Cylindrical acrylic aquarium
- Thread starter tigerbarb
- Start date
natclanwy
Active Member
Depends on whether you care about having a seem running up the side of your tank, if you don't you could probably bend the acrylic but I don't think a candle will cut it. To make a cylinder you would need to heat the sheet up evenly. If you don't you will have waves and ripples in the acrylic and make it difficult to see through.
tigerbarb
Member
Okay, now I'm worried about how I'm going to keep the acrylic sheet smooth and clear. But yes, I can live with a seam running down the side of the tank.
Lol, now I just have to find a place where the tank won't break through the floor. I live in a one-story house. Can a hard wood floor on a bottom floor handle the weight of a 100 gallon marine aquarium? It's just not an option to let weight end the entire project.
Also, how do I heat up the acrylic sheet evenly?
Hmm... I found an aquarium calculator for cylindrical aquariums, and I just punched in that it had one 48" long, 24" tall sheet of acrylic, and the page said that the tank was 119 gallons. I don't really believe that though. If it's actually true, I'm amazed in how big of a tank can be made from just one sheet of acrylic.
Lol, now I just have to find a place where the tank won't break through the floor. I live in a one-story house. Can a hard wood floor on a bottom floor handle the weight of a 100 gallon marine aquarium? It's just not an option to let weight end the entire project.
Also, how do I heat up the acrylic sheet evenly?
Hmm... I found an aquarium calculator for cylindrical aquariums, and I just punched in that it had one 48" long, 24" tall sheet of acrylic, and the page said that the tank was 119 gallons. I don't really believe that though. If it's actually true, I'm amazed in how big of a tank can be made from just one sheet of acrylic.
wangotango
Active Member
Honestly for a shape like that it's better left to a manufacturer. Unless you have a large oven there's no way that you can heat the acrylic evenly and be able to form it and still keep it smooth.
Do a google search for custom acrylic aquarium builders. I think a few companies do custom shapes like that.
Weight depends on how the house is built. If you were going to put it on an exterior wall, or over the house's center I-beam then the floor should easily be able to support a 100gal tank.
-Justin
Do a google search for custom acrylic aquarium builders. I think a few companies do custom shapes like that.
Weight depends on how the house is built. If you were going to put it on an exterior wall, or over the house's center I-beam then the floor should easily be able to support a 100gal tank.
-Justin
wattsupdoc
Active Member
I have to agree,. It's apparent you haven't done any bending acrylic and most likely not done much if any work with acrylic. I'm not trying to flame you here, but just the facts sir. You will end up wasting your money at least and probably have a crappy looking tank at best. It's just not a first timers DIY project, IMO.
S
saltycrab
Guest
If you are going to do it you need something to bend it around and a heat gun. 100 pounds would be around 12 gallons of water btw.
natclanwy
Active Member
A Heat gun is not going to be enough, for a 100g tank you will need to use at least 1/2" acrylic not sure how thick since I assume a cylindrical tank doesn't require as much stiffness as a square or rectangular tank. With 1/2" acrylic you will need to heat both sides evenly across the entire length and I just don't see that happening with a heat gun. You can get away with it on thin pieces but with thick acrylic the heat won't transfer through to the other side and if you bend it you will get rippling on an inside corner or stress fractures on outside corners.
S
saltycrab
Guest
Originally Posted by natclanwy
http:///forum/post/2780909
A Heat gun is not going to be enough, for a 100g tank you will need to use at least 1/2" acrylic not sure how thick since I assume a cylindrical tank doesn't require as much stiffness as a square or rectangular tank. With 1/2" acrylic you will need to heat both sides evenly across the entire length and I just don't see that happening with a heat gun. You can get away with it on thin pieces but with thick acrylic the heat won't transfer through to the other side and if you bend it you will get rippling on an inside corner or stress fractures on outside corners.
good points
http:///forum/post/2780909
A Heat gun is not going to be enough, for a 100g tank you will need to use at least 1/2" acrylic not sure how thick since I assume a cylindrical tank doesn't require as much stiffness as a square or rectangular tank. With 1/2" acrylic you will need to heat both sides evenly across the entire length and I just don't see that happening with a heat gun. You can get away with it on thin pieces but with thick acrylic the heat won't transfer through to the other side and if you bend it you will get rippling on an inside corner or stress fractures on outside corners.
good points
tigerbarb
Member
Hmm. I guess I will wait a while on the cylindrical design, as it all just sounds too complicated.
I do know that I could afford a 75 gallon tank. In a standard 75g, could I get a yellow tang and two tomato clowns? There is a member on another forum I go to who always over-estimates marine tank sizes by many gallons, who says that a yellow tang should be in a 100 gallon aquarium at the minimum. Also, along with the yellow tang & two tomato clowns, could I get a foxface?
I do know that I could afford a 75 gallon tank. In a standard 75g, could I get a yellow tang and two tomato clowns? There is a member on another forum I go to who always over-estimates marine tank sizes by many gallons, who says that a yellow tang should be in a 100 gallon aquarium at the minimum. Also, along with the yellow tang & two tomato clowns, could I get a foxface?
