Originally Posted by Richard_Dicosimo (Post 317774)

i have been looking into building a skimmer lately and have priced out some 6" acrylic tubing all 1/8" and if you buy a 6' length from industrial paints and plasitcs in Calgary they will sell it to you for 105$ nearly halfs your main chamber costs.
they are located in the industrial park in the s.e. near chinook center, they also had the 6" in stock when i was there last wednesday. also i found a site on the internet www.k-mac-plastics.com they aslo sell the acrylic tube for less then you say you can get it IF you buy in a 6' lengths. hope this helps you some.

Richard

Originally Posted by Chin_Lee (Post 317855)

brad what thickness extrudes did you use? I've used up to 1/8 extruded and it cracks like crazy (fine cracks where glue was applied)

Originally Posted by Aquattro (Post 317845)

Kari, have you actually had extruded crack on you? I ask because I've always built my skimmers and reactors from extruded, anywhere from 4" to 8" tubing, and as far as I know, pieces built 7 years ago are still in service. My Ca Reactor has been around for 5 years and the LFS is using one of my first skimmers built 7 years ago. I know it's not as clear, but it's always stayed crack free and not leaked. Just wondering if your experiences have been different?

Originally Posted by kari (Post 317876)

They say this can be avoided by anealing the parts but who's wife will let you cook plastic in the oven. I was caught, once was enough.

Originally Posted by kari (Post 317843)

The only problem with the tube from IPP in Calgary is that it's extruded. It can be done but sometimes if you look at it the wrong way it cracks up like corn flakes.

Thanks for the input though.