"Corian" tank - 2/24/07 (Finished)

[redswi]

Okay...a little background first. I am a Cabinetmaker w/Electical and Plumbing experience. I have all the tools and materierials at my disposal. I have built 2 glass tanks in the past (15 / 30 gal), and...oh yeah "I'm cheap".
This will be my first tank in about 18 years, it will be a community tank of about 40 gal, and will fit into a corner. The project will include the tank,stand,hood,and wet/dry filter. I like to challenge myself with every new project, so with this one I will be pushing for good looking,top quality,easy to maintian,healthy enviorment,and oh yeah "I'm cheap.
By now your wondering where the Corian fits in, well... Corian is an acrylic and has very similar properties to the acrylic that most of you are used to. Corian is insoluble in water, it's chemical and microbial resistant, and it bonds to itself to create seamless water-tight construction...Plus the company I work for fabricates countertops out of it and we get plenty of scrap lying around...remember ? I'm cheap.
I summit the attached design for your input. This is the largest tank I can do with the space available and the material on hand...the back corner will be solid so the fish don't have to see my ugly walls...the overflow is an idea I had after seeing some "All-glass" tanks...the bottom will be 1/2" solid , and drilled for a standpipe/return (the wet/dry design will come later)...I am not entirely happy with framing the front angles ,but i'm to cheap to have my glass beveled.
Please feel free to pick this apart all comments are welcome....this will be my prodject for the winter and I will be posting my progress as well as my questions.

 

[melosu58]

Cant wait to see the finished product.

 

[plecoperson]

We just overordered Corian to get a "free" integrated sink. Must talk husband into this use of the excess.....

 

[GlitcH]

Very Interesting!!
I bet that is gonna look awesome!

I'm bookmarking this thread....looking forward to your progress.

Hey can we get a picture of the pattern on the corian.......I am wondering what that looks like.

Oh.......and welcome to AA!

 

[drobertson]

Re: I'm building a "Corian" tank

I am not entirely happy with framing the front angles [/img]

I think this looks good on some tanks. You look through a window in to an underwater world, can be very cool.

Welcome to AA!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hara]

it's chemical and microbial resistant

Please excuse my ignorance as I am totally unfamiliar with the material you mention. Does it get the above properties by being chemically treated at some point? If so, should that be a concern?

 

[BillyZ]

it's chemical and microbial resistant

Please excuse my ignorance as I am totally unfamiliar with the material you mention. Does it get the above properties by being chemically treated at some point? If so, should that be a concern?

Hopefully he'll correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it boasts those properties from being a non-porus material(?).

I think the design is fine. I would consider some sort of containing frame/rim around the outside of the top and bottom. Just from my own personally taste, i don't know if I would like the framed look of the front panels, but i guess thats just a matter of taste.

 

[Sicklid]

Corian is basically pigmented acrylic. It is little chips of it pressed together kind of like an acrylic particle board.

It is totally inert, as it is used for food preparation areas...

I am looking forward to seeing this too... The only thing I would ask is what is the thickness of this material? I know it is not the thickness of a countertop, but wont it need a brace welded across the top from front to back to prevent bowing out? I didn't see one in the plans.

 

[redswi]

thank you for the input, your positive comments show me that i am on the right track..

to answer hara

Please excuse my ignorance as I am totally unfamiliar with the material you mention. Does it get the above properties by being chemically treated at some point? If so, should that be a concern?

billiyz and sicklid are correct. Corian is basically a non porous acrylic particalboard. when cured it does not offgass or leech, it is easy to clean and disinfect making it perfect for wet areas and lab surfaces...

to answer billyz

I would consider some sort of containing frame/rim around the outside of the top and bottom.

and sicklid

The only thing I would ask is what is the thickness of this material? I know it is not the thickness of a countertop, but wont it need a brace welded across the top from front to back to prevent bowing out

the top from will be 1/4" thick x 1 3/8" wide, and will have a rout to accept a 2 pcs glass cover...the the bottom will be solid 1/2" thick.... the front and side frames as well as the back panels will be 3/8" thick...all the joints will be glued with the same acrylic resin that the corian is made from basically welding it together...the glass will be siliconed.

