How Hard Could It be? ...Hard

R.Weller · Jul 18, 2020

Herbie style I presume. Excellent choice. We're using a dual-herbie design on our 300gal Display. I would use 1 1/2" pipe for both the syphon & emergency drains. That should give you plenty of flow.

I'm a huge fan of biological filtration. I would still include the skimmer for oxygen, unless you plan on another method of aeration. We have an undersized skimmer for our display, but we also have ~400lbs of rock, a DIY waterfall algae scrubber & we're using a surge device to promote gas exchange. We used dry rock & it took awhile to cure, so if you are planning on using dry rock, I would get started as soon as you can using the stock tank.

As far as corals go, those lights will grow anything. I would decide on what fish you want then back into the corals question. Few are self-healing & resiliant, like the kenya tree, but they are also more like a weed & grow everywhere. You can tear them off the rock with your hands & they will still grow back after a week or so. Add one 1" frag & you will be finding them everywhere for the next few years.

laverda · Jul 18, 2020

Weld-on 4 I abetter choice that 16. 16 will quickly get a surface skim before you can apply it to a long edge and then will not bond properly. Their may be better options than 4 though. I believe most use a different product for thicker acrylic. You will want to look into the pins method of assembly. I ever had much luck with it my self, so I definatly suggest practicing on some scraps first. Like already mentioned you might want to build your sump first for practice.
Euro bracing is preferred ever cross braces by most and I believe much stronger. The fact your material is bowed already is going to create issues for you I believe.

xxkenny90xx · Jul 18, 2020

112 gallons. I have the same dimensions except mine is 60x18x24

h2so4hurts · Jul 18, 2020

Do not ever use 16 for structural bonding. You can use it to glue in baffles or weirs, but it is not a structural solvent and it bubbles like crazy. 16 is 4 with acrylic melted into it. Only use 4 for tank seams.

Pin, shim, add to the gap with a solvent bottle. Tons of good YouTube videos on this.

oreo54 · Jul 18, 2020

Louiemiller9 said:
So I decided to use 3/4“ Acrylic in hope that it would not begin to bow further on down the road.

Man that acrylic is sharp. Lol

SHEET TYPE CONSIDERATION

Manufacturers recommend that all acrylic water vessels, including aquariums, should be constructed with Cell Cast Acrylic Sheet. This requirement exists for two reasons:

CAST Acrylic sheet is more capable of withstanding continuous loads than continuously manufactured or extruded sheet.
CAST Acrylic sheet maintains a high level of mechanical strength after water absorption has reached equilibrium.

Cemented joints must withstand the effects of the continuous hydraulic pressure and the high level of water absorption for many years.

Two-part polymerizable cements are recommended for your construction to meet this requirement.

Aquarium Building with Acrylic

Industrial Plastics & Paints Web Information Portal

www.goindustrial.ca

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Louiemiller9 · Jul 18, 2020

R.Weller said:
Herbie style I presume. Excellent choice. We're using a dual-herbie design on our 300gal Display. I would use 1 1/2" pipe for both the syphon & emergency drains. That should give you plenty of flow.

I'm a huge fan of biological filtration. I would still include the skimmer for oxygen, unless you plan on another method of aeration. We have an undersized skimmer for our display, but we also have ~400lbs of rock, a DIY waterfall algae scrubber & we're using a surge device to promote gas exchange. We used dry rock & it took awhile to cure, so if you are planning on using dry rock, I would get started as soon as you can using the stock tank.

As far as corals go, those lights will grow anything. I would decide on what fish you want then back into the corals question. Few are self-healing & resiliant, like the kenya tree, but they are also more like a weed & grow everywhere. You can tear them off the rock with your hands & they will still grow back after a week or so. Add one 1" frag & you will be finding them everywhere for the next few years.

Thanks for the feedback man... love hearing about other setups.

Louiemiller9 · Jul 18, 2020

xxkenny90xx said:
112 gallons. I have the same dimensions except mine is 60x18x24

Thanks! Can I see your setup

Louiemiller9 · Jul 18, 2020

h2so4hurts said:
Do not ever use 16 for structural bonding. You can use it to glue in baffles or weirs, but it is not a structural solvent and it bubbles like crazy. 16 is 4 with acrylic melted into it. Only use 4 for tank seams.

