Large acrylic tank build... Pic intence

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Joey,

Just found this thread, and I echo what everyone else has said so far - AWESOME build. It turned out incredible. I was thinking of a plywood build, but this has definitely inspired me. I have a question though: How did you make sure that all your pieces were square when bonding them? All I can think about is putting the weld down and the piece secure only to find out I'm a fraction of a inch out of plumb and the other pieces no longer fit correctly. How did you make sure they were square and plumb by yourself??? Did you tape it in place??? If a piece was put in incorrectly can it be "un"welded??? Thanks for any help, and congrats again on an unbeleiveable tank.

kevin
 
bluexselvedge;4033887; said:
sorry if I missed it(reading from a phone)... but are you using any mechanical filtration where the water flows over your drip plate?
Click to expand...

im using course sponge, and sometimes filter floss on top of the drip plate.

Coues;4060439; said:
Joey,

Just found this thread, and I echo what everyone else has said so far - AWESOME build. It turned out incredible. I was thinking of a plywood build, but this has definitely inspired me. I have a question though: How did you make sure that all your pieces were square when bonding them? All I can think about is putting the weld down and the piece secure only to find out I'm a fraction of a inch out of plumb and the other pieces no longer fit correctly. How did you make sure they were square and plumb by yourself??? Did you tape it in place??? If a piece was put in incorrectly can it be "un"welded??? Thanks for any help, and congrats again on an unbeleiveable tank.

kevin
Click to expand...

I tapped it all together and then used a right angle to make sure everything was square.

Im not sure what happens if its done incorectly, i dont think it will come apart with out ruining the acrylic once it has fully cured.....

sashimimaster;4061105; said:
Does anyone know if Weldon 4 has a shelf life? I've had an old bottle unopened sitting for about 2 yrs. When I got around to needing it I couldn't for the life of me bond anything. I'm pretty sure the material was plexiglass acrylic but it just wouldn't stick.
Click to expand...

Unopened 2 year old bottle should still be good.. i think its good for 1 year after being opened.
 
Joey, you said you used cell cast acrylic to build the tank, but I thought that cell cast acrylic would break in applications such as an aquarium, and that one should use extruded acrylic. Am I wrong in thinking this? I don't recall where I read this.
 
Heathd;4070627; said:
Joey, you said you used cell cast acrylic to build the tank, but I thought that cell cast acrylic would break in applications such as an aquarium, and that one should use extruded acrylic. Am I wrong in thinking this? I don't recall where I read this.
Click to expand...

Extruded is less dense, it can be used for small tanks and thin acrylic applications (1/4 or 1/8 inch). Cell cast is more dense, and is best for large tanks and thicker acrylic applications (3/8th+).

You had it backwards.
 
Modest_Man;4070658; said:
Extruded is less dense, it can be used for small tanks and thin acrylic applications (1/4 or 1/8 inch). Cell cast is more dense, and is best for large tanks and thicker acrylic applications (3/8th+).

You had it backwards.
Click to expand...

Whoops. Well that is good news to me cause ebay has some pretty good deals on cell cast 1/2 inch thick sheets.
 
Where are these "good deals"? I just checked and they're all weird shapes and expensive shipping that makes them more expensive that just buying from a local plastic dealer.
 
Hi,

Updates :))) please :)

Thank you :)
 
Hello Joey,

By far one of the most talented builds and usefull threads on MFK to me.

Bravo my friend Bravo.
 
An update on this tank:

I have completed what i feel will be suffecient for the filtration and the rest of the equipment.

Filtration is as follows:

50gal sump
20gal trickle tower in the sump now completly filled with bio-balls
26 pounds of bio-max in submerged portion of sump(31 boxes of bio-max) Still room to add lots more as needed.
two fluval 405's for mechanical filtration.. also both are filled with bio-max.
25 watt inline UV
only 600 watts of heating needed.
Main pump is a Quiet One 6000, pumping 1100gph at the heigth it is at
Also a mag-drive 7 recircualting filtered water in the sump to be fitered again.. around 650gph.
Basic flourescent lighting and moonlight.
I think thats it.

I ended up taking out the tiles, and tryed sand... i didnt like either... im going to stick to bare bottom for now.

I also modified the overflow somewhat. The return use to come out threw a 3/4" bulkhead in the overflow.. i turned this into a drain instead. All i have there now is a basic standpipe...This takes most of the water on its own.. the 1.5" bulkhead drain takes the rest. This has allowed to me one day upgrade my pump to a larger pump, or use two seperate pumps for the returns... i think i'll just use two.

All that is left is finishing the stand, which wont be for a long while yet..

Heres a video.... i should have previewed it first though... kinda dark.

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