Custom Acrylic Aquariums...Should we build it?

T

TriniStylez

New member
I would like to get a 5'x2'x18" Eurobraced Aquarium but am finding that the tank builders locally are way overpriced! Now Im thinking about building it with my stepfather. He has built many glass tanks and even plywood (years ago though) but has never worked with acrylic. I guess Im wondering how difficult it is to work with? He should have all the tools needed I would think and builds homes for a living, so is great with DIY. I have read many acrylic tank building articles and they make it sound relatively easy...well, easier than glass. Is this true?

Anyone know a REALLY good, detailed thread or article we should follow if we decide to build it ourselves?
 
Yes, I am from San Fernando. I live in Vancouver, Canada now though. It is a gorgeous island! I too wish I could spend WAY more time there!
 
Trinistylez, I think I would describe the process as tedious. You're right it's not really difficult, but you do have to be very precise at certain stages. Your number one tool is going to be a good router w/ router table. If you've got that then you've probably got everything you need.

The body of the tank I just built is 4'x2.5'x20" so it's pretty close to the size you're considering. I built mine with 1/2" material to give a little more surface area for the bonds even though it could have been built with 3/8" material. As it turns out my local distributor actually had the 1/2" material for the same price as 3/8" anyway so it didn't cost me any extra. 2 sheets of 1/2" material, plus a 2.5'x4' piece of black material cost me about $550 (I actually had to buy the full 4'x8' sheet of black material, but it got used on other projects. I just included $100 for the partial sheet here), and I got the tank (125g), the external overflow box, and a sump (40g) out of it.
 
I am actually buying the acrylic cut to exact size, with fire polished edges. I have been promised that all the cuts will be precise and edges will be finished (they know its for an aquarium). Basically all I need to do is assemble. They are not charging much for the cutting and finishing of the edges, so I think its worth it as I do not have a good router. I can get the 1/2" but its quite a bit more expensive than the 3/4", so i havent decided.

Do you have pics of your tank?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10605319#post10605319 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TriniStylez
I am actually buying the acrylic cut to exact size, with fire polished edges. I have been promised that all the cuts will be precise and edges will be finished (they know its for an aquarium). Basically all I need to do is assemble. They are not charging much for the cutting and finishing of the edges, so I think its worth it as I do not have a good router. I can get the 1/2" but its quite a bit more expensive than the 3/4", so i havent decided.

Do you have pics of your tank?
Click to expand...

Flame polishing will distort the edges and make them a pain to assemble.

Don
 
Do NOT flame polish the edges before glueing or you will get crazing.

Have the edges "diamond polished" instead.

Stu
 
No pics yet, it looks like crap (or at least less than perfect) because I haven't polished all the edges. There are SketchUp drawings in my gallery though. And I third the opinion, do not get the edges flame polished.

They may not be charging you much for the extra finish work because generally when cutting the pieces to size like that they charge a per square foot price. That's where they're going to get some extra cash out of you. What would you be paying for everything pre-cut out of 3/8" if you don't mind me asking? Also, do you have any idea what brand of material they are using?
 
Pito, it depends a lot on what you want. A custom tank size or design will be much more expensive than a standard size. For a standard size tank, if you have ALL the tools you need already, and you get your materials locally (no shipping charges), and you don't mess up you could probably save 1/4 to 1/2 the cost of a purchased tank. On a custom build you could save yourself much more.
 
For 3/8 cut to size for a 5x2x18", they have estimated $400-450 (depends on how I want the edges finished). I know its a bit much but I do not want to cut the stuff myself. I have looked into getting it made by a few different companies and I have been quoted around $1000. so it is much cheaper for me to make it myself.

This company actually has made tanks before, although they do not specialize in aquariums and have offered to build it for me. They still have to get back to me on cost though.
 
No, honestly that price doesn't seem that bad to me. And, if they're able to consider actually building the tank for you maybe you'll get pieces perfectly sized. But seriously, no finishing on the edges at all. The pieces should be ripped to approximate size with a table or panel saw, and then trimmed to exact size with a router on a router table. That is all you need before putting it together (the router work is the tedious part IMO). I guess if they use a 5'x sheet of acrylic instead of 4'x they'll be able to get it out of one piece, so that helps explain the lower cost. The brand of acrylic still plays into that price though, any idea what they're using?
 
I was guessing right around $1000 for the total build too, so not unreasonable there either. After all, it is one of those non-standard sizes. You save your money mainly by doing your own finish work after assembly (this is the most time consuming part after all, which is why my tank is half stocked and half running and still not done yet.....sigh).

Pito, if you have all the equipment you can make that from less than one sheet of 3/8" or even 1/4" material (if you bought it, it would be 1/4" in most cases). You could actually use an extruded acrylic like Acrylite FF since it's a sump and has some internal support (personally I'd still use cast though). Check out www.melevsreef.com for some more ideas.

For most one or two time projects it will come down to how much of the necessary equipment do you already have or can get for pretty cheap.
 
Trini,
IMO, make absolutely certain the material you get is either Polycast, Cyro Acrylite GP, or Plexi-Glas G and no others. And others have said; please do not try to glue flame polished edges.

James
 
Hey James, that's what I was trying to get at also. Maybe the TO will be able to check on the type of material today.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10607272#post10607272 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Acrylics
Trini,
IMO, make absolutely certain the material you get is either Polycast, Cyro Acrylite GP, or Plexi-Glas G and no others. And others have said; please do not try to glue flame polished edges.

James
Click to expand...

Hey James,

Thank you so much for the heads up! Looks like we can go to a wholesaler here in town because my stepfather owns a contracting business. I am going to see which of these they carry. Are these common and easy to find usually? What about price wise, are they more expensive?

Thanks!
 
Generally speaking,

From most expensive to least (although none are cheap):

1) Spartech Polycast
2) Cyro Acrylite GP
3) Plexi-Glas G

The first two are domestic, the third is made in Mexico (although many retailers tried to tell me it was domestic). There are of course other brands as well, but like James said (I have no personal experience with them) he doesn't recommend them for building tanks.

James ought to be able to provide you with more accurate availability, since he's much closer to your area. But personally, I couldn't find Polycast at all, but had no problem finding Acrylite GP or Plexi-Glas G.

EDIT: addition
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
How thick acrylic for 30"x18"x13" build???? What type of acrylic? Acrylic vs glass?
Replies
3
Views
450
duganderson
D
M
  • Question Question
Fixing leak in acrylic aquarium seam with Weld On 4?
Replies
11
Views
1K
fish879799
F
D
Custom Tank Prices
Replies
15
Views
1K
Dustin07
D
A
Aquarium Temperature Control: How I Hacked My Air Conditioner to control my tanks temperatures
Replies
6
Views
661
Naso180
N
M
How everything change and keeps changing
2
Replies
33
Views
3K
kingone
K
Back
Top