Do I have to use Glass to make my own auquarium?

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jeffrey

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I was pricing out my tank I Want to biuld, and DAMN, its more then I though for jsut the glass.
But I can get Plexi or acrilic for less then half the price.

is there a reason why its always glass?
 
i'm not exatly sure on the answer, but from what i have picked up on making your own tank, acrilic can only be used to support a certain depth and pressure, so if your looking to make a big tank, glass is probably the way to go

but somebody will need to clarify
 
There are 3 common DIY tanks that are most commonly built.

First is all glass, second is all acryllic, third is plywood.


Which one you should build depends on your budget, the size you need, the availabilty of the material, what skilla you posses, and the application of the tank.

Once you have decided which route to go, you can use the applet over at garf to help you out.

http://www.garf.org/tank/BuildTank.asp
 
You can use acrylic to make a tank.

In comparing your pricing, are you sure you were comparing apples to apples? That is, was it perhaps comparing 1/4" glass to, say, 1/8" acrylic (which probably wouldn't be strong enough)?

As to why tanks are usually glass, as guppylover said, glass tanks are much harder to scratch (although it's easier to remove scratches from acrylic). Also, I'd guess that if you're making tanks in volume, glass is probably less expensive overall. In addition, and don't quote me on this, but I seem to remember reading that while a glass tank can crack, acrylic tanks tend to "blow out" a panel on failure, leading to instant disaster.

Just for info, I've toyed with the idea of making my own tanks, and after pricing out material, I'm ready to accept the fairly common advice "if the tank is less than 150g, it's probably cheaper to buy it rather than make it". If your're talking about a "custom" shape, though, that's obviously not an option.

And, Doggfather, I'm not certain, but I am under the impression that for very large tanks (above 150-200g), acrylic is usually preferred (in the correct thickness), because with large tanks, the necessary glass is so thick that its weight becomes a problem, and the thickness distorts the view significantly.
Not sure, though.
 
Glass is basically scratch-proof (unless you're really trying), whereas acrylic is a scratch magnet. Gaze in its direction wrong and it scratches. However, as Bol said, scratches are easier removed from acrylic. Acrylic is also much, much lighter than glass and many times stronger (not sure of the exact figures off the top of the head). Acrylic also tends to "give" a bit under stress whereas glass just shatters. Many manufactured acrylic tanks are one solid piece (no seams), which lends even more strength.

I would think that if you built a tank from acrylic panels, your seams would be the most likely places it would fail structurally, but I'm no expert.

pendragon!
 

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