I am thinking of building my own version of a nanocube, roughly 18" all around. I have never used acrylic before so I could use any advice. I know cell cast is a better material than extruded, but will it make a difference in a tank this small? I was also thinking of using 1/4" acrylic. At first I was going to use 3/8 so I didnt need to use bracing, I want a clean cut cube look with no top or eurobracing, but there is a significant price jump between 1/4 and 3/8, so I will probably use 1/4. Would I need any significant bracing with this? I plan on bracing the bottom edges, but would prefer nothing up top if possible. I am trying to do this as economically as possible, but it seems like if I need to use cell cast acrylic it would be cheaper to just buy a standard 30 gallon cube. Building my own would sure be fun though. Thanks for the help.
what type of acrylic for 18"x18"x18" cube?
- Thread starter Meloco14
- Start date
>...but will it make a difference in a tank this small?
Yes, it will. Make sure you get quality cell-casted. 1/4 sounds too filmy to me, and I will either go with 3/8 at minimum WITH bracing. I feel that the price difference (maybe you want to check out some other suppliers) does not justify to take the rish with the thinner material.
Yes, for a small tank, it is usually cheaper to get the commerically made one instead (exception is a sump). But there is so much fun in DIY and the pride (sic., not price) you have that something you make yourself.
Yes, it will. Make sure you get quality cell-casted. 1/4 sounds too filmy to me, and I will either go with 3/8 at minimum WITH bracing. I feel that the price difference (maybe you want to check out some other suppliers) does not justify to take the rish with the thinner material.
Yes, for a small tank, it is usually cheaper to get the commerically made one instead (exception is a sump). But there is so much fun in DIY and the pride (sic., not price) you have that something you make yourself.
If you want *no* bracing at all on top, I'd suggest thicker material than what you are thinking. You'd be surprised at how much material will bow out, hence the desire for a perimeter brace.
IMO Seven Ephors has it correctly, 3/8" with a perimeter brace for minimal deflection, double the thickness for no bracing at all. Again IMO
James
IMO Seven Ephors has it correctly, 3/8" with a perimeter brace for minimal deflection, double the thickness for no bracing at all. Again IMO
James
Oh, and use a good, brand name acrylic such as Cyro Acrylite GP, Polycast, or Plexiglas G. Not all cell cast acrylics are created equal and the three brands above are proven to have consistently good quality.
If you want to use extruded, you *can* but be aware that it can craze fairly easily.
James
If you want to use extruded, you *can* but be aware that it can craze fairly easily.
James
Ok, thanks for the responses guys. So I will need a minimum of 3/8 with bracing, maybe 1/2. The pricing I have been looking at online has been cyro acrylite, since that has been the one I had heard of most commonly. I guess at this point I will get a better idea of the cost of materials and then decide whether to build it or not. One of the sites I found with the lowest prices was US Plastics. They have sheets of acrylite, but they do not mention which kind. Do any of you happen to know whether it is the cell cast or extruded? Or know how I can tell? I checked the spec sheets they have and cant seem to find any model number or anything.
Knucklehead - I really don't know the mechanics behind bracing the bottom, and I don't know how much of a difference it makes, especially in acrylic tanks. I just know the glass tanks I have used have been braced at the bottom and I figured I would do the same.
Knucklehead - I really don't know the mechanics behind bracing the bottom, and I don't know how much of a difference it makes, especially in acrylic tanks. I just know the glass tanks I have used have been braced at the bottom and I figured I would do the same.
Cyro markets their cell cast material as "Acrylite GP" and extruded as "Acrylite FF".
The GP can have brown paper masking with red writing or milky clear film masking. The FF can have brown paper masking with blue writing or blue film. This will always be the case unless it is a patterned or coated material which is another conversation
Don't bother with bottom bracing on acrylic tanks, it generally won't hurt but unlikely to help all that much either. It's done on glass tanks to provide more surface area for silicone attachment on large tanks as there are differences in silicone's tensile & shear strength. With acrylic - the thickness itself provides for this.
For material, check with a local fabricator or distributor for "scrap", 18 x 18" panels are relatively useless for most fabricators (esp those tht build tanks) so they'll *likely* sell these pieces at cost (or maybe a slight premium) just to get it off the floor, I know I commonly do this. The advantages to you are that you'll only have to buy what you need and you won't have to pay shipping, the advantage to the fabricator is they won't have to count it as inventory and if you pay cash - they'll get lunch money
HTH,
James
The GP can have brown paper masking with red writing or milky clear film masking. The FF can have brown paper masking with blue writing or blue film. This will always be the case unless it is a patterned or coated material which is another conversation
Don't bother with bottom bracing on acrylic tanks, it generally won't hurt but unlikely to help all that much either. It's done on glass tanks to provide more surface area for silicone attachment on large tanks as there are differences in silicone's tensile & shear strength. With acrylic - the thickness itself provides for this.
For material, check with a local fabricator or distributor for "scrap", 18 x 18" panels are relatively useless for most fabricators (esp those tht build tanks) so they'll *likely* sell these pieces at cost (or maybe a slight premium) just to get it off the floor, I know I commonly do this. The advantages to you are that you'll only have to buy what you need and you won't have to pay shipping, the advantage to the fabricator is they won't have to count it as inventory and if you pay cash - they'll get lunch money
HTH,
James
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