bottomdweller_fan Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 (edited) I have 3 bristlenose plecos, 3 parotocinclus, and 3 giant otocinclus in the tank and don't have any scratching. I got acrylic because it was lighter. FYI my tank measures 8' x 3' x 2', is plywood with an acrylic front and I used pond liner as my interior. In total it cost me about $950 in September, 2008. Edited April 14, 2009 by bottomdweller_fan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Chicklets Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 My acrylic tank rocks... wouldnt trade it for anything....The Clarity is unreal and it even insulates the temp. better then glass..... and have no scratching issues... I also have a 300 acrylic and have no problems with clarity and your right it is better insulated than glass. But I'm wondering if I added plecos would they scratch the acrylic. Do you have any plecos in yours? Regular pleco's should be fine, but stay clear of the panaques Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corrosionjerry Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Absolutly... 5" bristlenose & 6" L014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynoch Posted April 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Thanks for the info on the plecos guys that puts my worries to rest on acrylic then. I'm thinking having some plecos in a big tank like this will be a must instead of going for a swim all the time. I was also debating about pond liner for my tank but will use 1/8" pvc sheets welded together for the liner if go Acrylic and not sure yet for glass. Should be fairly cheap and easy to dismanle if I had to in the future with pvc sheets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corrosionjerry Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 I wish this topic wouldnt of started.... I am adding up the cost of putting together an 8ft tank now... geesh......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishclubgirl Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 If anybody wants quotes on acrylic, please pm me. My company carries it and as well we do deliver to edmonton. We do carry only 4'x8' sheets but sometimes have pieces sitting around. Please let me know size and thickness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loki Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 do you carry the adhesive as well?? if not whats the best to use and how much is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc_Polit Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 If anybody wants quotes on acrylic, please pm me. My company carries it and as well we do deliver to edmonton. We do carry only 4'x8' sheets but sometimes have pieces sitting around. Please let me know size and thickness. Is this cell cast or regular FF? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishclubgirl Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 Cell cast and I believe the adhesive is Weldon 16. If somebody could help us out with this, I'd appreciate it as I don't build tanks. I just sell sign supplies which include plexi, coroplast and bulbs that can be used for aquariums. If the adhesive is Weldon 16, I have it in tubes,pints and if you're really ambitious, gallons!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc_Polit Posted April 16, 2009 Report Share Posted April 16, 2009 Generally Weld-On 4 or Weld-On 16 are used. 4 is watery and seals using capillary action. Meanwhile, 16 is thicker and more like silicone in consistency. In the absence of Weld-On 4, many tank builders use methylene chloride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynoch Posted April 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2009 Okay so I located a few sheets in a larger size. I can get sheets in either 10' x 4' or then it jumps to 16' x 6'. My question now would be for any tank builders out there what thickness of acrylic would I need for a 12'x 8' x 4 tank with a 10' x 4' viewing window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottomdweller_fan Posted April 18, 2009 Report Share Posted April 18, 2009 I'm not sure of the thickness but was told that the taller the piece of acrylic, the thicker it needs to be. MonsterFishkeepers has a sticky that talks about glass thicknesses, but I can't remember if it also discusses acrylic. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynoch Posted April 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2009 I'm not sure of the thickness but was told that the taller the piece of acrylic, the thicker it needs to be. MonsterFishkeepers has a sticky that talks about glass thicknesses, but I can't remember if it also discusses acrylic.Good luck. Cyro makes an acrylic aquarium thickness calculator but I think it's overkill since it states that a 8'L x 31"H closed top aquarium needs 1.121" acrylic sheet while the one I own is only .75" thick. This is where I'm getting lost and was hoping some tank builders could help me sort this out. Thanks for the help. I'll try and get thru the sticky but it contains alot of useless info (arguing) so I never made it thru. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corrosionjerry Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 My acrylic tank from tencor... is 1/4 inch acrylic / that is 6 ft long and 21" high.. So I would agree that the calculator for 8ftx31" may be overkill / on the other hand they wouldn't give you that thickness for no reason... I would be weary / there are pictures of tanks on monster that were not designed properly and have had the glass explode and nearly destroy whole rooms... be careful! overkill is better then catastrophe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynoch Posted April 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 My acrylic tank from tencor... is 1/4 inch acrylic / that is 6 ft long and 21" high..So I would agree that the calculator for 8ftx31" may be overkill / on the other hand they wouldn't give you that thickness for no reason... I would be weary / there are pictures of tanks on monster that were not designed properly and have had the glass explode and nearly destroy whole rooms... be careful! overkill is better then catastrophe ya overkill is sometimes best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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