Acrylic fabrication questions? I can help!
- Thread starter JohnL
- Start date
Looking for opinions. If you received this tank brand new, would you think that the amount of excess solvent runoff is acceptable/normal? (I'm referring to the white/cloudy area that runs away from the front panel seam).
For those of you with professionally built acrylic tanks, do you have this amount of excess solvent runoff?
Thanks in advance.
My tank is 10'Lx3'Wx4'H and it is made out of 1.25" acrylic. If I place a 4' level (vertically) against the front panel of the tank, I have about .5" gap between the level and the top and bottom of the acrylic panel, which I believe means that I have .5" deflection. I have seen 4' tall tanks built out of 1" acrylic, but I don't even like how much mine bows at 1.25" thick. I think 2" would be ideal, but would be incredibly expensive. I'm not a pro tank builder though...I'm only speaking from personal experience.
For those of you with professionally built acrylic tanks, do you have this amount of excess solvent runoff?
Thanks in advance.
My tank is 10'Lx3'Wx4'H and it is made out of 1.25" acrylic. If I place a 4' level (vertically) against the front panel of the tank, I have about .5" gap between the level and the top and bottom of the acrylic panel, which I believe means that I have .5" deflection. I have seen 4' tall tanks built out of 1" acrylic, but I don't even like how much mine bows at 1.25" thick. I think 2" would be ideal, but would be incredibly expensive. I'm not a pro tank builder though...I'm only speaking from personal experience.
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schristi69
Master of Space and Time
Looks like a crappy job to me. I wouldn't buy it
No problem, happy to share. The builder is a large shop that starts with a T out of Phoenix, AZ (when I write the name it gets blocked out). The excess solvent doesn't really bother me because it is on non-viewing panels only (top and bottom) so I won't bother with trying to buff it out. The reason I asked for opinions is because I know someone who recently received a tank from said builder and is upset about the excess solvent; he is actually fighting to have the tank redone. I believe he plans to have a barebottom setup and although the solvent stains are not on viewing panels they will be visible and this has him upset. I am thinking he is overreacting, but I am not sure how common excess solvent runoff is.
I know that the runoff can be avoided (the 4 vertical joints do not have this issue), so is this a matter of the builder being lazy and not worrying about excess because it's an imperfection on a non-viewing panel?
Floyd R Turbo
Either busy or sleeping
Looking for opinions. If you received this tank brand new, would you think that the amount of excess solvent runoff is acceptable/normal? (I'm referring to the white/cloudy area that runs away from the front panel seam).
For those of you with professionally built acrylic tanks, do you have this amount of excess solvent runoff?
Thanks in advance.
My tank is 10'Lx3'Wx4'H and it is made out of 1.25" acrylic. If I place a 4' level (vertically) against the front panel of the tank, I have about .5" gap between the level and the top and bottom of the acrylic panel, which I believe means that I have .5" deflection. I have seen 4' tall tanks built out of 1" acrylic, but I don't even like how much mine bows at 1.25" thick. I think 2" would be ideal, but would be incredibly expensive. I'm not a pro tank builder though...I'm only speaking from personal experience.
I personally will never buy a tank from ten e cor. They screwed up a 1500g tank for our local fish store. They built the tank, stand, and sump, and they drilled the holes for the 4" bulkheads too low on the tank so that they had to do 3 90's instead of 1, then they didn't notch the overflow teeth as far down as they could, so they can't get the flow they want and can't use their surge boxes at all without overflowing the tank. And they won't even fix it!
As far as your seam, yeah - messy job. Either they weren't careful enough with the solvent, or they use WO40/42 and put it on too heavy, but better too much than not enough. Better to use a little too much than not enough, but they should have at least tried to buff it out. There's just no excuse for that.
Also the big problem I have with any of the big tank builders is the radius on the eurobrace. They have a 1" radius there and it should be a minimum of 2". It's where all the stress is focused in these tanks, so it needs to be strong. I just turned a 15 year old Clarity Plus 300 into a sump and there were failures in 3 of the cutout corners.
You know I actually have the same issue but from a different builder. No issues with the viewable panels but the top seam - I guess they don't care or their respirator wasn't working.
These guys pump out tanks as quick as they can and as cheap as they can. Same issue as the other post - cutouts are too small of a radius. Also this looks like a WO-40/42 job, looks way too thick to be solvent. Doesn't look bubble free either. Corners are rounded off too much to my liking. The material is thinned out too much.
