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Diy acrylic tank.
I've built 4 acrylic tanks so far, all over 100+ gallons using this method. and my oldest tank has been up for 7 months without problems.
Step One:Tools
You will need;
1.) something to smooth the cuts of your acrylic ( a razorblade, back of a knife, or a carving tool. Make sure that when doing this you keep it nice and flat, do not chip the edges.
2.) Towel, For when you try and fill it up, You dont want any water on the floor
3.) acrylic cement
4.) syringe
5.) a small needle that they use to give you a shot ( incase your syringe gets blocked )
6.) a torch ( if you decide to polish the acrylic )
7.) a router
8.) a drill to start your cuts on the lids
9.) hole saw ( to cut your holes for the bulkheads )
10.) a hand saw to cut your lids with.
11.) acrylic cement # 16
12.) spray bottle
Step two : work area
1.) you will need a decent sized work area if you plan on doing a big tank, If you can do this outside or in a garage, that would be perfect. You dont want your house smelling like a nail salon, because thats what acrylic smells like when being cut.
Step three : Finding the cheapest acrylic.
1.) Finding a cheap acrylic dealer near you will save you alota money, I called 12 places before I found a local dealer who sells acrylic. And trust me you save alota money. Look in your yellow pages, or check online for local dealers. I would suggest ordering some extra acrylic just to practice.
Also dont forget blue and black acrylic sheets are 1/2 the price of clear acrylic.
Step four : start building.
1.)Now that you have everything you need to start building, I would first take a step back and think. You dont wana mess up or scratch the acrylic so take a big breath, hold it, let it out, than lets get to work.
2.) first off, Take the base of your acrylic sheet, and set it down on a even level area. tape it to the ground so it does not move when your working with it.
3.) Take your tool you decided to use and smooth the joints of the acrylic so that when you apply the acrylic cement, there will be no air bubbles ( they can cause your acrylic to seperate once filled with water, and or leaks ).
A companys cut most of the time will not bond well. smooth out the acrylic just enough so that its completley level and that you can no longer see the factory cut. ( the factory cut, you can see lines in it, and you dont want that.)
4.) Next, take your front ( or back ) peice of acrylic and set it ontop of the bottom peice. Tape it or clamp it down if possible.
5.) Take your syringe bottle and fill it with the acrylic cement, be careful with this stuff it dries amazingly fast.
6.) I would suggest having some one aim a flashlight, or be in a very bright area, so you can see the acrylic cement being sucked into the joint. I would suggest starting with 1/4 the length of the acrylic, just incase you get an air bubble you can go back and fix it. Make sure the clamps are on tight enough, so that no air bubbles appear. this dries quick so be careful
7.) now that you have your front ( or back ) of the aquarium on. Let it sit for 4 hours before Moving it. even though it dries amazingly fast, it still isn't that strong yet.
8.) while your waiting, why not put another side of your aquarium on ( left or right ). Do the same thing you did with the front.
9.) same step as 7 and 8, untill you have all 5 peice of acrylic on. ( bottom,all sides,)
10.) now that all you have left to do is the top of the aquarium, I would suggest leaving the papper on while cutting so that you dont get any scuffs or heat marks from cutting into the acrylic.
11.) cut the tops of the aquarium to fit your needs, ( or you can have your strips pre ordered so that you dont have to cut the tops ( cuz it's very time consuming ).
Make sure to keep spraying the blade with water so that the acrylic dosn't melt while your cutting it.
12.)Now that your top is cut, its time to place it on. I would flip it upside down, and if possible stick your arm and hand in there to apply the acrylic cement ( with the syringe ). If this isn't possible you can just apply the acrylic cement # 16 on and lay the top over it, if you decide to do it that way, than make sure your clamps are on very tight, and have something to clean off the extra goop.
13.) and now that you have an aquarium, you can start drilling it. I would only drill it if you plan on using a wet / dry filter.
14.) First figure out what size bulkhead you will be putting on the tank, Than from there get the correct size hole saw and start drilling, Dont drill all the way through on one side. Drill about halfway through the acrylic, than go on the inside of the tank and finish it off. This way you dont get any pressure cracks in your acrylic.
15.) Test it with water for 2-3 days to see if there are any leaks ( dont be supprised if there is, its your first time and easy to fix ).
16.) if there is a leak You can either do 2 things. You can order some type of acrylic cement # 6-16. Or you can do it the wrong way and get aquarium silicone from a local hard ware store. Note : silicone does not stick to acrylic so you will have to replace it around every 1-2 years.
Now add fish
Questions :
why acrylic? - glass is much heavier than acrylic, and acrylic is alot easier to work with.
what size acrylic did you use on that tank? - The bigger tank posted is my 360gallon. its 6x4x2 and 3/4" acrylic.
What # cement and what all the different acrylic cements do? - I used acrylic cement # 16 once the tank is done, you can use it just like silicone, and put a beed on the inside and rub it along the inside joints of the tank ( it helps just incase you have a leak) the acrylic cement ( that you use with a syringe ) is a liquid type that runs under the joints once applied, it than dries and acts as a bonder.
What is the router for? - the router is not needed, but if you dont like the look of the sharp edges on the tanks, you can use the router to round the edges and give it that smooth round look.
What do you mean by " see the acrylic cement being sucked into the joint" -
What i mean by this is " when you apply the acrylic cement to the inside joints, it will run under the acrylic sheets and act as a bonder and bond them together so that it gives it support.
What is the best type of saw to use, and what blade.(80 tooth carbide cutting tip?) - I find that any saw will do, because if you do happen to cut it and mess up, you can always smooth it out with a sander. We just used a hand saw that has around 20 or so teeth. ( more the better probably ).
If you have anymore questions Please pm me and I will edit this with the answers.
