Welding or using aycrylic sheets

[grantgoold]

Would like to hear if anyone has had experience with using aycrylic sheets for tanks? There is someone in my area that has several (300 sheets) of aycrylic for a bargin deal. These sheets were used commonly used for spas and such. Thinking about using them to make some really cool and cheap holding tanks?

Folks chime in!

Thanks

Grant

[Airbag]

I have extensive experience with acrylic being in the vacuum form business and I do not think it would be a good choice at all. It is too brittle and too hard to fasten together especially for a water tight seal. I know people make fish tanks and what not from it but trust me not a good choice. I think the white prefab blow mold tanks are wise choice. They are flexable and will give years of service. My tanks are stainless steel and do not have any baffling in them and I have trouble with cracks at the welds. Spas from acrylic are one piece thick and are not subject to the vibration of a bus.

[grantgoold]

Now that is some awesome feedback. Thanks a ton!!!!

Grant

[boogiethecat]

I agree with Airbag totally.  Acrylic is much too brittle and unlike polyethylene tanks, it is totally intolerant to stress. Acrylic fishtanks are solvent-sealed together with ethylene dichloride and work well in a static environment, but thermal expansion with temperature shifts will cause those joints to stress and fail catastrophically.  Firsthand experience from making a 100 gallon fishtank out of acrylic and having a side blow off one day when the sun hit it for 30 minutes.  That was a mess- fish flopping all over the livingroom and two walls of drywall destroyed by the salt... but it was certainly not as much of a mess as it would be if the side blew off your nice full black tank!! Uck!!!!

[Barn Owl]

Acrylic is much too brittle

I have used acrylic and I agree.