# what plexiglass or lexan to use on diy tank?



## customdrumfinishes (Apr 1, 2008)

i want to make a 8-9 gallon wall mounted tank for shrimp only, i figure i can make the bottom and back from plywood and cover it with fiberglass and epoxy. but what plexiglass should use and what thickness? or would glass be cheaper? ive been told to get the glass i would need in a unsanded edge non temered glass 1/4 inch thick is ths correct?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Epoxy and acrylic (Plexiglas) are not compatible, as far as I know. Epoxy doesn't bond at all well on acrylic plastics. If you use glass for the "window" you have more than one option for sealing it. The thickness needed for glass in an aquarium depends on the depth of the water and the longest dimension of the glass piece. But, one quarter inch thick is very likely more than adequate for any 8-9 gallon tank configuration.


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## customdrumfinishes (Apr 1, 2008)

thanks for the info i guess ill have to use glass for the face and sides, but im still not sure about the glass being tempered or not.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I wouldn't use tempered glass for the sides and front of a tank. When tempered glass is hit and cracks as a result, it completely falls apart into millions of tiny chunks. Regular glass in that same circumstance just cracks across the glass, so guess which one gives you a fighting chance to save something in the tank. Tempered glass is for places where the glass shards can be a safety hazard, or where you really need the added strength of tempered glass.


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## customdrumfinishes (Apr 1, 2008)

ok thanks, im sure tempered glass is more expensive to!

heres a pic of kinda what i wanna do










this is an in wall tank but still kinda what im thinking...........


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## newbie314 (Mar 2, 2007)

No planning fish I assume, just shrimp?


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## Jeff.:P:. (Nov 20, 2007)

I'm building a sump/refuguim for my Reef tank. I'm using cast cell acrylic, very easy to work with and relatively cheap. roughly $150-200 8'X4' sheet. plus weldon 4 to weld the seams together. Extruded acrylic or plexi aren't good for these projects as they crack and splinter under cutting/routering, and are pourus. Here's a great site showing the tools you'll need and some construction ideas.

http://www.melevsreef.com/tools.html
http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/routing.html
http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/sumps/chvy/chvy_sump.html
http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html


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## Jeff.:P:. (Nov 20, 2007)

> What kind of acrylic and glue do you use, and where do you buy them?
> 
> ¼" Acrylite FF for most applications. The glue is a product called Weld-On, that literally melts the two pieces of acrylic into one piece, forming a very strong bond. Weld-On #3 is fast drying (less than 60 seconds), #4 is slower (less than 5 minutes), and #16 is for patching.
> 
> ...


more from the site-


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

For a "thin" tank like that, with shrimp only, I would give a lot of thought to using a back wall covered totally with cork, with mosses, anubias and ferns growing on it. That way the limited substrate area is left for the shrimp. At the last meeting of our plant club Tom Barr did a talk about how to do this and how well it has worked for him. It is an interesting way to plant an aquarium.


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## customdrumfinishes (Apr 1, 2008)

was i have some liverwort and moss i wanted to put as a backdrop wall for the aquarium, i want to just do shrimp in this tank so i can get some yellow shrimp, i have cherrys in my other tank and dont want them to cross breed and i like the idea of a shrimp only wall tank,
thanks for the info i hope to get this thing together in the next month or so but might just cut a hole in the wall and mount it partially in wall to make it bigger. i love to build diy hoods and bases so its just another fun project for me trying to figure it out.


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