Can I use these to build a tank?

[Hardware_Mark1]

This appears to be the manufacturers website....
http://www.sintrapvc.com/
I didn't have time to check everything out, but hopefully there are some specs for that particular product...

 

[rnocera]

Sintra should be fish safe. I've never used it for fish, but I have a cage made out of it for some of my snakes. A similar product, anyway- not Sintra by name, but same deal. It's expanded PVC. Do a google search for "PVCx" and you should come up with some info about it.
It's used for reptiles and amphibians all the time, and is a great product. I've never seen it used for fish, but I've seen it used for tons of amphibians, including Dendrobates (dart frogs), and those are extremely sensitive to chemicals in the water. The only issue with it is that it's soft like acrylic. If you go with this, I would suggest PVC welding corners instead of siliconing. A PVC weld will be MUCH stronger. You could put silicone over the PVC weld, but I wouldn't do just silicone.

Sintra is VERY strong, depending on the thickness of the product, but I'm not sure I'd trust it to build an aquarium out of it. I'd definitely reinforce seams from the outside with a frame at the very least.

Also, Sintra is really nice, but it scratches. It's basically going to be an acrylic tank, so be careful cleaning it! Any scratches are going to make a great place for algae to grow.

 

[gomezladdams]

Ive worked with it before as well,as stated it welds with pvc cement.Its pretty strong but heavy.If that was near me I would grab it and give it a try.You might have to double or triple it up.It would be great for building smaller sumps.

 

[CJH]

I found this material on craigslist for free and was wondering if they were framed in a box and sealed well in the corners would this work?
http://richmond.craigslist.org/zip/945046304.html

I have also built reptile enclosures from expanded PVC. Sintra is just one of the more common brands among many types. So common in fact that many expanded PVC products are sold as Sintra, sort of like generic acrylic being sold as "Plexiglas" when it's actually another product.

Regardless, they are all pretty similar and the color in the ad suggests it's real Sintra.

At any rate, this stuff will be too flexible to use as a stand alone tank but it could be used to line a tank.

It would not be my first choice to line a tank due to the foamed interior. All expanded PVC products consist of a foamed PVC interior and two solid but very thin skins of solid PVC on each side.

My concern would be that if a rock were to ding the interior most skin you could get water penetration and material failure.

But given the price I would not hesistate to try it. Even a major dent or ding could be repaired.

If you do decide to line a plywood tank post back when you get started. I have some ideas for making the seams watertight.