Has anyone ever built a 10 ft acrylic tank?

[zennzzo]

Nice nice nice...

 

[robkob]

The tank is all acrylic. The top and bottom of the tank are 1/2 inch

Not to derail or be like chicken-little, but position the tank in a way that you can easily keep a close eye on the top 4 seams. Downsizing the thickness of the top is not a common practice for a reason. I have talked to some builders before who actually recommended making the top out of thicker material for really big tanks under the premise the top seams are under more stress than the rest of them. I can't say for sure if this is true, I'm no engineer, but it made sense to me. I have however had a 750 gal acrylic tank nearly fail and it sucked, and there are others on here like cjfrontlovr who can attest to how bad catastrophic failure really is. Anyways, I hope it works out well for you.

 

[carcrazy]

Does your house insurance cover damage caused by aquarium leaks? Not all policies do so you may have to ask. I asked my insurer and they said yes, that I am covered.

Also, does your tank builder gurantee his work? I have heard of manufacturer built acrylic tanks that have burst at the seams, so its good to know if your covered.

I didn't intend to sound so negative, any tank can get a leak. Even one that looks as nice as yours (I am so jelous)

 

[zennzzo]

There is more pressure at the bottom 4 seams than the top 4, isn't there?

 

[Pharaoh]

As long as the seams are built well, he should have no problems with the connections on the top of the tank. I would think that it would hold just fine.

 

[cvermeulen]

Not to derail or be like chicken-little, but position the tank in a way that you can easily keep a close eye on the top 4 seams. Downsizing the thickness of the top is not a common practice for a reason. I have talked to some builders before who actually recommended making the top out of thicker material for really big tanks under the premise the top seams are under more stress than the rest of them. I can't say for sure if this is true, I'm no engineer, but it made sense to me. I have however had a 750 gal acrylic tank nearly fail and it sucked, and there are others on here like cjfrontlovr who can attest to how bad catastrophic failure really is. Anyways, I hope it works out well for you.

Glasscages makes their tops and bottoms out of thinner material. The only reason for the heavy sides is to prevent bowing. The bottom is supported, and the top has no reason to bow. If seamed correctly (so the edge of the thicker material butts to the face of the thinner material) the seam will not be any weaker for being joined to a thinner sheet.

 

[Tigerdat]

I am not really worried about the top thickness. Most if not all of Tru Vu's tanks have thinner top and bottoms. The 240 they currently build has 1/2 inch sides and a 3/8 top and bottom.

 

[GhostShrimpMan]

The tank is all acrylic. The top and bottom of the tank are 1/2 inch and the 4 sides are 3/4 inch. And the price is correct $1700. Originally the tank was to be made out of 1/2 in all the way around, but the builder decided it was better to have 3/4 inch on the 4 sides, He didn't charge me extra but I gave him an extra $100 so the tank really cost $1800 but that was my choice. I am in the process if getting the tank setup. I've had a few leaks on the plumbing but I should have them resolved in a few days. I also built the stand. The tank was purchased form a place called World Marine its in San Jose Ca. He dose an OK job but he is hard to understand. I think he Vietnamese and doesn't speak much English. Some people have complained about him... he has f'up the size on some tanks. Even mine he messed up a little bit its 32 3/8" wide not an even 32 but it worked out all right. I built the stand an extra 3/4" wider all the way around. Overall I am very happy with the tank I couldn't afford anything more or get anything bigger through the front door.

If you are looking for a good deal on new acrylic tanks in the Bay Area Ca. go to "Aquatic Life Forms" he sell Tru Vu tanks for $1 over cost. He also has a good selection of Central American cichlids.

Sick