Pin, shim, add to the gap with a solvent bottle. Tons of good YouTube videos on this.

Appreciate the feedback!
Thanks man !

xxkenny90xx · Jul 18, 2020

Louiemiller9 said:
Thanks! Can I see your setup

Ya i love the size of my 5 foot tank but it was tough finding a good light for it since its an odd length. I went with the reefbreeders v2+ 50. Here's a quick pic i snapped the other day

Louiemiller9 · Jul 18, 2020

xxkenny90xx said:
Ya i love the size of my 5 foot tank but it was tough finding a good light for it since its an odd length. I went with the reefbreeders v2+ 50. Here's a quick pic i snapped the other day

Awesome tank!

DSEKULA · Jul 18, 2020

Nice to see someone else building an acrylic, I used weldon 42 for mine but there's a lot of bends and complicated seams, you should be fine with 4 but please practice and ask if something doesn't seem right. Make sure all the edges are nice and smooth/even and you will be fine.

xxkenny90xx · Jul 18, 2020

Louiemiller9 said:
Awesome tank!

Thanks! I'll be following along to see how yours turns out!

Louiemiller9 · Jul 19, 2020

So I used a combination of the 16 and 4 acrylic weld and it came out pretty good. The hardest part for me was trying to correct the bow while the weld was being applied. I used a series of shins to keep everything in place while applying a tremendous amount of weight onto the seams in order to ensure I good seal.

so now would you guys recommend going back over it with some sort of caulking? If so what would you recommend.

I would really appreciate the feedback. Running to Lowe’s today so feel free to let me know what works best.

Louiemiller9 · Jul 19, 2020

Another photo

Louiemiller9 · Jul 19, 2020

I am now starting to think about a stand... any recommendations?
I really like the look of aluminum t channels but don’t know if it’s worth the hassle....

Louiemiller9 · Jul 19, 2020

R.Weller said:
Herbie style I presume. Excellent choice. We're using a dual-herbie design on our 300gal Display. I would use 1 1/2" pipe for both the syphon & emergency drains. That should give you plenty of flow.

I'm a huge fan of biological filtration. I would still include the skimmer for oxygen, unless you plan on another method of aeration. We have an undersized skimmer for our display, but we also have ~400lbs of rock, a DIY waterfall algae scrubber & we're using a surge device to promote gas exchange. We used dry rock & it took awhile to cure, so if you are planning on using dry rock, I would get started as soon as you can using the stock tank.

As far as corals go, those lights will grow anything. I would decide on what fish you want then back into the corals question. Few are self-healing & resiliant, like the kenya tree, but they are also more like a weed & grow everywhere. You can tear them off the rock with your hands & they will still grow back after a week or so. Add one 1" frag & you will be finding them everywhere for the next few years.

I haven’t tried keeping Kenya But seems more of a bother than anything, like you said. Lol

R.Weller · Jul 19, 2020

Louiemiller9 said:
I haven’t tried keeping Kenya But seems more of a bother than anything, like you said. Lol

Yep. Never again here. In fairness to my LFS, they did caution me. As with most everything else, they were right.

Louiemiller9 · Jul 19, 2020

R.Weller said:
Yep. Never again here. In fairness to my LFS, they did caution me. As with most everything else, they were right.

Lol

laverda · Jul 19, 2020

Louiemiller9 said:
So I used a combination of the 16 and 4 acrylic weld and it came out pretty good. The hardest part for me was trying to correct the bow while the weld was being applied. I used a series of shins to keep everything in place while applying a tremendous amount of weight onto the seams in order to ensure I good seal.

so now would you guys recommend going back over it with some sort of caulking? If so what would you recommend.

I would really appreciate the feedback. Running to Lowe’s today so feel free to let me know what works best.

16 is basically caulking for acrylic. If bonded properly you should not need caulking. Lowes or Home Depot do not sell anything suitable for making an acrylic aquarium except tools like clamps.