The Cube

[Henry Colf]

So ,I got this acrylic cube from work.They were going to toss it out and I thought that it would make a nice tank because of the dimensions.It's 36"long / 24"deep and 34"high not an actual cube but you get the idea.So here are some pictures.

[/IMG] I am going to cut the top off of the piece on the side ,seal it and then use it for an overflow.There is a smaller one behind it which I am thinking of drilling it and making it a carbon box or something and then feed it to a sump.It has a tint to it but I don't think it wil be to bad.

[/IMG] This pic is just to show the tint from one side instead of looking through the whole thing.So I would welcome comments or suggestions on my project.Thanks for looking.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Henry- is that thing built to withstand water pressure?

 

[Henry Colf]

Im not sure Gary it's 1/4" thick.I will water test it before I put anything in it.It seems pretty sturdy, the pieces I cut off I had to beat with a 16oz. hammer to get them to break to box em' up for the garbage.I guess i'll see.

 

[chrisguy]

Looks promising.

 

[Henry Colf]

I am going to make some cross braces out of acrylic and epoxy them across from front to back I think i'll put 1 every 12",that way there evenly spaced.

 

[Namyar]

Henry looks very promising keep us up to spead on the project

 

[Ellery]

That's fun project - Just have to figure out a new place to put it right?

 

[acdraindrps]

how about an update?

too bad its acrylic....

 

[Henry Colf]

Today when I got home from work I filled it up with about 100 gal. of water and to my suprise no leaks.However there was some slight bowing in the center so I will defenitley will be adding cross braces.So tomorrow at work i'll make some and epoxt thjem on.I am thinking of trying to remove the 2 outside boxes and put them inside i'll use the tall one for a overflow and the smaller one for a wavebox.Will post more pics as I go.THANKS for looking.

 

[Henry Colf]

I have another question, how long should I water test the "cube" to make sure it will hold ? I was thinking like a week but if anyone has an idea or suggestion lmk.Thanks

 

[Henry Colf]

Well I filled the cube with water again after installing the cross member.I used 3 pieces and sandwich them together,I used acrylic epoxy for the 2 main pieces and used aquarium sealant for the sandwich part.I cut some angles and glued them into the corners for added support.so heres some pics

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

 

[jcanute]

look at all the labatts boxes....er sorry nice project. can i come over and help?

 

[Henry Colf]

sure ,I like doing projects er I mean tossing back a few now and then.

 

[chrisguy]

You filled the cube with beer ??? :beer: :thumbsup:

 

[Henry Colf]

Well it's been about 24 hrs. now and still holding strong.I put a power head and a heater in there today to get the water moving around.so far so good.

 

[bosborn1]

If that holds then I can probably build my 2ft "true" cube from 1/4

 

[Henry Colf]

bosborn I will be posting updates all the time.Im just not sure how long I should let it sit before I say that it's water worthy.I really hope it holds because with the dimensions I think it would make a kick *** reef.

 

[Henry Colf]

well I just put a hairline crack in the damn thing trying to remove the two outside boxes.so I will not be going any farther with this project.My wifes ball python just got a new cage though.

 

[chrisguy]

Sorry to hear.

 

[Ellery]

That sucks Henry... Yeah Acrylic is very touchy, if it's not rigid you can easily scratch it. I'd like to get into doing more acrylic work but I need to get the right tools first. I'm really impressed with the stuff that Melev has on his website and all the sumps he's made.