Local acrylic vendors

[uncwalley]

Has anyone bought acrylic locally. If so, where? I'm looking for a decent price on 1/4" acrylic and a shop that will cut it for me for a not too steep fee.

[giantxtc]

Norva plastics in Norfolk.They have cut acrylic baffles for my sumps a few times.

[waterlily]

Just yesterday I got some starboard from Norva. They were very helpful and reasonably priced.

If you want to go glass, I am pretty good at cutting that. I can grind the edges so they aren't sharp too. If you're making a sump, you can just buy a glass aquarium and then put baffles in it.

[uncwalley]

I am trying to build a sump/refugium, but I have a bowfront stand that is a little awkward when trying to fit things underneath it. Right now I have two ten gallon tanks underneath with a powerhead pushing water from the sump to the refugium and a siphon returning water to the sump. I want to consolidate to reduce the risk of water on the floor as well as make a custom sump that will fit through the door of the stand while holding the most amount of water. How much per square foot are y'all paying for acrylic these days (if that isn't rude to ask). I'm on a budget, a strict one. Also, for those of you savvy with acrylic, my plan is a 20" high, 38" x 10.5". The plan was to use 1/4" pieces, but is that overkill. At max I think the tank will hold about 35 gallons, but of course it will realistically only run at about 20. Is 1/4" overkill? Thanks for the help.

[giantxtc]

Well,if this gives you an indication,I spent $35 on 4 baffles for my 20gal sump.The pieces were 1/4" and measured 11x10 3/4"(2pcs)
9x10 3/4"(2pcs).The stuff is'nt cheap by any means.I talked with one of the main guys while I was there,about a custom job.He said they do it all the time but it is very expensive.He said it would be much cheaper to get a tank made by a company that specializes in that field.Your best bet is to get them to cut the stuff for you,and you weld it yourself.

[waterlily]

A few thoughts:
1) Save money by using the 1/4" acrylic for the outside only and then use thinner acrylic for the partitions/baffles inside the sump.

2) Sheets of 1/4" acrylic at Lowe's go for something like $50 for 24"x48" (I think - don't hold me to the cost, although I'm pretty sure the dimesions are correct). Try to minimize expense by planning the dimensions of your sump to make the best use of the acrylic.

3) Acrylic can be cut with a jigsaw on a very slow setting. It is a real pain though. My brother gave me an old acrylic wet/dry sump and I am reconfiguring it. It's going to look really crappy when I'm done with it, but you can't beat the price.

3) Make use of your 10 gallon tanks by connecting them with bulkheads. I can't exactly envision this, but seems to me that this would be do-able. Bulkhead fittings run about $7 each for 1" diameter. If you order from Custom Aquatics they are even cheaper. The tanks would need to be drilled and there are a few of us here who have the tools to do this.

[uncwalley]

Waterlily, you bring up an interesting point. I'm assuming that the acrylic at Lowes is extruded, not cell-cast. Is this really acceptable for making a sump? Of course, I don't care about the clarity of the acrylic, but is expansion due to humidity going to be a factor? If not, then this is what I'm looking for. Thanks.

[uncwalley]

I checked out the acrylic at Lowes. It is a continous cast sheet 24 x 48 for about $44. Norva Plastics had Acrylite GP for 106 for a 4' x 8' sheet, so Lowes price isn't much better for a lesser quality product. I'll probably stick with the acrylite and possibly go for a thinner plastic. Thanks for the help.

[jake2045]

Guys, I just got a some acrylic from a friend, 5 pieces of 1/4 24'x48' that I'm going to use to make a new sump out of. I have the tools to cut it and hold it. I was going to do this last Wed. but the glue I bought had evaporated. McKee plastics will be open on Monday so if I can get some glue if anyone needs something cut let me know. I will hopefully starting this Wed. I may even cut it all out on Sunday.