Acrylic for hood?

[Mr Neon]

I am curious as to the type or kind of acrylic be is a name brand or certain make-up of the plastic that I should use for an aquarium hood/lid.

I got 3/16" acrylic and within a 2 weeks is warped. Now granted the halide is about 6 inches above the lid and that did have an effect on the lid. I did not have an opening because I did not want the evaporation of water to be so much as it was with no lid. I know there are heat issues with a full lid but I am working on this to try and come to a compromise with a full lid and little or no heat issue.

I have heard about "types" of acrylic that can be used for acquriums that are better than the standard grades? I just do not know what to look for or ask...Seems the plastic places I inquire about say nothing but the acrylic being all the same except for thickness...

Glass is alos an option but pricing tempered gass with cuts in them is expensive...Acrylic seems more reasonable...

Any suggestions or ideas?

 

[Burgman]

Hi,

The guy to talk to would be Paul Cimino at 216-272-6067.
He would know if there are any types of plastic you could use for a hood. The problem is going to be the MH heat. You might be able to get buy with plastic if you just had VHO lights.

Dave

 

[Mr Neon]

Thanks Dave!

Yea, heat is the problem but I plan on routing a center section out where the MH is so that the direct light is not on the lid but on the water...hopefully this will help with the warping..

I keep hearing about cast acrylic but have no clue..

Thanks again!

 

[fade2black]

Cast acrylic is the best to build aquariums, but for a hood you might be better off with PEEK (polyetheretherketone), a fluoropolymer (like PTFE) or something like that. You want a plastic that has a high operating temperature as well as being flame retardant. Acrylic is a thermoplastic that is flammable, so I don't really recommend using acrylic for hoods with open MH bulbs. If you have already warped 3/16" acrylic and are set on using it, I suggest using 3/8" cast acrylic and greatly improving the ventilation within the hood. Get the hot air out as quickly as possible to prevent build up. This will also help keep tank temps down since your tank won't have a superheated piece of plastic on top of it all the time. Hope that helps.

-Paul

 

[offshore]

I have a 4' X 4' sheet of 3-8" acrylic leftover from when i built my sump if you are intrested.

 

[offshore]

oh btw it is cast acrylic sheet