Building a 620 gallon acrylic stingray tank

[richnsue09]

this is awesome!! go you!!!

 

[rdbrown]

This is awsome! I never knew you could weld it together instead of silicone it. It makes sense, I just never thought of it and this is the first time I've seen anyone mention it. That must make the process much faster since you don't have to wait for it to cure. Is it very difficult to do?

Welding acrylic is harder to do then siliconing a glass tank. Once you figure it out, it isn't that difficult. The most important part about welding is having a good properly prepared joint. Otherwise you will get air bubbles and leaks. The cure isn't instant. It will hold within a few minutes, and can hold water in a couple of hours, but continues to cure up to 24-48 hours. Because of the quick set time it is easier to move clamps and move onto other pieces when building a tank. Working with acrylic is almost as easy as working with wood, you use most of the same tools.

 

[Lissaspence]

Welding acrylic is harder to do then siliconing a glass tank. Once you figure it out, it isn't that difficult. The most important part about welding is having a good properly prepared joint. Otherwise you will get air bubbles and leaks. The cure isn't instant. It will hold within a few minutes, and can hold water in a couple of hours, but continues to cure up to 24-48 hours. Because of the quick set time it is easier to move clamps and move onto other pieces when building a tank. Working with acrylic is almost as easy as working with wood, you use most of the same tools.

Huh, that's really cool. I've been wanting to build my own. I'm not the most handy person but my husband is a carpenter so I think we could figure it out. This makes me really excited to try. Thanks for sharing your build with us!

 

[rdbrown]

These photos are Chris's (theanimalman). This is his tank shown at the beginning of the thread.

The tank is in the basement.

Working on the tank in the tank.

Filling in the house for the first time.

Filled with sand.

 

[Eric A]

Sa-weet

 

[toddhgr]

Looks Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Pharaoh]

Great job. Going to suck to have to get to the sump though!

 

[MaddMaxx]

^ that was my second thought too. My first thought was, "AWESOME!!"

 

[Cappuccino]

Do you have any idea of the expense of this project? I would love to do the same

 

[rdbrown]

Great job. Going to suck to have to get to the sump though!

^ that was my second thought too. My first thought was, "AWESOME!!"

You can access the sump from both ends of the stand. The front will be shelved in.