Calling all acrylic pro's :) I have messed around making some small handy items out of acrylic. Some of my projects where a test tube holder, a specimen container and a small closed in cube. (not sure i was board) lol Anyways early to mid summer i will have my own fish room and i have been throwing around the idea of a 75 gallon tank. Well to keep cost down a little i thought about making a 75 gallon cube or a 40 gallon cube out of acrylic. However i am stumbling on the idea of it not holding the water. The bottom i am ok with but how do you support the top? Do i use a sheet of acrylic and cut open a big hole for the lights and all the plumbing?

Thanks in advance :)

There you go.

I build this tank last week for a 16 years old Kid.
Dimensions 24"x30"x16"H
Just a little under 50g.
You are on the right track, to support the top you Euro-Brace it. you can see in the pictures.
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/4691/dsc00018choppedbi9.jpg
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/1148/hghxv3.jpg

Cool thank you, I just didn't want to do something i would regret lol. I've seen pictures with the brace and then I've seen kinda large tanks without the brace. Didn't make to much sence lol. Thanks for your hep :)

just curious. how much in materals did that project cost you.

well, if you use a thicker acrylic you probable dont need the brace, that tank was build out of 3/8" cast acrylic, If I had used 1/2" acrylic I wouldnt need the brace because the tank is only 16"H.

PreauxPhoto, the material cost for that tank was a little over $300.

I'm glad you discussed thickness. You can NOT use thin acrylic for making tanks of this size. Furthermore, you really should NOT get 'hobby grade' acrylic from the typical home improvement stores. Get good quality acrylic from an acrylic shop.

I wish that kid never picked up that tank. I wanted it soooo bad. Ah well... just so's ya knows... Gustavo and I are making a 'cube' of sorts for my seahorse tank too. Of course, we'll document.

Dave

You well... just so's ya knows... Gustavo and I are making a 'cube' of sorts for my seahorse tank too. Of course, we'll document.

Dave

Is'nt it more like Gustavo building your tank and you filming him building your tank?:rotfl: :cheers: Sorry Dave I couldn't resist

Nope :) I've been an "apprentice" for some time now. I've been helping build a lot of the recent projects. Just ask the bossman! I even have the acrylic shavings all over my belongings to prove it :)

D

gosh i hate you guys! i wish i had someone to help me build acrylic and some to let me "borrow" their acrylic supplies! gosh!

Well we can't let you borrow anything but we can help :) Well im still learning but i learn quick :)

i wanna get a seahorse tank. itd be cool if i could link it into my current system too maybe. but ithink i will just wait till my mom gets over the reef

Mark,

You could daisy chain them together if you're willing to drop the temperature of your reef. Seahorses do NOT like water anywhere around the 80F mark.

Dave

Mark, that is what I wanna do too, when I get my basement done and the 180 setup, I will probable get a corner tank (for sea horses) for the 1st floor and tie to the main system, with will have a 100g sump, 40g fuge, 40g frag tank, 20g cube anemone tank and probable a xenia tank that I don't know how big will be yet.
When it all done I'm gonna be looking close to 500g of water.

Gustavo

WHOA!! haha i know...im not even close to finishing my reef, but how about a nice like 18gal tall or something and then i just have a skimmer and a hang on fuge or something. cause i dont know how low i wanna let my tank go..unless i could incorporate some sort of cooling device? lol

Mark

I have mine chained together I just use A LOT more tubing then I needed to I have about 8’ of line running from my main sump to my SH tank. Where I have a fan blowing over the line to help it cool off, a cheap temp controller that controlled the fan keeps it with in about 1° to 1.5°. Though this temp controller set up has only been running for about a week it seems to be doing ok so far.

maybe i can try to just make the tubes cooler that go to the horsie tank. and then have a heater in there for safety
hahah but then i still dont know if i can even get it anyways