acrylic for about 40 bucks, which was a good price for a poor disc jockey like me!

izzy
 
Lay the tank on it's side (on a blanket or similar) and glue them in that way. You shouldn't need to do much more than that to flatten the sides out.

Not on my nerves at all :)

HTH,
James
 
Laying it on the side won't stress it? Should I leave it lay on it's side for 24 hours, and then glue the other side?

James, I'm sending you a check! How do I actually glue this piece. I have methylene chloride, and you know how runny that crap is! What I'm saying is, what do I place between the brace and actual tank to make sure the M/Cl gets in between the two pieces? Have any hints?

Dude, for real.....I appreciate your help. Where are you located?

izzy
 
Hi Izzy,

Twist-ties from Hefty bags or go raid the produce dept at the local supermarket. Strip the paper off and you have a good wire for this pupose.
You should be able to lay the tank on it's side, no problem. If you are worried, prop up the other side with a dowel or something similar. Make a coupla tape blox as shown in the thread to keep the strip in place while gluing, blox don't have to be acrylic - can be wood or anything else you have laying around. Glue it, leave it a few hours, overnight would be great, flip it, do the same.
Hmm, checks, hmm, if you're at all serious, donate a coupla bux to the SPCA or Red Cross when you think about it, I owe them both a debt I'll never be able to repay.

Hi Michael :)

HTH,
James
 
Hey James,

The tank holds water, about a month in! I had to get it running fast so I only have the basics operating right now. Plugged all the closed loop holes and some of the return holes, but it's enough to show that the coast-to-coast overflow works great. About 800gph makes an 1/8" sheet of water all the way across. (I'll post pics once I get it looking good, I'm still building the stand around it) Thanks again for your help!

Izzy, sorry to sidetrack. Post some pics once you start working on it.
 
And to think I was afraid to post because of all the "mean" responses I've seen on other threads. You guys are awesome! James, I'll head to the grocery store tomm. and Michael, no problem sharing with a gentlemen such as yourself!

izzy
 
That straightened it out. Now I'm having trouble getting that 8ft long acrylic brace spaced evenly 1/2 inch down. What would happen if I braced it flush with the top of the tank? Not on top, but even with the top. that would be much easier to line it up. But would it have as much structural stability?

izzy
 
It would have the same stability. I don't know if the tank was flame polished or not, so I mentioned placing it down 1/2" to avoid getting solvent on the polished edge.

HTH,
James
 
Then I'd advise you to not get solvent on the polished area. Set the strip back a little bit, maybe the 1/2" or so. Doesn't have to be *perfectly* spaced for structure, just get it as straight as you can. Just gluing the strip on will improve the structure, getting it straight is for aesthetic reasons - just looks better, but don't worry about it too much :)

HTH,
James
 
James,

You are the man at this, aren't you!? I appreciate all of your help. How does one flame polish anyway? Is it just a torch and scraper of some sort? Just curious.

I make a $10 donation to St. Jude every month, is it cool to put one in your name there? Or do you prefer Red Cross?

izzy
 
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