Imagine yourself sitting in the comfort of your own home. You are reading a magazine, lying on your back, cozying. There is a huge aquarium behind you, full of gorgeous fishes. Relaxing, isn’t it? You don’t have to visit 50KM-away beaches outside Metro Manila to see cute and colorful fishes.

Acrylic plastic has already proven its good reputation. When it comes to durability and versatility, acrylic sheets are always on top of the list for construction and DIY stuff. But first, why is acrylic trusted as a main material for aquariums?

Benefits of Using Acrylic
1. Compared to glass, acrylic is more durable and impact resistant. This means that the aquarium made of acrylic plastic can endure unexpected bumps here and there.
2. Cutting acrylic is much easier. With right materials, you can cut it on your own.
3. In case the aquarium breaks, it is safer to clean the debris since it has no dangerous shards. After all, no one wants to see a broken aquarium.

Materials for DIY acrylic aquarium
– Acrylic sheets. Use cast acrylic for best results.
– Acrylic glue
– Grip clamp
– Sandpaper
– Sandpaper holder
– Acrylic cutting saw blade, if acrylic sheet hasn’t been cut yet
– Aquarium Safe Sealant (Clear)

Note: Upon buying, you may also ask your local acrylic supplier to laser cut the sheet according to your desired size, to ensure smoother edges especially for thicker acrylics. This will cut off the time you need to work on the aquarium.

Risks and Precautions
Before starting your project, it is better to take note of several risks and precautions.
1. Be sure to use safety gloves during work. This is because some of these materials aren’t healthy for bare hands.

2. Wear safety glasses for eye protection. Despite the fact that it is easy to do, you may still want to consider protecting your eyes.

3. Make sure that you are knowledgeable enough in using materials for making DIY aquariums. If not, it is recommended to ask help from someone who is more aware on how to use these materials.

4. The size of acrylic obviously varies depending on your target aquarium size. Meaning, you have to talk to your respective supplier and ask which one is suitable for your project.

5. Don’t forget that the durability of your aquarium depends on the quality of your acrylic. Make sure that your acrylic panel supplies are from a trusted acrylic sheet supplier.

How to Make a DIY Aquarium Using Acrylic
Now that you are already aware of every important and additional details, it is time to finally lift your tools and get straight to work. Follow the step-by-step guide on how to make a DIY acrylic aquarium.

1. Get your materials ready. Make sure that all of your materials are ready to be grabbed and used.
2. Using acrylic cutting saw blade, cut acrylic sheets to desired aquarium size. Get your acrylic cutter and do the thing. Take note that this is only applicable if the acrylic panel sheets that you ordered didn’t undergo pre-cutting from your respective acrylic supplier. Disregard this if acrylic panel sheets were already pre-cutted.
3. Smoothen edges. Use sandpaper to make sure that the edges are flat and smooth.
4. Assemble connections. Make sure to use grip clamps and tapes to make sure that sheets are in fixed position.
5. Apply acrylic glue and sealant to connections. Make sure that you apply with care and caution since a spilled glue could ruin the look of aquarium. Too much glue will also make it dirty and cloudy. Don’t forget the sealant as it will ensure that your aquarium has no leakage.
6. Let glue and sealant dry for up to 3 days. Depending on the size and application of glue, your DIY acrylic aquarium should be left for two to three days to make sure that each sides are well-connected.
7. Perform leakage test. Just in case that there’s a leak, reapply sealant and let it dry for another two days.
8. Re-perform a leakage test. DIY aquarium is leak-free?
9. Personalize your masterpiece! Once your aquarium is ready, you may now customize according to your preferences.

Acrylic is a trusted material for DIY projects because of its durability, transparency, impact resistance, and ease of use. Thus, buying the right acrylic sheet as your main material for the next project should be a priority. There are lots of other affordable materials, but the quality that acrylic plastic has to offer is incomparable. Making your own aquarium from acrylic plastic sheets can be a good thing, plus could also be a source of income in the future, just in case that you want to pursue this as a career. For inquiries or questions about acrylics, don’t hesitate to give us a call.