I don't know if that rounding makes much of a difference, maybe James will chime in (he seems to have stopped posting) but I can tell you that at MACNA this past weekend, one of the vendors' tanks was dropped by the airline (small frag tank in a suitcase) and his corners were rounded like that, and it's exactly where it cracked. Lucky for him, I had WO40 and the NextReef guys were there to help patch it up in time for the show (and I got some nice frags at the end of the show for helping out) :dance:
Floyd R Turbo
Either busy or sleeping
I posted that I thought he might be on vacation...
Tin_Whistler
Mayor of Podunk
Looking at building a few tanks out of acrylic, partially because I like DIY projects and feel more satisfaction out building something. And also because I like the better visibility on acrylic. Wanted to check and see what you guys would recommend for tank thickness on two tanks I'd like to build.
The first tank I'm doing as a trial run for the larger one, and is hopefully going to end up being used to house a peacock mantis.
Dimensions 24x24x16 40 gallons (or 39.89 gallons if you're a stickler)
The second one I'd like to wait on until I see how the first smaller tank goes. But for that one I'm looking at building a larger reef tank.
Dimensions 72x24x24 180 gallons (179.53)
The recommendations I've found online base everything off height. According to what I've found though the 40 gallon should be 3/8" , and the 180 should be ½".
½" seems a bit thin to me though for a 180 gallon tank"¦
The first tank I'm doing as a trial run for the larger one, and is hopefully going to end up being used to house a peacock mantis.
Dimensions 24x24x16 40 gallons (or 39.89 gallons if you're a stickler)
The second one I'd like to wait on until I see how the first smaller tank goes. But for that one I'm looking at building a larger reef tank.
Dimensions 72x24x24 180 gallons (179.53)
The recommendations I've found online base everything off height. According to what I've found though the 40 gallon should be 3/8" , and the 180 should be ½".
½" seems a bit thin to me though for a 180 gallon tank"¦
dahenley
New member
i built a 18x18x18 cube with 3/8 and its great. (i deff wouldnt do it with 1/4 material) i didnt notice any obvious deflection. (i used 2" top bracing made from a single piece of acrylic.
as for the 180, 1/2 will work, but there will be noticeable deflection. 3/4 would be better and have less deflection. i am not sure what size bracing or cross braces will be needed, but it will need them.
as for the 180, 1/2 will work, but there will be noticeable deflection. 3/4 would be better and have less deflection. i am not sure what size bracing or cross braces will be needed, but it will need them.
bear 01
New member
TheFishMan65
New member
Sorry bear acrylics comes and goes. I saw an online calculator somewhere. If you try some searches you can probably find it. Sorry I am not more help.
Belgian Anthias
New member
Evonic
Evonic
This is the website I use for information about acrylics
http://cyro.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/321
There is a calculator available when you make an account and log in.
Evonic
This is the website I use for information about acrylics
http://cyro.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/321
There is a calculator available when you make an account and log in.
Belgian Anthias
New member
double or single pane acrylic windows?
double or single pane acrylic windows?
We are preparing to build a big aqua out of 1/2 standard panels. This means it will be 200cmm x 200cm x 150cm high ( +- 62/3' x862/3 x 5' high) We will glue it together whit Adheseal from Innotec in black.
The problem to solve is:
Two panes of 25mm ( 1") thick are a lot less expensive than one pane of 50mm thick, about 30% cheaper. So we would like to use two panes of 25 mm to construct a window of 50mm thick. Would these windows be as strong as if they where made of one pane?
double or single pane acrylic windows?
We are preparing to build a big aqua out of 1/2 standard panels. This means it will be 200cmm x 200cm x 150cm high ( +- 62/3' x862/3 x 5' high) We will glue it together whit Adheseal from Innotec in black.
The problem to solve is:
Two panes of 25mm ( 1") thick are a lot less expensive than one pane of 50mm thick, about 30% cheaper. So we would like to use two panes of 25 mm to construct a window of 50mm thick. Would these windows be as strong as if they where made of one pane?
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schristi69
Master of Space and Time
Can someone point me to a how-to or technique used for glueing in the baffles? Do you use an extra long tip or something? A 1" gap is a bit narrow for my big hands. So how do you get solvent in to glue the middle baffle?
