Why don't they make tanks from perspex?

Why don't they make tanks from perspex?

To my knowledge perspex is stronger and lighter then glass isn't it?

 

But it's more flexible surely? Would it hold the same pressure as glass? Also, it scratches easily. Doesn't it also turn yellow with age?

 

Hi Franna
As a matter of fact before glass-bending was common, quite a few tanks where made from perspex when a curve was needed. The biggest draw back was and is it scrach easely. Some fish, Panaque are able to scrach it too

 

It's ALL quite Clear, really!...LOL

Oh YES they do, and have been for a very LONG time, and you're right with your mass-strength observations.

SA is in the ignominious position of having supply and technology, but NOT being a decent source raw material manufacturer, means MUCH higher material costs...translated into COSTLY FINISHED PRODUCT RETAIL PRICES!

Whatever tanks are made here ,employ imported material, largely.
Then there's different GRADES of material for various aspects of design and function.

There's also a price VS size break-even which varies from design and material when looking at GLASS vs Acrylic VS Polycarbonate

BTW Perspex is a trade-name and we carelessly use the term referring to most clear-plastic-type material , usually in sheets, rods or cylinders

Acrylic and Polycarbonate are materials of choice for aquarium construction.
Lexan, Plexiglas, Lucite(Perspex) and a few others are reliable brand names.

I believe Ampaglas is SA's leading polycarbonate/acrylic sheet source material manufacturer..well they were, when I researched supplier options.

I am so chuffed with modern plastics, overall utility and value, as well as energy efficiency that I have reecently had a 3.7m LONG, 1m WIDE, 1m DEEP aquarium made-to-order fro a friend who started life off as a client.

Regarding energy efficincy, being a BRILLIANT insulating material, implies heaters are on for LESS, tank remains warmer MUCH longer and CHillers will make easy work out of maintaining reduced temperatures if required.

Optical Clarity is major plus point, and can you imagin carrying a 4m long crated tank...JUST 8 guys were needed.

When the tank was unpacked , just 6 were needed. Compare THAT to a glass tank of similar dimensions.

ja, so it's about availability and cost.
Even well-priced acrylic aquariums IMPORTED, become less attractive to prospective buyers whe transport, handling, taxes are consideered.

If more were purchased for resale, cost-per-unit would drop but NOWHERE NEAR typical modern display aquarium sizes, in SA hobby-trade, at least.

The WaterZoo does a steady amount of acrylic aquariums every year, with more work being done in LARGE, SHOW-SIZE, custom designed SHAPES and SIZES. We employ the best fabricators in Europe, USA, Asia. We do know of 2 or 3 local , competent companies..but they rarely feature in any significant projects I have worked on.

The flexion, is part of it's strength.
Glass rigidity, and brittle character is IT'S shortcoming.
It withstands >100% of equivalent glass thickness.

Scratches? Well if it's gonna get scratched, ask yourself HOW, and prepare for it! Same for any tank!

Removing scratches is SO MUCH easier than on glass-aquarium wall ...ask me I've removed scratches on glass over 30mm thick already...AND from acrylic panes as well.

Opacity or "yellowing" , is avoided well in advance ; when knowing exposure , and Light conditions.
"Yellowing" is mostly due a series of chemical reactions called 'Crosslinking", in response to UV light exposure. Certain chemicals of acidic or caustic nature can cause turbidity as well.

Grades are so many, and easy to choose from, that deciding on UV and, chemical resistant acrylic is as easy as knowing who to talk to and what to ask ....

And softness? Well have you tried to squeeze a piece of acrylic lately !?

ALL THAT BEING SAID.
I still recommend a well-thought out, pre-planned, conservatively manufactured AQUARIUM with material safety-measures in mind at all times.

Sometimes glass wins on budget and availability, sometimes Acrylic wins for those and other reasons.

:blink1:
HTH

 

Wow Altum well done on that post . And thanks for the other replies. What would you say is the cost of glass vs Acrylic for lets say a 1m by 1m sheet of 5 mm

 

as far as I know Acrylic is far more expensive thank glass but as far as I know acrylic is much stronger

 

If I recall the VERY big tanks are mostly Acrylic, since they bond multiple sheets together.

It's also a lot easier to transport, as it's light weight.

 

Perspex Usage

I work every day with perspex,
It is easy to design and cut something exactly to your own desires.

The truth is that it scratch easy, but you can still polish it out
You can cut grooves into each like a tong and groove unit and then you can glue it with Tensol.

 

And how much does a 3.7m acrylic tank actually cost Altum? Because that's about the size I'm aspiring to in the next 5 years...

 

Alot!!

Crated, Insured, Delivered to door
Incl Customs, etc.

~ZAR 220 000 By the time machine riggers had it installed on platform!
Every cent, WELL spent!!!!

