Lexan tanks?

raynist

raynist

New member
I was at aqua world today and they said they could build a Lexan tank 2x2x2 for $85. That is very cheap, but I really have never heard of lexan tanks before. Aparently some of their large tanks are lexan. He said that he would use some special lexan that is very scratch resistant. He would use euro bracing around the top.

Anyone have any thoughts?
 
Ray

I am not sure what htey are trying to sell you.. but here is what I know about lexan...

Lexan is a polycarbonate product. It scratches MUCH easier than acrylic and is softer. It does not glue as well and the joints will not be as strong or clear. Lexan is usually not as clear asy acrylic and certainly not as cheap. Lexan will also absorb more water then acrylic and will certainly bow more.

The stuff is great because it almost impossible to break.

From my personal experience and from what I have read, I would never even consider it for a tank.

Secondly, $85 sounds pretty cheap for a custom built tank of any size and material. I just purchased a 4'x8' sheet of 1/2" Cell cast Acrylic and it was in the $200 neighborhood.

So knowing lexan scratches super easy and costs more than acrylic, then the "special scratch resistant" (whatever that is) Lexan would presumably cost even more. I would be wary... but then again maybe the guy has some decent plastic he is trying to get rid of cheap... who knows.

Bill
 
I think I am going to pass on this. If I had a 60g tank leak all over my game room, it would be the end of this hobby for me....
 
Ray, find out the brand name of the plastic he is trying to sell you then ask the guy here at RC named "Acrylics". He works with the stuff for a living and is an invaluable resource.
 
Ray and all,

The guys at aquaworld are building polycarbonate tanks. All of Bill's comments are correct. It is not really suitable for water holding vessels. Their argument is that it is bullet proof. My argument is that if bullets are flying in my fish room, I have bigger problems than holes in the tank!

Also, I would suggest that anyone who is buying a tank from anyone other than a large well known builder looks at examples of that person's work before buying.

HTH

Adam
 
Would one of these be good for a small sump? I am going to need something custom for a sump under my 30g Oceanic Cube stand.

This sump will house an ASM G1x skimmer and needs to fit into an area 19x17. A 10g tank is just a bit too large.

--Ray
 
I've made a few skimmer out of lex and they all could not hold the pressure.why don't you have Ming pre cut the pieces that you need out of half inch acrylic and buy some acrylic glue from him then diy.that will help with cost and it'll work too.acrylic is the salfer way to go,unless you have gunfight in your house;-]
 
I talked to them again about an acrylic tank. They said they could make a 16x16x16 3/8ths inch thick acrylic sump for me for $45. Seems very cheap. It is a sump, so I really don't care if it is easily scratched acrylic.

Is 3/8th thick enough for this?

Thanks
Ray
 
$45 wouldn't buy the acrylic let alone the time. Either these guys are idiots or they have no idea what they are talking about. Thats preety cheap... I guess you could give it a try.

3/8 is thin but maybe doable. I use 1/2" for everything, but others seem to be comfortable with 3/8". It would need to be eurobraced pretty well. What water level were you looking to run?
 
It would probably be about 1/2 full, using the tank volume calculator it would be 18 gallons, so I would probably keep 10 gallons in this sump, is that what you were asking?
 
I just stopped by there and talked to the guy that will make the tank.

He is going to make it with 1/2 inch acrylic and it will be $64.

--Ray
 
I picked it up and it is much nicer than I thought it would be. The acrylic is very thick and clear. Some of the places where the acrylic is cut could have been polished a bit more, but I am using it for a sump so it doesn't matter. I am sure I could have asked them to polish it a bit.

I will post pictures of it tonight.

$64 seems very cheap. Best price I could find online was $140.

--Ray
 
Maybe it is lower quality and will scratch easily? Doesn't matter since it is a sump, but for that price I am thinking of having them build me a small tank for my mantis shrimp.
 
hey bean animal
where did u get the acrylic 4'x8' sheet at?
im looking into the cost of my next tank and want to go acrylic all the way
the places i've been to either cant get 4'x 8' or costs too much ($500 )
 
I was just quoted ~$220 for 1/2" polycast at TPI on the North Side. The girl also gave me a quote on 3/8 that was someplace in the $150 neighborhood. However, others I have talked to there (and other places) wanted A LOT more. I don't think she made a mistake, I just think she gave me good pricing ( like volume pricing) even though I don't buy in volume.
 
Bill,

That price seems like it almost has to be a mistake. That is the same or lower than I was paying 3-4 years ago and several sheets at a time. To put it in perspective... I bought about 10 sheets on my first order (including some 6x8 3/4") and 1/4" 4x8 clear were just over $100 at that time.

Are you sure this is cell cast? Polycast is a brand name and may make a continuous cast material which wouldn't be suitable for water vessels. With inflation, I would expect 1/2" to be easily over $300.

Adam
 
The stuff I purchased last time was the same as she quoted me this time.

The protective paper says "Spartech Polycast" "Cell Cast Acrylic" The spartech website lists it as suitable for aquarium use (somebody, I think "acrylics" told me that it was top of the line stuff).

In any case I paid a little bit less 1.5 years ago when I built the sump. I may just purchase the sheet if the price is really that good.
 
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