I will be prepping all the parts at the shop on sat. then I will bring home for assembly...I will post some pics this weekend depending on how far I get

 

[Sicklid]

Are you sure it won't bow out when filled with water? It seems like 3/8"" material is strong enough to hold water, but all acrylic tanks I have seen were at least 1/2"" thick, and they still have a top brace... Not like you cant add one afterwards if it did bow.

One more stupid comment: I have heard that glass will not stick to acrylic with silicone as the bonding material (I personally don't know this to be true or false, just remember reading that somewhere). Why not weld clear acrylic windows in just to be sure? Oops, I forgot how cheap you are going for here , sorry.

Good luck, and show those pix when you're done!!!

 

[redswi]

Are you sure it won't bow out when filled with water?

honestly??? I don't know... the way it is machined, and glued I don't think I will have a problem vertically... but this is the reason I posted here, so I'm changing the top as follows.

as for the silicone...we use it everyday to adhere our tops in place, and to seal...it is a pain to remove...some solid surface materials contain more of a polyester resin, I'm not sure how well silicone sticks to them[/img]

 

[Sicklid]

That cross brace is what I was talkin 'bout exactly... and all I was saying was that is what I have read posted about silicone/glass adhesion. In my line of work, I use 50 year clear silicone for EVERYTHING, so I figured it would stick for you without a prob, just playing devil's advocate BEFORE you assemble.

 

[redswi]

went to the shop this morning to cut some parts...didn't feel like sanding all day so my material is now all 7/16"thick....going back to the original top design...Don't see bowing as being to much of a problem,but I did make the top rails wider...did a dry run to make sure everything fit...will start my glue ups this week ,and will update the pics next weekend...

The color is called Beach (bottom is Moss ,but won't be seen)

from the front

from the side

 

[tropicalfish]

looks awesome! are you sure you want your water level that high for the overflow?

 

[plecoperson]

My well-reasoned and (I'm sure) helpful response?

"That is so cool."

 

[Sicklid]

Sorry for being a PITA, but I never even noticed your top rail when I was hounding you about that top brace. Now that I see it, I doubt you'll have a problem!

LOOKS COOL!!!! Are you making a canopy?

I tell ya, I am a fan of things that look retro, but are made with modern materials and reliability; THAT TANK fits the bill nicely. By retro I mean the framed front windows are a throwback to the days of old framed tanks... In this day and age when all everyone wants is a seamless tank, here you come w/ something completely unique and different!

 

[redswi]

are you sure you want your water level that high for the overflow?

the idea is that the water will siphon from the bottom 3" of the tank, the routs at the top of the overflow split the water line creating an air break to balance the water in the overflow...at least that's what I keep telling myself. LOL

Sorry for being a PITA, but I never even noticed your top rail when I was hounding you about that top brace.

I'm the one who told you to pick at it, but I did make it wider...at first I wasn't happy with the front frame but the more I look at it , the more I love it

 

[Zezmo]

So far this is looking very nice. I cant wait to see the finished product.
Your use of original materials for the frame really sets it off

 

[Sicklid]

at first I wasn't happy with the front frame but the more I look at it , the more I love it

Yeah man, one thing in life is certain: half the people are gonna love something, half are gonna hate it... as long as you (and everyone else on this thread so far, it seems) likes it, so what? Like I said, it's definitely one of a kind, I would love to have it.

 

[redswi]

It's been a productive week... I glued up some of the panels during the week,and did a final assembly friday afternoon...

I know it's ugly...The acrylic resin runs all over but will be routed, and sanded later.

I took the tank out to the garage saturday morning because I wanted to keep the dust out of the house...spent most of the morning routing all the edges flush, then i gave all the edges a 1/8" radius...sanded up to 320 grit...then gave it all a buff with some very fine scotchbrite before bringing it back in, (it's to cold to work out there)...took some measurements and cut all my glass (lucky for my cheap self I had apiece of heavy 1/4" plate glass left over from an old coffee table) LOL...siliconed everything in place... just waiting to cure so I can test for leaks.

ok,so,I probably rushed the water test, it's been about 24 hrs...so far so good