5 years time? No idea

Above was for a very good friend, so he paid ALOT LESS than market value for same item.

Just delivered 7 GLASS , 2 POLYETHYLENE sumps for system

Overall volume 10-11 000 Litres when all connected

Any other queries, pls use pm.

So acrylic tank related posts can return to topic:blink1:

 

Wow, that's a lot of money! Sounds like Chingchai's acrylic reef where he paid about $24 000 for the main tank alone...

 

Sounds about right...

We paid a bit more ... and GOT ALOT MORE:bigsmile:

I've incorporated 3 Quarantine sections, 1 EACH for:-
Fish, Invertebrates or Corals... In CASE imports of separate , multiple specimens of different species, need separate holding.
....those are done in glass though


So, you heard he lost ALL his fish recently, *Amyloodinium , took them out.

*Amyloodinium = Marine Velvet

 

That sounds like an amazing setup, any chance you have some pics of it to show how good an acrylic setup can look?

And why would you say the cost is so high for an acrylic tank that size? Is it the overseas manufacture and shipping? Is it the thickness of the acrylic? And what thickness would that be for a tank that size?

Because for comparison purposes, I saw a 3.4m x 60cm x60cm glass tank on a stand with a cabinet and canopy and sump for R20k at Wonderboom aquarium and bird park this weekend.

And yes, I saw that ChingChai lost nearly all his fish, it's amazing how he just keeps on going as if nothing happened. That loss alone would have bankrupted any one of us amateurs

 

In due course..

Leave this thread for generalised observations I think?

Cost is NOT high.
It's just a BIG number thats all!
Some of us stop counting when we hit 2 zeros..others just carry on

Thru Our parent company, we qualify for rebates in manufacture, shipping and import duties due to memberships with various trade organisations.

THIS job translates to 20-25% CHEAPER than SA suppliers, of similar standard materials.
BUT of much less work experience.

~30mm Acrylic, Specialist Design and Engineering, fabrication, drilling, concealed bonding, wastage, labour, packaging, VERY HIGH Public Liability Insurance, and Warranties of 5-10-15 even 25 years, are offered in this marketplace.

For what was achieved in design, water volume, energy savings, and overall safety aspects, I'm VERY pleased with it

When I get a chance to snap my Crappy (trademarked!!!) pix I will do so.

Tank is a few weeks away from setup.
NOW..... sumps, stands, plumbing, electrics, reservoirs, to be delivered and installed

soon....soon

THEN water etc.

Most China tanks use (now)older technology of automotive glass bending, so ther'es a GLUT of curved glasstanks. Most are usually upto 3.2m .
AGAIN, a ONCE off, with no moulds, High Manpower and Virgin acrylic material Does translate into a top-end product with a price tag that matches.


Ever wonder WHY the Thai guy is in the Perishable Goods Business ?? You LEARN to accept, review and move on or end up frozen in your tracks. Which is a no-no in business survival. I'd guess he has developed the same ways with his tanks.I can't Lie, it HURTS, ALOT!!

BUT, you move forward from all tragedy, depends how fast, and how soon..right?

I too have lost, far more times than I care to remember..many RRRRRR's of fish, and other livestock.

Mostly no fault of mismanagement, sometimes, due to VERY POOR JUDGEMENT.

It happens, I'm afraid; from nano tanks to megalitre public aquaria..

 

That's amazing that something that size is cheaper to bring in from an international manufacturer than to make it here. We have the resources, we have the materials, suppose we're just lacking in the market and skills

I must say that I've seen some beautiful acrylic tanks done in public aquariums and there really is no comparison for clarity and choice of shape. It's too bad that they can't engineer a skin to be scratch-resistant, otherwise there would be no competition!

As for the glass tank I was talking about, it's locally manufactured from 12mm glass from what I could see. That place seems to have their own manufacturer that makes a big variety of sizes and finishes. They're actually in the process of setting up a HUGE marine tank in their display area, definitely one to watch.

 

go thru posts, same thread... questions answered....

It's not amazing.
We are on average 5y behind in aquarium hardware sales, availability. Acrylic we are about 10y behind...due to below.
Details in full posts, before this.

Oh, in which case, 20K is a bit high, if I had to guess!
We delivered 12mm tanks recently
2.5m*80cm*80cm for 11 000 with stand, 1 sump
3.0m*80cm*65cm for 13 000 with stand, 2 sumps
NO Cabinetry
That was extra, as part of furniture, decor budget!

 

Looks like I've found my future mega tank supplier :bigsmile:

As for the scratch resistant acrylic, it looks like Lexan has a product called Margard which is supposed to be scratch resistant due to a silicon coating. There's also products from other manufacturers called Artshield, and Astra XT and there is a process called molecular aligning that should give good scratch resistance - this one is used on aircraft windows. But I'll bet that these things would all come at the cost of a few extra zeroes