# acrylic for dividing tanks



## Lindy (23 Apr 2017)

I am about to divide a couple of tanks. I've always bought acrylic sheets on ebay but I have some large pieces of Acrylic wetwall sheets left over from doing our shower rooms. Does anyone know if it would be safe to use?
Cheers for any info


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## zozo (23 Apr 2017)

Yes it is.. If you search ebay or look at UKAPS sponsor Hinterfeld. They have acrylic tank devider braces with suckercups to slide in the panel. Depending on the size of the fish you want to keep apart it could come in handy. 

Or just the black plastic ones.. But i believe hinterfeld has them in acrylic.. At least had them, i know they are around.
http://www.banggood.com/Aquarium-Bl...up-For-Fish-Tank-p-933226.html?rmmds=category


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## Lindy (23 Apr 2017)

zozo said:


> Yes it is.. If you search ebay or look at UKAPS sponsor Hinterfeld. They have acrylic tank devider braces with suckercups to slide in the panel. Depending on the size of the fish you want to keep apart it could come in handy.
> 
> Or just the black plastic ones.. But i believe hinterfeld has them in acrylic.. At least had them, i know they are around.
> http://www.banggood.com/Aquarium-Bl...up-For-Fish-Tank-p-933226.html?rmmds=category



Thanks Zozo, I have a box of those dividers but these dividers will be siliconed in permanantly. I've found even fully grown chocolate can squeeze past those suction cup thingies. 
Oh well, looks like I'll be using white wetwall. Wondering if I should sand off the pattern that is laminated on incase it leeches a chemical?


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## zozo (23 Apr 2017)

If it is 100% acrylic it should be safe to use. I divided my sump with 4mm acrylic sheet.. Never had any issues. I do not know anything about the lamination you are refering to.. Lamination usealy is a permanent bond, not like extra glued on sheet of foil. Than the glue might have some chemicals in it. Are you sure it's laminated? i've seen different colors of solid acrylic available, colored during the production process.


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## MrHidley (23 Apr 2017)

If you're acrylic turns out not to be useful, this website is super cheap, it's where i recently purchased acrylic for my tank build. 

https://plasticonline.co.uk/


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## Lindy (23 Apr 2017)

This is what I have. It says here 100% pvc structure.

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## ian_m (23 Apr 2017)

Remember aquatic silicone doesn't bond to acrylic which is why you solvent weld acrylic rather than use silicone.

So you could risk it in a glass tank, but you would probably need an unsightly amount of silicone to hold it in place. Many people use acrylic dividers in glass sump tanks, but have to use large amounts of silicone to hold in place.

Might be more aesthetically pleasing to get proper glass dividers, 4mm will be fine and use a standard amount of silicone to hold it in place.


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## Lindy (23 Apr 2017)

zozo said:


> If it is 100% acrylic it should be safe to use. I devided my sump with 4mm acrylic sheet.. Never had any issues. I do not know anything about the lamination you are refering to.. Lamination usealy is a permanent bond, not like extra glued on sheet of foil. Than the glue might have some chemicals in it. Are you sure it's laminated? i've seen different colors of solid acrylic available, colored during the production process.



It is sparkly white.


ian_m said:


> Remember aquatic silicone doesn't bond to acrylic which is why you solvent weld acrylic rather than use silicone.
> 
> So you could risk it in a glass tank, but you would probably need an unsightly amount of silicone to hold it in place. Many people use acrylic dividers in glass sump tanks, but have to use large amounts of silicone to hold in place.
> 
> Might be more aesthetically pleasing to get proper glass dividers, 4mm will be fine and use a standard amount of silicone to hold it in place.



Thanks Ian but I've never had a problem with my acrylic divided tanks. Maybe because the dividers are never under a lot of pressure and have water on either side. My sump for the big tank used acrylic dividers and was a pretty neat job and nothing has given way.


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## Lindy (23 Apr 2017)

Sorry, forgot to add pic!



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## zozo (23 Apr 2017)

It says 100% PVC structure, but then likely still is safe to use.. PVC isn't a problem, i made my overflow syphons from clear PVC tube. And it's surprisingly scratch free too.

Me too completely made the sump deviders from 4mm acrylic siliconed into a glass tank and it holds pretty good.. Its the silicone which bonds very strongly to the glass and with a kit seam at both sides functions a slid holding it in place, so the bond to the plastic doesn't need to be realy strong, it can't go anywhere. Even is water tight as long tere aint to much presure.. This only means you rather don't drain one side of the tank and leave to other side filled.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (3 May 2017)

Hi @Lindy, if you can I would get in touch with the supplier and ask if they can provide a data sheet for the product. I have a company that fits similar panels, not 100% sure about the bath panels as I generally use them in commercial situations, food prep, medical etc. My worry is that it says on the website "mould free" In the case of the ones I usually fit they have been treated with a chemical to prevent mould spores and ecoli and such like. The back also has a textured finished which isn't the same material as the front so the adhesive will key. I also noticed that they are fire resistant which means they have been treated with some form of intumescent chemical which again is quite toxic and from my understanding carcinogenic (when burning). I tried to pull a data sheet of their site for you but couldn't find one so for me, if in doubt I wouldn't use them.


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