ArtFully Acrylic (Adam B)

Tick Tock Steve.... ::lights fire under derriere::.... I just welded the bottom on your tank last night so you are running short on weekends . Edges should all be flush routed and external overflow attached this weekend so we are very very close . Its been a fun build thus far. I really like the size/dimensions of it all. My wife didn't like being the one to help me maneuver it for the top/bottom welds though

Well I never said it was easy ....just that it is worth a shot. I built Ben's tank so know that it is only 24" tall and the eurobrace lip in the front is only 3" deep (if I recall correctly) so shouldn't be too bad. The problem with the SeaVisions system is the expense...at over $300 for the "possibility" of repairing his scratch...especially when you also consider they don't even offer the ability to return it if it doesn't work...it would be quite a gamble and would cost essentially half of what he paid for the tank in the first place just to try out.

Sorry to hear about the fresh scratch and rock slide Ben . Glass is harder to scratch, but Acrylic is repairable in most cases. Depending on the weight and circumstances its possible glass could have scratched as well under the circumstances. My first go to in times like these is Micro Mesh. It is safe to use in your tank while still stocked. The first link below gives basic instructions on its use to give you an idea of the process. Though these instructions are geared towards countertops the principles are the same. http://micro-surface.com/images/products/inst_0Countertop_Booklet.pdf The kit I would recommend you get is this one (The "Micro Mesh Regular"): http://micro-surface.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=87 For $19 and some elbow grease its certainly worth a shot. Note however, that this kit starts with 1500 grit. You will almost certainly need to start at a lower grit than that to remove the scratch. You don't want to however create more work for yourself by starting out lower than necessary so this is where a little trial comes into play. I would say to start with an 800 grit on a small area and see if a few minutes of sanding (back and forth across the scratch not in same direction) makes any headway. If it doesn't step down to 600 grit and try again. If that still doesn't make headway then go down to 400. If you have to go lower then be prepared for your arms to grow in size by the time you are done. Once you find the right grit that actually begins removing the scratch you will need to ever so slightly increase or "fan out" the sanding as you escalate through the grades so try not to go to far out beyond scratch edges initially. The first grit stage is the one that will need to sand away the surrounding acrylic to be flush to the depth of the scratch. It is the following steps up in grit and feathering that will blend the imperfection away. DO NOT skip any of the grits...go step by step all the way to the 12000 grit and if all goes according to plan you should be relatively good as new pre-rock slide. Let me know if you decide to give this a shot Ben or if I can help further with it in any way. I say it is certainly worth a shot...especially if you have actually *gasp* already considered all out replacing the tank already. I would say that will likely be on the unnecessary side...certainly not without at least giving the repair a whirl. You may be quite surprised. Not to say that you aren't going to spend several hours repairing what only took seconds to happen, but IMHO should be worth it. ----------- Amuze and others regarding the posted CList tank...tread cautiously with that one if anyone buys it. Though it is relatively reasonably priced it is on the verge of what I would deem as "underbuilt" if the main body is actually only 3/8" acrylic as they state. Though 3/8" is "acceptable" for a tank only 20" tall at 48" length in combination with this it would exhibit more bowing and deflection than I typically want to see for long term satisfaction. At that level it will be particularly precarious with a marine setup due to constant need to whittle away at coraline buildup. As a further attachment to this even though the centerbrace is plenty wide the eurobrace rim seems a bit undersized for a 3/8" build in all honesty. With that thickness acrylic it would be better off with a 4" eurobrace whereas it appears to be more like 2" front and back and 3" on the sides. I'm sure the builder did this to try and maximize the access cutouts, but the better recommendation upon order would have been to suggest thicker acrylic in lieu of this. Though acrylic tanks can be built relatively inexpensively and to minimum standards doesn't mean they should be. In retrospect to the other necessary components of your setup the tank and the stand are the two that cannot be easily replaced without a complete system break down...so why would you want to go with a system that is borderline underbuilt when paying a bit more up front will enhance your long term satisfaction in your setup?? Just food for thought and my 2 cents.

Clear as Fiji Mud Ryan LOL. Yeah, between your PM's and this post in your thread I figured it out. That's part of the ART of it all you know... You so sweet Loni. I aim to please

I think I got all of that figured out now Ben. I have found some clear mesh that works well being welded to the acrylic frame so in essence we will be able to use a thin 1/4" material bottom frame/top frame with a mesh sandwich =)....thereby keeping it as low profile as possible as you desired . There are some other particulars to work out regarding whether you would like a hinged feed door included and some other spec related/cosmetic related options, but I'll email you on those.

Well for me of course is more fun building them ...especially since MY WIFE of all people...the wife of the fabricator...won't let me keep any more than ONE tank in the house! I swear, the nerve!! At least she "let me" put one down in my shop....if only I had more space to make it bigger....hmmm...what to do? Keep premium build space open for builds or build a bigger in shop tank.....decisions decisions.... I guess I'll make that decision after I finish my drive to build a bigger tank for in the house where I am spinning it as "good for business". hahahahhaa

Nope didn't read it at all...I see nothing about another change... Hmmmm, actually I think you were smart in starting new email threads along the way with me as you made it difficult for me to actually see the total email count that we have back and forth . Not a problem adding hinges to the doors Loni, but with your current stand specs it will require some other changes. I will email you the particulars.

