custom aquarium

[rich90]

Hello fellow hobbiests. I am in the process of building my own 120-150 gallon aquarium.
I would like a bowfront tank but an unsure as to how to get my acrylic sheet to get the curve i need. want a 3-4 inch rise front the outside edge to the middle. I am planning on using 1/2 inch cell cast acrylic sheets. if anyone has any ideas please let me know. I am also interested in your own DIY aquariums you may have built.

[qngwn]

Hi rich, I believe many of us here do not DIY our aquariums as it is relatively to get tanks easily, and pricing here is pretty competitive as well, thus the lack of the need and motivation for DIY.

Acrylic sheets when undergone bending, the area would not be as strong anymore, thus the way of bending is important to the durability of the tank. Besides that, acrylic gets scratches pretty easily and i would stronglty recommend to get a glass aquarium if you still hav enot made one.

thats being said, glass it quite diffcult to get it bent, and acrylic is much easier to work with at home and DIY tools.

[felix_fx2]

hi rice,

how thick are the acrylic sheet? this will be of importance as you tank will be 180gal. putting alot of pressure on frame.

for bending you can check with the acrylic supplier if they do bending also.
the acrylic suppliers we get over here offer that service (for a extra fee)

Sent from my GT-N7105

[stormhawk]

A whole aquarium molded with just 1 single piece of acrylic will give you peace of mind. Since you are in the US, check with tank makers if they would take custom orders. It is less risky than DIY-ing on your own, as compared to making your own standard tank without the bowfront. Another thing you need to consider is the change in view with a bowfront tank as compared to a standard tank.