Have you built a DIY acrylic aquarium? How'd it go? Recommended?

[thinktank]

I'm considering building my own DIY acrylic aquarium, but I'm curious about how the project went for those of you who've done this, if you'd do it again, and any recommendations/advice you have?

Did you experience leaks? Where did you buy the acrylic and did it maintain clarity? What bonding/welding did you use?

I'm thinking of starting with a nano - maybe 5-10 gallons for atop a desk or something, just to get my feet wet.

Thanks!

 

[Lingwendil]

My High-school exit project was based around the construction of acrylic aquariums for use in aquaculture, it's not terribly difficult, but you need to do things differently than when working with glass. If you just want a nice little tank, it's a great idea, but it can get prohibitively expensive the larger (and taller!) the tanks get, due to the extra thickness needed for taller tanks.

I first suggest doing some reading on reefcentral at the following threads-
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=3062657#post3062657
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2495262

and-
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_acrylic_aquarium.php
http://www.melevsreef.com/category/articles/acrylics/tools

some tips-

-don't bother with a rimless tank, unless you go super thick on the acrylic, it will look terrible when it bows out.

-don't bother with 1/4" or thinner for anything over 8" tall. 1/4" is fine for a bottom or top brace on small tanks though.

-do not have sharp inside corners on the eurobrace at the top, do a 2" or so radius bend, unless you are doing a very small setup, or, get ready for cracks.

-use weld-on 3, or 4.

-NO SILICONE (seriously, throw it away)

-Do not buy cheap acrylic, you get what you pay for, and learning on cheap materials will make you never want to do it again.

-build a few small practice tanks. my favorite tiny tank is 12"L x 8"H x 6"W, 3/8" walls, 1/4" brace up top, sharp inside corners are fine, with a 3/4" or so rim.

-leave some overhang on each panel to cut off, use a flush cut router bit for this, that's how you get the best joints and good looking edges.

-use the "pin" method of gluing up the sides. much stronger than the "capillary" method. tends to look better too, at least in my experience. (more details on the thread i first linked)

-Grab some scrap plastic and solvent to play with, and glue up a bunch of strips, just to get a feel for it.



I like the clarity of acrylic, but not the durability. somehow they always end up scratched or scuffed around my houses they've been set up in. Glass seems to hold up better. That having been said, one of my favorite setups I've ever run was a 1/2" thick loooooong tank I built for my desk in my bedroom, 60"L x 8" x 8", killer little tank size.

my personal recommendation for a first? 3/8" thick, 2" eurobrace, 24"L x 10"H x 12"W. nice little size, and can do 1/4" top and bottom. that, or a 12" cube.

 

[thinktank]

@Lingwendil

Thank you so much for all of the info! It's super helpful and useful. I really like the idea of the 60 x 8 x 8....that is one main reason why I want to get into the "DIY" tank thing, because you can do and design so much.

I've been watching a lot of The King of DIY on YouTube and much of what you said he says, also, so I'm glad to see some concurrence there.

If you haven't watched his channel, it's https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM9oZkV3tGJuUUhgZaiGZkQ

I also love the clarity of acrylic, but it's funny you mentioned the durability aspect, because I've experienced the issues you stated you have with acrylic with all of my glass tanks. Scratches, nicks, chips, and water stains that I just can't get rid of (without harsh chemicals). This is another reason I've decided to venture into acrylic - I've never owned one and wanted to see that side of things.

Anyhow, thanks again!

 

[cromag27]

Step 1 - ignore anything said by the "king" of DIY.
Step 2 - https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/acrylic-fabrication-q-a.224773/

 

[Pepcrylic]

The DIY King is a wonderful example on how NOT to build/weld an acrylic tank.
I have built a number of sumps and display tanks . Ranging from 10 gal to 310 gal.
I studied and followed an Acrylic Fabrication thread on another very large forum.
It is not rocket science, but it is also not a walk in the park. You must be exact on most of the steps to get acceptable results.
Research , read, ask Q's, practice, practice, practice

 

[InspectorGadget]

I built mine out of 1/2" cell cast acrylic. When in doubt, always go thicker. There are great acrylic thickness calculators out there to determine what you need. My tank is 24"x19"x18" deep. I used Weldon #4 and Weldon #16. Smooth edges after sawing is a must. I hand sanded all my edges before welding. The smoother the better. Also, use a saw blade with as many teeth as possible. I used a plywood blade with 120 teeth. Before I built my tank, I had built an acrylic sump. I used the needle method back then. It worked ok. This time when using it, I pulled the needles after placing the Weldon then I used 24" clamps to help push the edges flat together and make a better bond. No leaks. You always do a leak test for 24 hours after the Weldon has cured. If you need any advice, let me know.

 

[InspectorGadget]

One more thing, Pepcrylic is right. Practice, practice, practice. Several times I have used scrap acrylic I cut to practice different saw edges, sanded edges, techniques and how to do it clean. That way you can look through the acrylic on the other side and see if the joint is clean. If it's crystal clear, that's good.

 

[Chillywilly]

I've done it, was quite fun but wouldn't recommend it if you're going too big. I bought pre cut 1/4" acrylic from these guys - https://www.fishtankbank.com/

 

[Superlightman]

Hello I know it is an old thread, but I'm considering have a 200cmx70x60 or 240cm x 60x 60 acryl tank. Do you think it is a good idea to do it diy for such a large tank? How tick should the acryl be?

 

[csnmusic02]

I have built 2 tanks and 1 sump, one 120 was a 4x4x1 120 was my shark sting ray tank, the other was a 120 4x2x2 the ray tank was made by 1/4 inch and the 120 was made out 1/2inch the basic 120 is still being used by my buddy to this day I love building them I was going to build a 360 rectangle but found a 360 used that was hard to pass up with all the extra goodies it came with

 

[Superlightman]

I have built 2 tanks and 1 sump, one 120 was a 4x4x1 120 was my shark sting ray tank, the other was a 120 4x2x2 the ray tank was made by 1/4 inch and the 120 was made out 1/2inch the basic 120 is still being used by my buddy to this day I love building them I was going to build a 360 rectangle but found a 360 used that was hard to pass up with all the extra goodies it came with

Thanks and where can I get information for build one? Can you post picture from the tanks you made? A manufacturer told I need 50mm tickness for a 240x60x60 cm tank, isn't that way to much?

 

[konatown]

Step 1 - ignore anything said by the "king" of DIY.
Step 2 - https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/acrylic-fabrication-q-a.224773/

Is there one of these, but for glass?

 

[cromag27]

Is there one of these, but for glass?

not that i know of

 

[csnmusic02]

I stuck with under 24 so I coukd keep it half inch and I did top but used a router to cut the opening in the tank mybuddy hasn't sent Me a full tank in a while but last one I got from him