I have now setup this tank with livestock (freshwater on this one though sorry). Here are a couple pics with the lights running (you can see them bigger in my WAMAS gallery). The pic in red has lights running on all four sides. The pic in white only has LED's running on the two sides. And there are many many more color options on this setup including brightness adjustments for all

Oh Wow, not that is a great price! $300?!?!? Loni.....

Be careful Outlaw...she can be vveerrryyyyy persuasive .

Oh goodness Loni...I don't even know how many emails we have back and forth over this build, but I will certainly have to default to the members here for your lighting as I am certainly no expert in that regard. I personally am a techie guy so of course would LOVE LOVE to have Radion's myself, but that $1500 bill is a big pill to swallow. In all honesty, that pill would likely deter me personally. How do you feel about taking on a DIY LED project? I recently found this ---> http://www.ledgroupbuy.com/makersled-designer-heatsink-kit-professional-grade/. I would actually be curious to see what others thought about it. It seems as if it would be easier to construct that the typical DIY LED setup and would produce a pretty nice piece of kit.

I'm not stating anything about tank sitting on joints or screws....Just trying to determine if your stand is supporting weight of tank through the 2x4 frame directly as a unit or if it is supporting the weight of the tank through the screws which could potentially contribute to your problem if that is the case. The easiest way to tell this is to see if you have 2x4's running vertically in each corner on the inside of the stand that do not directly connect with the top and bottom of the stand and have a bit of a gap.

How was your stand made? Is the weight bearing on screws (not a good idea) or is the weight bearing on the corner 2x4's? If your frame was built with "screw strips" then weight should be bearing on the 2x4's. If your frame was built without them then the weight would likely be bearing on the screws and this can cause problems. If you have 2x4's running vertically in each corner that are cut short from the top and the bottom of the stand then those are the screw strips (See attached pic for an idea of how this looks). Sandwiched on the outside of those would be the 2x4's that meet inline with the top and bottom of the frame structure. When your stand is constructed this way then the weight bears on these vertical 2x4's and is distributed therefore across the frame better. If your stand was not built with the screw strips it is possible that your weight distribution is uneven and the weight is bearing down through some of the connecting screws. This naturally can cause a problem. I hope I have explained that sufficiently...this is a case where some pictures would help in assessing your problem further if you can get some up. Stand Frame Pic

Hi Loni! Glad to see you posting up...I only found it because I ended up with several PM's mentioning/requesting glass tanks all of a sudden so I knew you had to be the one to blame . You "ordered" carries a couple different meanings here then doesn't it . You certainly twisted my arm a bit to get that one hehehe, but I will enjoy building it certainly. As requested, I'll get pics to you as soon as the build comes along. Only part of your build currently under construction right now is the ATO Reservoir...just started on that one last night

Ditto on Piedmont. They will sell cut-to-order pieces. 1/4" black will run you about $5/sf or so. SABIC Polymershapes is also up that way as well, but they will only sell in Full Sheets...will still cut for you though.

Very cool

That is looking MUCH better Ben! I really dig the new aquascape and can't wait to see your coral filling that in!! This is really my favorite part of fabrication...seeing the creations turn into so so much more!! Loving it! Loving it! Don't care what anyone says....cubes rock! =)

Who knows, but I will say if a gun was put to my head to start throwing tanks to a cheering crowd I would at least be somewhat relieved by them being acrylic vs. glass...

Oh it most certainly would be cool for that. If you notice the last picture (tank illuminated in red)...that was shot in the garage, no flash, no lights, and was dark outside so you can also see how it even illuminates the wall behind it with a nice glow. Do that in blue....like an actinic gone wild . H-E-double hockey sticks, its a good thing I make these with a dimmable feature too

Actually, sandblasting works just as well for the etching and provides basically the same effect as the laser etching does...whatever design is there picks up the lighting. What happens is it creates an "interruption" in the light passage so the light follows the path though majority continues on which is why all of the edges receive a heavier amount of light than the center of the panel as well.

Acrylic, when LED's are cast through the edge, has a very cool "glowing" effect. I have attached two recent pics from one I am setting up right now (so disregard the electrical tape as it's only temporary during fabrication). The included pics involve 4 strips of waterproof LED's, two of which are color changing for variable effects. The effect is self explanatory from the secondary picture with the test tank on top. The effect is even better when the tank has water in it unlike this one though . It can also be enhanced by having the acrylic laser etched with a design of choosing. Any designs, graphics, etc.. etched into the middle of a panel will "pick up" the lighting and receive their own secondary illumination (if you have ever seen an acrylic "EXIT" sign you will get the idea). The setup in the pics is a personal one I am setting up for myself (selfishness is allowed every once in a while ). I will create a build thread on it sometime soon. Have a great day all!

And I'm looking forward to seeing how Adam does too...just kidding . It will be another fun build. I like the big boy tanks . When we started this process I had no idea it was going to be a bar tank until of course I saw this thread the other day. You have been pleasant to work with as well Steve

GGrrrr...so jealous. Those lights are awesome.

Looking forward to it! Thank you very much. Glad to be here. (I can't get over this silly emoticon...love him)

Thanks Tom! I appreciate it! Thanks also for all the time and energy you put into this marvelous club!