DIY acrylic?

[shrimpNewbie]

I'm getting tired of searching for a reasonable price on a 116g cube, so I'm going to go down to paragon plastics to see if they have what I need in their scrap pile, if they do I'll be building the tank myself but could use tips or an online resource to help with this build.

[tendertouche401]

That's an awesome idea..I've been wanting to do the same, but unfortunately do not have an acryllic place around here.

Good luck and post some pics..would love to see the end result.

TT

[shrimpNewbie]

I'll be journaling everything, co2 parts are coming DIY led is ordered and the filtration is almost ready just need a tank and will buy a steel custom stand

[jcgd]

You just need the panels precision cut, and make sure the acrylic is thick or you have a euro brace. YouTube has some good vids for how to weld acrylic but it's pretty easy. The hard part is keeping it clean because if you let the Weldon run or drop it scars the acrylic.

[shrimpNewbie]

3/4" acrylic is the goal with 2 inch bracE.

[whickerda]

3/4 inch acrylic will definitely do the job. I have built several tanks including one that suffered a catastrophic failure because i halfassed the seems. The keys are perfect cuts that lead to precise clean seems and a system of clamping the pieces together while they cure. If you've never used Weldon before practice with some scrap first. You want the completed seems to be as bubble free as possible. You don't "spread" the Weldon so to speak. it fills the seem via capillary action. Good luck and I'll be looking for the journal.

[O2surplus]

I'll be following your progress as I'm going to try building something much smaller than you. I recently scored a 6'x4' piece of Acrylite GP for free. It's only .354 thick so my Acrylic Calculator indicates that I'll be limited to a 12" cube without a top. Good luck on your build.

[shrimpNewbie]

Thanks I might make it 116g 30x30x30 if I am confident after practicing, gonna be a lot of weight in the tank... Still don't have a resource I remember a website showed you how to build tanks both out of glass and acrylic but I forgot the name

[jcgd]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYhfV7SvoRs

116 gallons is a biggie for your first. I misread and thought you said 16 gallons. Good luck, you have a challenge. Now, I've seen a few ways, one like the video above, and another using spacers (or pins) you pull after you add the weldon and then clamp. Just so you know, I believe you can have good results with both.