Can I use 3/8 thick cell cast acrylic to make a 72x30x18 tank, supposing that it has bracing on it. Just like to know before I buy anything.
DIY Acrylic Question
- Thread starter bigmuddin69
- Start date
Yes you can. It will bow a bit but not allot. You should use weld on 40 for it and tip and pour all the seams. Search tip and pour and look for the thread title weld on 40 welding 42. Wednesday started it.
Sent from the Monster Fish Keeping App
Sent from the Monster Fish Keeping App
I would recommend using half a inch thick acrylic 1/2 or 3/4's inch acrylic in that it will be a lot more safer and longer lasting for a 18 inch deep tank. In that I built a 30 gallon practice acrylic tank from 1/4 inch thick acrylic. The tank held water the first time I filled it up and it didn't appear to bend. But I wish I used 3/8 for it in that it would have been more solid. The tank was a foot deep and a foot wide and four feet long.
Right now I'm working out plans to build a 200 gallon to 475 gallon acrylic fish tank out of cell cast acrylic. The monster tank will be eight feet long and four feet wide and two feet deep. It will be built out of 3/4 inch thick cell cast acrylic.
Right now I'm working out plans to build a 200 gallon to 475 gallon acrylic fish tank out of cell cast acrylic. The monster tank will be eight feet long and four feet wide and two feet deep. It will be built out of 3/4 inch thick cell cast acrylic.
I would not risk it.
I have told this story a lot.. I bought an acrylic tank that was underbuilt. It was fine for a few years, then the top cracked due to the sides not being thick enough (according to another manufacturer).. Bought one with properly sized walls, no more excessive bowing and it just looks nicer.
If you underbuild, you might end up hearing that loud POP when the top cracks in the middle of the night like I did.
Imagine how stressful it is to get all the fish into temporary housing until you can replace the tank.. Not worth it.
If you can't afford the proper thickness (I'm guessing is 1/2" but please research it), please postpone the project until you save up more cash.
Underbuilding is false economy.
I have told this story a lot.. I bought an acrylic tank that was underbuilt. It was fine for a few years, then the top cracked due to the sides not being thick enough (according to another manufacturer).. Bought one with properly sized walls, no more excessive bowing and it just looks nicer.
If you underbuild, you might end up hearing that loud POP when the top cracks in the middle of the night like I did.
Imagine how stressful it is to get all the fish into temporary housing until you can replace the tank.. Not worth it.
If you can't afford the proper thickness (I'm guessing is 1/2" but please research it), please postpone the project until you save up more cash.
Underbuilding is false economy.
Years ago, I built a 96"x24"x16" with perimeter bracing with 3/8" cell cast acrylic. It bowed a little bit and the joints started to craze after about 2 years. The seams were close to failure in 4 years, which at that point I retired the tank. If I had known about weld-on 40 back then, I may have fixed the tank instead of chopping it into pieces. If you pour thick fillets of weld-on 40 in all the corner joints, then I think it would hold up a lot longer.
