Things You'll Need
- Strip heater
- Acrylic sheets, 1/4-inch thick
- Utility knife
- ̶0;C̶1; clamps
- Silicone sealant
Instructions
Cut a sheet of acrylic to the length you need it to be. Use a utility knife to cut it. The length should be the same as the circumference of the final circle you want. You should also cut the acrylic to the height you will need for the tank.
Heat the sheet of acrylic. Use a strip heater that heats only a small width of the acrylic. A strip heater will emit heat in a band of approximately 1/4 of an inch. Hold the acrylic sheet over the strip heater and bend it slightly at the place where it has been heated. Move the sheet as you bend it, exposing a new area to the strip heater. Work your way down the sheet, bending the heated spots as you go.
Repeat the heating and bending process. You will need to do this to tighten the circular shape you got the first time. Don̵7;t try to bend the acrylic too far on any single pass over the heater, because this can stress the material to the point that it cracks. Make repeated passes over the heater, bending the acrylic farther with each pass.
Clamp the ends of the acrylic together once they meet. These clamps will hold your circular bend in place so that your hands are free to secure the sheet ends.
Apply a bead of acrylic silicone sealant to the seam where the ends of the bent acrylic sheet meet. Let this bead dry for four hours. Apply a second coat of the sealant to the seam.
Set the circular acrylic on end so it is in a vertical position. Place it on a sheet of acrylic. Use the circular bottom of the tank as a guide to trace a circle on the acrylic sheet.
Cut the circle out of the acrylic sheet. Set the tank on the circle and apply sealant to seal the bottom to the tank.
Fill the tank with water and check for leaks before adding fish. If you find leaks, drain the tank and allow it to dry completely before adding more silicone sealant to the seams.