Making my own 150g acrylic tank 76"x20"x24"h.Using 1/2 inch for sides and top, wondering if 3/8" can be used for bottom? I called AquArt tank makers and they use 3/8" for bottom but 1" for top. Any diy'ers out there who have experience w/ acrylic? Also wanted to know how far from edge to drill 2&3/8" holes for dual 1 1/2" overflows in bottom panel? Any input appreciated.
diy acrylic tank
- Thread starter 2tooocs
- Start date
Yes you can use 3/8" for the bottom. You should be supporting the entire bottom of the tank, so its not technically holding any weight, just transfering it to the stand.
You should drill the holes for bulkheads at least 2" from the sides.
You should drill the holes for bulkheads at least 2" from the sides.
You dont really need to use 1" for the top depending on how big you want to have the access holes to be. What grade plex are you getting and what are you using to put it together. I use weld on 4 for most of my tanks but some of the plex like the G grade is a little harder to work with and you have to seal it with the weld on 16. You need to have good strait cuts or it will be a nightmare to fix. I am assuming that you have all the equipement to do this. Building tanks is a pain in the ars and by the time you price out the plex and the time it takes you to build one, it may not be worth it.
acrylic tank material
At this point my tank is almost complete. I'm using acrylite GP cell cast acrylic and I used weldon 40 for the joints, which was a big pain as it is a 2-part epoxy that is as thick as taffy.The plastic company I bought from recommended using #40 due to the size of the tank. I have managed to get all the sides and bottom assembled and am just getting ready to cut the holes in the top. I was going to leave 4" around the perimeter and a 12" wide center strut, thus giving me 2 holes about 12"x28" . Are these cut-outs too big if I'm using 1/2" for the top?And yes, I probably could have almost bought a tank by now considering materials and time, but if it holds water and fish in the end I'll be able to say I DID IT! Boy I hope I'm not saying *#&@$!!!!
At this point my tank is almost complete. I'm using acrylite GP cell cast acrylic and I used weldon 40 for the joints, which was a big pain as it is a 2-part epoxy that is as thick as taffy.The plastic company I bought from recommended using #40 due to the size of the tank. I have managed to get all the sides and bottom assembled and am just getting ready to cut the holes in the top. I was going to leave 4" around the perimeter and a 12" wide center strut, thus giving me 2 holes about 12"x28" . Are these cut-outs too big if I'm using 1/2" for the top?And yes, I probably could have almost bought a tank by now considering materials and time, but if it holds water and fish in the end I'll be able to say I DID IT! Boy I hope I'm not saying *#&@$!!!!
