well that's not really a critical failure. He tried to glue acrylic to epoxy and was able to stop many of the leaks, but finally admitted defeat. It was up for a few years and somewhat successful...
Your critical failures? Anyone?
- Thread starter loogielv
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Man, what a depressing article. The guy had it and just folded after all that work?!!
I would have at least cleared the thing out and gave it another layer of sealant with some extra reinforcement and put the window back in. That's probably all he needed to do.
I would have at least cleared the thing out and gave it another layer of sealant with some extra reinforcement and put the window back in. That's probably all he needed to do.
yah, kinda depressing huh? acrylic has it outstanding properties and benefits over glass, but i just dont consider acrylic and viable option in diy tanks. I know it's been done, can be done better, has been done in great solid ways, but glass is just such a no brainer...
loogielv;2466930; said:yah, kinda depressing huh? acrylic has it outstanding properties and benefits over glass, but i just dont consider acrylic and viable option in diy tanks. I know it's been done, can be done better, has been done in great solid ways, but glass is just such a no brainer...
I disagree
Yeah, glass has the one advantage (for a DIY project) that silicon sticks to it about twice as good as silicon sticks to acrylic. But I couldn't imagine the logistics of getting a 2 ton piece of glass moved. I built my tank with acrylic because I felt I had no choice. At 2in thick, a 4x8 sheet weighs in at a little over 400lbs. That doesn't sound like much, but combined with the sheer cumbersomeness of the size, its almost unmanagable. Even with a group of people, getting it down my basement stairs was like trying to do a nail puzzle with a timer. The timer being our strength running out holding this thing up. I couldn't imagine trying to move something the same size but weighing 5 times as much, which a piece of glass would even if when its only half the thickness. Besides, anything heavier and my basement steps wouldn't of been able to handle it.
But for these guys where price is no object, like building your house around an aquarium, paying for a crane to lower a sheet of glass into your house might be feasable. Then again, with those kinds of resources, why wouldn't you want to splurge for the extra clarity that acrylic affords? Silicon still sticks good enough to acrylic to work, its just that perhaps the room for error is less. I dealt with this first hand and had to redo one of my windows.
that's crazy weight. why go so thick?
also, i disagree with saying silicon only sticks twice as good to glass as acrylic. I believe it's more like 5times as good. it actually forms a seal and holds it together. try making a whole tank out of acrylic and only siliconing the seams. or try siliconing a large rock to the back wall of an acrylic tank for a background. no way.
also, i disagree with saying silicon only sticks twice as good to glass as acrylic. I believe it's more like 5times as good. it actually forms a seal and holds it together. try making a whole tank out of acrylic and only siliconing the seams. or try siliconing a large rock to the back wall of an acrylic tank for a background. no way.
loogielv;2467302; said:that's crazy weight. why go so thick?
quote]
The manufacture actually calls for 2in for four feet of water. My tank is close to 6feet deep, but the window sits a foot off the floor, so as far as the window is concerned, its holding back five feet of water. I have seen people using the 1.5 and it works, but it bows quite bit over time. My sealing surface is 2 inches around the windows. I thought this might be pushing the limits of how little of the window I could use as a sealing surface. (it was bugging the heck out of me to sacrifice any more valuable viewing space to dedicate to the gasket) Basically, I didn't want to risk the bowing of the window breaking any of my seals. And I think it was worth it. The extra .5 inch on the sides I think made of for the small overall surface. It works, so hey.
acrylic starts to bow over time? i think i heard it absorbs water slightly (nothing to be concerned with right?) in a way that makes it slightly softer. is that what you're referring to?
also, i thought that acrylic is stronger than glass? and I also believe that 1 inch glass would be sufficiant for that tank, so if acrylic is stronger wouldn't it be ok to use the same size?
oh wait, i think i got it. you weren't concerned with the breaking, but the eventual bowing that would maybe break a seal. 1inch acrylic would do it, if bowing wasn't an issue?
oh wait, i think i got it. you weren't concerned with the breaking, but the eventual bowing that would maybe break a seal. 1inch acrylic would do it, if bowing wasn't an issue?
All acrylic bows under constant pressure. It just depends on how much is too much. Your generic acrylic aquarium bows when filled with water. Even the 2in piece is bowing, I'm sure. Right now its undetectable, but there is no doubt its there.
But yeah, I wasn't worried about breakage, just the bowing that might cause the seal to pull away. Especially in light of what we know is an inferior bond of the silicon to the plastic. And the more time that passes, the worse the bowing gets.
I do agree with you in terms of preferring the glass though. If I could have got a 1.25 or 1.5 sheet a glass at a similiar price and had a way to get it in my house, there would have been no contest. I'm not sure I'd trust 1 inch at that span though.
But yeah, I wasn't worried about breakage, just the bowing that might cause the seal to pull away. Especially in light of what we know is an inferior bond of the silicon to the plastic. And the more time that passes, the worse the bowing gets.
I do agree with you in terms of preferring the glass though. If I could have got a 1.25 or 1.5 sheet a glass at a similiar price and had a way to get it in my house, there would have been no contest. I'm not sure I'd trust 1 inch at that span though.
