How to Make a Marine Fish Tank
A marine fish tank provides hours of relaxing entertainment. There are so many vibrant, colorful fish to choose from that you can create exactly the kind of aquarium environment you want. Unfortunately, the set up costs can be very high. One way to get started, without spending a fortune, is to make your own marine fish tank.
Things Needed:
- Six 1/2-inch thick acrylic sheets cut to the appropriate size by supplier
- Four corner clamps
- Solvent cement
- Syringe
- Rubber gloves
- Rags
- Pair of sawhorses
- Choose a location for the new aquarium, and decide on the appropriate size. Determine the size of the acrylic sheets needed so that they can be ordered from a supplier already cut. The bottom sheet must be large enough to allow all four sides to sit on top of it. The short sides of the aquarium should fit inside the longer front and back panels. Consider whether you wish to have a top piece or simply a cross-support when designing the tank. Make sure to include the width of the acrylic sheets in the calculations.
- Locate a local acrylic supplier on the Internet or in a phone book, and order the acrylic sheets in the sizes needed.
- Begin the assembly on a low, flat surface. Using soft rags between the clamps and the acrylic, clamp the four corners together with the corner clamps. Set this on top of the bottom piece of acrylic.
- Put on rubber gloves to protect your hands. Working from the inside of the aquarium, apply the solvent cement with the syringe into the joints formed where the side pieces rest on the bottom piece. Make sure to thoroughly wet the width of the joint. The solvent works by melting the acrylic which fuses the seam. Be extremely careful not to drip the solvent on the acrylic because it will damage the surface.
- Allow the bottom joints to dry for four hours. Then lay the tank on its back to weld the back joints. Make sure to only apply the solvent cement to horizontal joints to prevent dripping and allow it to seep into the joints. Inject the solvent cement into these joints, and allow to dry.
- Turn the tank over and repeat the process on the front joints.
- Allow the front joints to dry for four hours and then weld on the top piece or cross-support. Turn the tank upside down and place it on sawhorses so that you can work from underneath while cementing the top piece.