Diy acrylic tank.
I've built 4 acrylic tanks so far, all over 100+ gallons using this method. and my oldest tank has been up for 7 months without problems.
Step One:Tools
You will need;
1.) something to smooth the cuts of your acrylic ( a razorblade, back of a knife, or a carving tool. Make sure that when doing this you keep it nice and flat, do not chip the edges.
2.) Towel, For when you try and fill it up, You dont want any water on the floor
3.) acrylic cement
4.) syringe
5.) a small needle that they use to give you a shot ( incase your syringe gets blocked )
6.) a torch ( if you decide to polish the acrylic )
7.) a router
8.) a drill to start your cuts on the lids
9.) hole saw ( to cut your holes for the bulkheads )
10.) a hand saw to cut your lids with.
11.) acrylic cement # 16
12.) spray bottle
Step two : work area
1.) you will need a decent sized work area if you plan on doing a big tank, If you can do this outside or in a garage, that would be perfect. You dont want your house smelling like a nail salon, because thats what acrylic smells like when being cut.
Step three : Finding the cheapest acrylic.
1.) Finding a cheap acrylic dealer near you will save you alota money, I called 12 places before I found a local dealer who sells acrylic. And trust me you save alota money. Look in your yellow pages, or check online for local dealers. I would suggest ordering some extra acrylic just to practice.
Also dont forget blue and black acrylic sheets are 1/2 the price of clear acrylic.
Step four : start building.
1.)Now that you have everything you need to start building, I would first take a step back and think. You dont wana mess up or scratch the acrylic so take a big breath, hold it, let it out, than lets get to work.
2.) first off, Take the base of your acrylic sheet, and set it down on a even level area. tape it to the ground so it does not move when your working with it.
3.) Take your tool you decided to use and smooth the joints of the acrylic so that when you apply the acrylic cement, there will be no air bubbles ( they can cause your acrylic to seperate once filled with water, and or leaks ).
A companys cut most of the time will not bond well. smooth out the acrylic just enough so that its completley level and that you can no longer see the factory cut. ( the factory cut, you can see lines in it, and you dont want that.)
4.) Next, take your front ( or back ) peice of acrylic and set it ontop of the bottom peice. Tape it or clamp it down if possible.
5.) Take your syringe bottle and fill it with the acrylic cement, be careful with this stuff it dries amazingly fast.
6.) I would suggest having some one aim a flashlight, or be in a very bright area, so you can see the acrylic cement being sucked into the joint. I would suggest starting with 1/4 the length of the acrylic, just incase you get an air bubble you can go back and fix it. Make sure the clamps are on tight enough, so that no air bubbles appear. this dries quick so be careful
7.) now that you have your front ( or back ) of the aquarium on. Let it sit for 4 hours before Moving it. even though it dries amazingly fast, it still isn't that strong yet.
8.) while your waiting, why not put another side of your aquarium on ( left or right ). Do the same thing you did with the front.
9.) same step as 7 and 8, untill you have all 5 peice of acrylic on. ( bottom,all sides,)
10.) now that all you have left to do is the top of the aquarium, I would suggest leaving the papper on while cutting so that you dont get any scuffs or heat marks from cutting into the acrylic.
11.) cut the tops of the aquarium to fit your needs, ( or you can have your strips pre ordered so that you dont have to cut the tops ( cuz it's very time consuming ).
Make sure to keep spraying the blade with water so that the acrylic dosn't melt while your cutting it.
12.)Now that your top is cut, its time to place it on. I would flip it upside down, and if possible stick your arm and hand in there to apply the acrylic cement ( with the syringe ). If this isn't possible you can just apply the acrylic cement # 16 on and lay the top over it, if you decide to do it that way, than make sure your clamps are on very tight, and have something to clean off the extra goop.
13.) and now that you have an aquarium, you can start drilling it. I would only drill it if you plan on using a wet / dry filter.
14.) First figure out what size bulkhead you will be putting on the tank, Than from there get the correct size hole saw and start drilling, Dont drill all the way through on one side. Drill about halfway through the acrylic, than go on the inside of the tank and finish it off. This way you dont get any pressure cracks in your acrylic.
15.) Test it with water for 2-3 days to see if there are any leaks ( dont be supprised if there is, its your first time and easy to fix ).
16.) if there is a leak You can either do 2 things. You can order some type of acrylic cement # 6-16. Or you can do it the wrong way and get aquarium silicone from a local hard ware store. Note : silicone does not stick to acrylic so you will have to replace it around every 1-2 years.
Now add fish
Questions :
why acrylic? - glass is much heavier than acrylic, and acrylic is alot easier to work with.
what size acrylic did you use on that tank? - The bigger tank posted is my 360gallon. its 6x4x2 and 3/4" acrylic.
What # cement and what all the different acrylic cements do? - I used acrylic cement # 16 once the tank is done, you can use it just like silicone, and put a beed on the inside and rub it along the inside joints of the tank ( it helps just incase you have a leak) the acrylic cement ( that you use with a syringe ) is a liquid type that runs under the joints once applied, it than dries and acts as a bonder.
What is the router for? - the router is not needed, but if you dont like the look of the sharp edges on the tanks, you can use the router to round the edges and give it that smooth round look.
What do you mean by " see the acrylic cement being sucked into the joint" -
What i mean by this is " when you apply the acrylic cement to the inside joints, it will run under the acrylic sheets and act as a bonder and bond them together so that it gives it support.
What is the best type of saw to use, and what blade.(80 tooth carbide cutting tip?) - I find that any saw will do, because if you do happen to cut it and mess up, you can always smooth it out with a sander. We just used a hand saw that has around 20 or so teeth. ( more the better probably ).
If you have anymore questions Please pm me and I will edit this with the answers.
