sorcha Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Is this the right place to post? Anyone know much about them? cost,makers,pros & cons? Wanting a big tank made but they aren't cheap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 I doublt if acrylic would be cheaper than glass, but on the plus side its much lighter. I'll seriously look into if I get another big tank (6'+) as my current 5' tank weighs 110kg!! On the downside it can be scratched but rocks or wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeeahboy Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 iv been wanting to get an arcrylic lid for my 120x40 tank, would also like to know were to get it from n cost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 bunnings had small sheets of it last time i was in there, near the laserlight (clear corruated roofing etc) was only small not sure if it was even 1200 long but should be sweet for a lid or 2 so maybe worth a shot. sorry i cant remember the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 have a look in the yellow pages for plastic formers we have a company here locally who has supplied me with some sheets at a pretty good price 120cm x 60cm window for eel pool in 12mm cost me 10dollars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Likely going to be a lot more expensive and then you have a big, expensive scratched up tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpidersWeb Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Likely going to be a lot more expensive and then you have a big, expensive scratched up tank. Which is one up from broken glass A lot of people drop their lids etc, plastic would be handy sometimes. I sometimes put mine in a safe place, only to find it wasn't that safe a place at all. Although replacements are cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 120cm x 60cm window for eel pool in 12mm cost me 10dollars That sounds pretty cheap!! Maybe I'll use acrylic pannels and a steel or timber frame to make in indoor pond instead of buying a big glass tank... Here's 23 pages of discussion of glass vs acrylic; http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... hp?t=78249 Bear in mind that MFK is predominantly americans so acrylic tanks are much more common and probably cheaper than here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 You can't scrape acrylic with razor blades - it too soft and will scratch. Best used for areas that won't need to be cleaned much (like the front panel). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afrikan Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Hmm acrylic tank... seen a few... and boy do they scratch and mark up so easily..... knew someone who had to get the scratches buffered out... more than once.. and what a hassle. Very easily scratched, as The Conch says it's soft. Tank was fantastic tho, but the scratches stuck out big time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 even a small piece of grit on a soft sponge will scratch it that acrlic sheet was cheaper than normal as they had some large offcuts check before you order david Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sorcha Posted July 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 thanks for all the comments I might make some enquiries locally and see what happens, I agree re the scratching, just thinking if it is lighter and cheaper I'm not hugely worried about scratches just after a big tank for a few big fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 thanks for all the comments I might make some enquiries locally and see what happens, I agree re the scratching, just thinking if it is lighter and cheaper I'm not hugely worried about scratches just after a big tank for a few big fish Like I said before, it's NOT going to be cheaper. Getting a tank made is pretty cheap anyway, and once it's in place weight of the tank is pretty much irrelevant. If you're wanting cheap, look around for secondhand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afrikan Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 The ones that used to be made here out of acrylic were hugely expensive.... was much dearer than glass that is for sure. And for the huge money spent on one from this area, I would have been spewing it ending up with scratches :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sorcha Posted July 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Fair comments.. I am looking out for second hand also if anyone has a big, not too expensive tank to rehome Kicking myself that I didn't buy the big tank from wet pets $200! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 How big are you looking for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 as a glass merchant, we love people that use plastics as they will only use it once If you want to stoop that low, look in the yellow pages under plastic/acrylic suppliers/wholesalers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sorcha Posted July 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 1000l+ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Try Port Nicholson glass in Petone. Last time I heard he generally does tanks, including stand, for about $1-2 per liter. I think Pies had his huge 2000something liter marine tank made for around $2k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoon Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 iv been wanting to get an arcrylic lid for my 120x40 tank, would also like to know were to get it from n cost if i can fins some at my work i will contact u its also very easy to cut acylic with a jigsaw if u are patient , u cant force the blade otherwise it heats up and melts it instead of cutting it this would be fine except it fuses back together behind the saw and u end up with a brittle join that is hard to get smooth again once u snap it. vegetable oil wiped on the blade periodically helps a wee bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Acrylic doesn't make a good lid. As it sits with no mechanical support in the centre and it's not rigidly fixed to the edges of the tank, it will sag. Acrylic has a very poor memory - this means it doesn't remember it's initial shape and will deform to some new shape over time. If a cross brace is put across the middle it will stop the sag but will look bad. I've tried using acrylic before for lids and it's always sagged. You can turn it over but it just sags the other way after a day or so. Lexan (or polycarbonate) works very well though. It's much tougher and doesn't sag. Doesn't smash if you drop it either. It's the stuff used for windows... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemines Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 how do they make acrylic? isn't there an oil crisis? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 I have put plastic lids on my tanks and found that acrylic is more heat sensitive and bows. This is OK if the lid can be reversed but have used polycarbonate on most. Don't know about acrylic tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopia Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 have a look in the yellow pages for plastic formers we have a company here locally who has supplied me with some sheets at a pretty good price 120cm x 60cm window for eel pool in 12mm cost me 10dollars thats a good deal - whats the name of the place livingart ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Smith Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 The only reason to use acrylic is if you need odd shapes. If you want scratch resistant (and strong) use polycarbonate, but that costs a bundle! I almost choked when I saw sheets at Bunnings for about $80 (1.2x0.8mx6mm or thereabouts). Oil crisis, what oil crisis? It costs $3.50 a litre for water. they can get oil out of a 1km deep hole, ship it across the world, process it into petrol and sell it for <$2. And that includes a bunch of tax! I want the world to get upset about the water crisis! It takes about 2kg of oil for every 1kg of plastic. About 25% of oil becomes petrol. A "barrel" is 159L. The specific density of oil is about 0.9 g/cm3. US$100 a barrel (spot-price, so probably a gross over-estimation). 1kg of plastic = US$1.40 worth of oil or $5.60 worth of petrol. That sheet of polycarbonate (density 1.2g/cm3) weighs about 5.8kg so contains about $8 worth of oil. A ten times increase due to processing and mark-up! That's more outrageous than the cost of water! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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