Topic: Acrylic guy's, Aquarium ?

[78 k550]

Hey All,
Any one work with acrylic. I want to learn to bend it to make nice corners on a fish tank. Anyone out there already doing this or have done something like it.

I just set up a 75 gal Seaclear and want to make others like it. I have a 40 gal Seaclear tank also running. I have a 20 gal glass and a 55 glass up. I like Cichlids. Just started with them.
I'm just getting into it and realize how important water quality is. I kept tetra's but never cared about the water with test kits. I watched 2+ hours from this guy on youtube last night from Canada.
I just like the use of it and how durable it is.
The 75 was out in the back yard for over a year getting weathered, look's the same as when I brought it home. Been set up for a month and have a female OB Peacock holding already.

Paul

[brooze72]

I've worked a little bit with acrylic years ago, the thick stuff can be a bear to bend.  You have to heat it very gently, no direct flame or it will discolor or burn.  I seem to remember getting bubbles in my bend, I was never sure if it was due to moisture in the original sheet or I overheated it.  I do know acrylic pellets must be dried before extruding the sheet, so I suspect I just overheated it.  I also remember there was a special chemical (methacrylic?) used to "weld" parts together.  It scratches pretty easily too, maybe polycarbonate sheet would be better as it is pretty tough (automotive lenses are a common use).

[Retro Rocket]

Hey All,
Any one work with acrylic. I want to learn to bend it to make nice corners on a fish tank. Anyone out there already doing this or have done something like it.

I just set up a 75 gal Seaclear and want to make others like it. I have a 40 gal Seaclear tank also running. I have a 20 gal glass and a 55 glass up. I like Cichlids. Just started with them.
I'm just getting into it and realize how important water quality is. I kept tetra's but never cared about the water with test kits. I watched 2+ hours from this guy on youtube last night from Canada.
I just like the use of it and how durable it is.
The 75 was out in the back yard for over a year getting weathered, look's the same as when I brought it home. Been set up for a month and have a female OB Peacock holding already.

Paul

Gday Paul, I have a good mate, {do weights early every morning with him} who breeds and sells Cichlids, its a full time job doing water changes and getting the babies out {mouth breeders}, and yes, monitoring the water closely is critical.... Good luck...

[78 k550]

Does he have any zebra pleco's? Just looking and there at 200.00 for a baby one. I have a spotted sailfin pleco that is about 7 or 8 inchesin my 75. He was in the 55 for years.
Does he get into rare wild caught or just F3 tank breaders?

I have seen video's of people stripping there eggs out. She is up in a corner just chilling where no one can see her. The male is circling the tank looking for her. I just have another 1" female in the tank so I hope she will have some survive. I could set up a 20 gal tomorrow just for her. That way I would be able to save most of the fry.

Paul

[Retro Rocket]

Does he have any zebra pleco's? Just looking and there at 200.00 for a baby one. I have a spotted sailfin pleco that is about 7 or 8 inchesin my 75. He was in the 55 for years.
Does he get into rare wild caught or just F3 tank breaders?

I have seen video's of people stripping there eggs out. She is up in a corner just chilling where no one can see her. The male is circling the tank looking for her. I just have another 1" female in the tank so I hope she will have some survive. I could set up a 20 gal tomorrow just for her. That way I would be able to save most of the fry.

Paul

He's retired so as well as having an interest in Pleco's , assorted types of catfish  he mainly breeds to sell , he has Yellow tailed Acei, African peacocks, blue dolphins, cobalts, yellows as well as some beautiful albino sailfin Pleco's over a foot long and some massive Gold spots as well. He's now into breeding shrimp in multiple colors, yellow, red, brown {chocolate} and blacks.. Steve uses dental floss to strip the babies out while they are too small to swim, he puts them in a separate tank in a strainer {kitchen type} to keep them contained and sticks a bubbler under them for a couple of days so they can hatch out properly, he calls them "spinners" its quite cool to see. I've probably left out heaps of stuff because i'm not really into the fish, I do know that it takes up a lot of his time though, he sells on average around  $1000 dollars worth of fish and shrimp a week.   Just for a laugh, he calls himself the "fish Whisperer"....

[faux fiddy]

http://newsok.com/exhibit-of-acrylic-sculpture-shows-plexiglass-potential/article/2049533


I met this guy 30 miles from home after a bicycle crash on new years' day about 25 years ago. Met him in front of his store front, and he invited us in. He offered me a rim to ride home on and built a new one for the wheel I left. Great guy,  good acrylic crafter.

He had bid an aquarium half the size of a bedroom. His competitor got the job and broke his back when they filled the thing and it cracked apart, put the guy out of business.

Lee said he could have made it work. He made lots of cool stuff. I can't figure out where he's gone.

[78 k550]

I set up another 20 gal and have her safely in there.

Paul

[78 k550]

I bought another female for the 75. Going to make a tumbler and start stripping them.

Paul