Acrylic tank oops!! PLEASE HELP

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
R

rabbit1981

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 11, 2008
10
0
0
United States
So i decided to try to make an acrylic tank but i made a mistake when i ordered the acrylic. I had them cut to the length and i forgot that the bottom part had to have the rest of the tank (the front back and sides) need to sitting on it. So the bottom sits inside the rest, will that be a problem or did i just waste a ton of money?

Thanks in advance
Rabbit
 
All you have to do is have the sides recut to fit the front and back now sitting on tne bottom panel

Side are the shorter left and right

---------------------

sides-------->
---------------------
 
Yeah thats what i was thinking but i am not sure where i can go to have it cut any ideas? I ordered it of the internet form an out of state place.
 
You could bite the bullet and drop in another acrylic panel on top of the one already there. Then the sides would be glued to the sides of the new panel you just dropped in! This would make for a bullet proof tank with out a whole lot of extra work! This will only work if you don't have any top bracing though!
 
Got a router table? A good flush trim bit would do the trick. Glue it up and trim it down. A hand held router would also work, but you need a steady hand.
 
i would say that your intended stand would make the difference. if your planning on plywood top i dont think it matters. perimeter support wouldnt work. i say go for it and make the stand work.
 
I would think that it would be ok. I agree with ensuring that the stand supports it.
 
rabbit1981;2229869; said:
So i decided to try to make an acrylic tank but i made a mistake when i ordered the acrylic. I had them cut to the length and i forgot that the bottom part had to have the rest of the tank (the front back and sides) need to sitting on it. So the bottom sits inside the rest, will that be a problem or did i just waste a ton of money?

Thanks in advance
Rabbit
Click to expand...

As stated before, as long as the tank is evenly supported, the bottom geometry won't matter. After the tank is assembled, add a bead of glue or clear epoxy to each bottom seam for extra sealing and support. You will need to tilt the tank while each seam dries.

What is also important is if the supplier knew this was going to be an aquarium and finished the edges accordingly. If you can see scoring marks from the saw blade, then the edges are not ready for solvent welding. The edges are normally routed prior to assembly. If you don't have experience with power tools and in particular, a router, then you should entertain the idea. You can block sand the edges to get good results. You can also glue the tank rather than solvent welding it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom