Polystyrene As An Acrylic/perspex Subsitute

[pirate monkey]

I have just been around the local DIY shops looking for acrylic or perspex sheets, which I need to make baffles etc in my sump.

The only stuff I could find was 2mm thick, and appeared quite flimsy so not sure that would be ok

What I did find that was 4mm thick was a solid polystyrene sheet. It was also transparent and appeared to have the same properties as the acrylic. Would this be ok to use in my sump?

I can't think of any reason it wouldn't be safe - I have textured backgrounds in my FW tanks which are basically polystyrene foam... would just like to make sure!

 

[Morri]

Could nt comment on polystyrene but I bought all my acyrlic from flea bay, The other place to try would be to look if you have any local sign makers as they usually can help

 

[pirate monkey]

Thanks Morri, I did look on fleabay but thought I might be able to get it cheaper locally - the bigger sheets seemed quite expensive then there's postage on top

I have found a post from an ICE forum suggesting a plastics company in Reading they used for a parcel shelf so I might try there.

Roughly how much did you pay for how much acrylic? Did you buy clear stuff (i'm also looking for some black to make an in-tank overflow, calfo style) If you could recommend me a seller that would be great

 

[Morri]

I think it was all from a company called Red Ltd I bought 5mm clear and black and 3mm mirrored and some clear rod paid about £15 for 1000mm x 500mm 5 mm sheet

 

[AK77]

I'm guessing you mean polycarbonate sheeting, not polystyrene, which is the white stuff used in packaging materials?

If its only 2mm thick, I personally wouldn't bother with it. If somethings worth building, its worth building right. I don't know what effect the salt would have on it, but left to the outside elements, polycarbonate can become brittle over time.

The stuff will also flex under the weight of the water too, so if you have a drop in water level from one section to the next in the sump, it would bulge a fair bit and may interfere with things like protein skimmers etc that are placed in the sump. It wouldn't snap. Polycarbonate is used for face masks / protective goggles but, it really wouldn't be the best to use here.

As Morri says, you can get acrylic from ebay for a reasonable price. 5mm would do fine. Anything below that and you will end up with the stuff bowing. Not only that, one or two of the vendors do a cutting service, so if you measure the inside of your tank accurately - take off 2mm (leaving 1mm clearance each end), they will cut it to size for you, which saves a lot of messing about.

 

[pirate monkey]

I'm guessing you mean polycarbonate sheeting, not polystyrene, which is the white stuff used in packaging materials?

I really did mean polystryene

from Wikipedia:

Polystyrene is a thermoplastic substance, which is in solid (glassy) state at room temperature, but flows if heated above its glass transition temperature (for molding or extrusion), and becoming solid again when cooling off. Pure solid polystyrene is a colorless, hard plastic with limited flexibility. It can be cast into molds with fine detail. Polystyrene can be transparent or can be made to take on various colors.

Solid polystyrene is used, for example, in disposable cutlery, plastic models, CD and DVD cases, and smoke detector housings. Products made from foamed polystyrene are nearly ubiquitous, for example packing materials, insulation, and foam drink cups.

It is the acrylic that is 2mm, and the polystyrene sheet is 4mm and a lot stronger, - which is why I'm wondering if it would be safe to use

ETA:
I will be checking out the local plastic company on Monday to see if they can help me out, but I am still curious to know for future reference.

Oh, good ol' wikipedia also points out that polystyrene is used in labs for petri dishes, test tubes and plates so I'm guessing it would have to be inert for these uses? and to be used as plastic cutlery it is at least food grade, right?

 

[SkiFletch]

Bit of a late reply here but polystyrene is very safe to use in the aquarium. All those plastic breeding traps you see for guppiues, etc are polystyrene .

Polystyrene behaves similarly to acrylic/lexan from a gluing/solvent standpoint. Silicone does not stick hard to it, but certainly hard enough for baffles in a sump. Just don't try and support weight with a polystyrene-glass joint that's secured with silicone.