How big can you go?
- Thread starter $INI$T3R
- Start date
We all know what he means, but he's not asking the right question. In he case of acrylic, it can literally be as large as you can handle. It comes down to cost, space, time, effort, and knowledge. First, if you've never worked with acrylic before, you'd better go buy some o practice with. Second, if you have worked with acrylic before, you have a good idea of your skill level. If you are planning to build an all acrylic tank you need to know the largest and thickest sheet of acrylic you are confortable working with and go from there, that will determine the maximum size of your aquarium. Not to burst your bubble, but in my opinion, building a massive aquarium out of acrylic as your first project is not a wise investment of your money. Build a small one and gain some knowledge from your inevitable failures and successes before trying to go extreme with acrylic. Use the glass thickness guide that is a sticky in this forum to determine the thickness required for your plan, build and learn.
Ive looked into this alot and trust me m8 half of these guys are right maybe you should listen to them, it would cost atleast £10,000 to build an 8' x5' x4' all acrylic tank and thats with a lid too, if i were you i would defo opt for an all ply pond/tank with a window or windows. It wouldnt cost as much, infact no where near as much and needs alot more attention in detail also so adds to the fun factor of the build, takes alot longer to do in other words.
its took me nearly 3 or 4 months to decide what to go for and how to do it all so as you can see i havnt even bought any materials yet as its all about the planning 1st.
Honestly if you do have the money,space and knowledge of acrylic then go for it dude, just go as big as you want but bare in mind that 1 sheet of acrylic will cost a small fortune as the bigger you go then the thicker it has to be. Hope all that made sence to you matey, good luck on whatever you decide
its took me nearly 3 or 4 months to decide what to go for and how to do it all so as you can see i havnt even bought any materials yet as its all about the planning 1st.
Honestly if you do have the money,space and knowledge of acrylic then go for it dude, just go as big as you want but bare in mind that 1 sheet of acrylic will cost a small fortune as the bigger you go then the thicker it has to be. Hope all that made sence to you matey, good luck on whatever you decide
Like it's been said you can build However big you want on your own. as long as you have the time and money to get the equip to do so. I mean if you want to look at it this way You be yourself with no mechanical or help from anyone else could most likly NOT build anything over a 240long or 300wide. Simply b/c your panels will get so large and akward that you by yourself will not be able to move them around.
Is that more what you're looking for?
Is that more what you're looking for?
Is there anything special i should know about? Like i know that there is a flex issue with some things... So if i wanted to do a 10' long x 4' wide x 2.5' tall would acrylic hold the weight? Would it be better to build a ply tank in that demision? Also i have seen people only cut ot the front as a viewing area... is there a problem with doing the front and sides?
yeah i have been looking at alot of them and thats all i have seen.. I just didnt know if that was because of a stability issue or for ease of the building proccess
the reason that people do not build 100% acrylic tanks is directly related to the cost. You would have no problem getting a panel of acrylic for a 10" tank as long as your pockets are deep enough.
yeah.. You know i have seen some around here that are not "square" but can be cut square. I did the math... and if i did a 10 x 4 x 2... I would need 3 sheets... One for the bottom one for the top and sides... and one for the front and back... so the tank would be 10 x 4 x 2...
