Marine aquarium grade acrylic

[Karl]

Hey all...

I have been looking into the idea of making my own sump and overflow
box out of acrylic, but all three local plastic dealers told me that
acrylic is not suitable for constant suse in water due to it being a
thermoplastic and its water absorption properties. I live in th UK and
one of the biggest producers of acrylic here is a brand called
Perspex. I'm not sure if they operate in the USA, but can anyone tell
me if their acrylic suitable? I have tried emailing them on a couple
of occasions, but never had a reply. I have been told that almost 90%
of marine aquariums in the USA are made from acrylic and wondered if
there was anyone who knows what I shoul ask for when looking for my
sheet materials.

I also need to know if regular acrylic adhesive will be suitable to
make the joints with, or is there a specific adhesive which is 'marine
safe'. If I use regular ahesive and use a very salty or brine solution
to wash the sump out, will this sufice?

hopefully someone can help me!

Thanx

[Charles Spitzer]

use a large plastic tub. here in the us, you can get an 18gallon rubbermaid
tub for about $5.

yes, there is a special solvent that is used to chemically weld acrylic
panels together. i'd suggest not starting with this as a first project.
it'll be a lot easier if you have woodworking tools (table saw, router,
etc).

your 90% figure is wrong.

"Karl" > wrote in message
om...
> Hey all...
>
> I have been looking into the idea of making my own sump and overflow
> box out of acrylic, but all three local plastic dealers told me that
> acrylic is not suitable for constant suse in water due to it being a
> thermoplastic and its water absorption properties. I live in th UK and
> one of the biggest producers of acrylic here is a brand called
> Perspex. I'm not sure if they operate in the USA, but can anyone tell
> me if their acrylic suitable? I have tried emailing them on a couple
> of occasions, but never had a reply. I have been told that almost 90%
> of marine aquariums in the USA are made from acrylic and wondered if
> there was anyone who knows what I shoul ask for when looking for my
> sheet materials.
>
> I also need to know if regular acrylic adhesive will be suitable to
> make the joints with, or is there a specific adhesive which is 'marine
> safe'. If I use regular ahesive and use a very salty or brine solution
> to wash the sump out, will this sufice?
>
> hopefully someone can help me!
>
> Thanx

[Ross Bagley]

(Karl) writes:

> Hey all...
>
> I have been looking into the idea of making my own sump and overflow
> box out of acrylic, but all three local plastic dealers told me that
> acrylic is not suitable for constant suse in water due to it being a
> thermoplastic and its water absorption properties.

This is bs. Cell cast acrylic is completely applicable for 100% water
exposure. Not sure if they just didn't want to be bothered or if they
thought they might sell you polycarbonate, but they're full of crap.

> I live in th UK and
> one of the biggest producers of acrylic here is a brand called
> Perspex. I'm not sure if they operate in the USA, but can anyone tell
> me if their acrylic suitable?

They probably have an extruded product and a cell cast product. Get
the cell cast product.

> I have tried emailing them on a couple
> of occasions, but never had a reply. I have been told that almost 90%
> of marine aquariums in the USA are made from acrylic and wondered if
> there was anyone who knows what I shoul ask for when looking for my
> sheet materials.
>
> I also need to know if regular acrylic adhesive will be suitable to
> make the joints with,

In the US, we use Weld-on, which actually dissolves the acrylic, and
causes the pieces to weld together. When it's cured, the solvent
fully evaporates leaving nothing but acrylic behind.

> or is there a specific adhesive which is 'marine
> safe'. If I use regular ahesive and use a very salty or brine solution
> to wash the sump out, will this sufice?

You don't want to use silicone sealant to bond the pieces together
(as you would with a glass tank). The adhesion of silicone simply
can't compare with the "welded" acrylic bond.

Regards,
Ross

-- Ross Bagley http://rossbagley.com/rba
"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature...
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