Acrylic Mer Tank

[SireniaSolaris]

Funny that I just came across this. A company I work with making balloon animals is partnering with a big Italian Decor company that is coming to the states. As a way to advertise the new special events division, they were actually talking about building a huge acrylic tank at the front of the store to have me swim in regulary to kind of attract the crowds. I thought it was an awesome idea, but I was also a little concerned about the safety of it. I really don't think money is too big an issue to them - at least not to the Italian company. I understand that they kind of want to go all out. Does anyone know if Eric had the tank built himself? I'm assuming it is safe to have lasted through him, and now Raven. I'd actually be interested in asking him some questions as far as the construction of it went, so that I might discuss it with the company building the storefront.

[AniaR]

I doubt you'd get many answers from Eric, there's always this whole hush of not giving away trade secrets so other people dont copy! Le gasp! I know he didn't make it though he bought it, and a stand, and a trailor to move it. Mermaid Melissa apparently has a tank now but I doubt she'd give you much answers. Raven is often MIA from FB cuz she's too busy being in love and her FB doesn't work half the time but maybe the people at the dive bar would tell you some info about their tank?

[Odette]

raina made some great points. if its not done correctly then it could be very dangerous.

[neonmermaid]

Anyone thought about using a dunk tank? Not much room to swim but you could sit on the stool and splash people with your fluke or duck in to the tank and make faces through the water. I think this is a pretty swell idea haha! You can rent one for less than $200 a day!

http://www.twisterdisplay.com/

[Mermaid Sirena]

That's an idea o_0 I never thought of that.

[Mermaid Saphira]

^ It would be so cool if you painted them a solid color and then painted a really pretty mermaid logo on there with your name beside it

[Capt Nemo]

Actually, it might be easier to get a semi trailer tanker with an acrylic side. ~4-5000 gallons.

[SireniaSolaris]

Funny that this just happened - a friend of mine (who was actually with me when getting our certification from Weeki Wachee before they put their new age policy in place) is coming back to my county (yay, local mer friend! ) and she was telling me about the tank she is getting build

8 ft by 4 ft by 4 ft, and it is being built on a trailer on wheels, so that her bf's truck and just pull it along wherever they need to go. Acrylic of course.

It's costing about 10k O_O

[Mermaid Sirena]

I wonder what the measurements are for Merbellas tank. Is it a 400 gallon?

I have a thought for sort of a reverse tank, what if you built a nice solid (collapsable) wooden box that fit a fully blown up pool. Then placed a large piece of glass or acrylic over the top? And sand on the bottom of the pool to disguise it. The box would hide it's a blow up pool and it could be easy to move around.

[Mermaid Sirena]

Never mind just found through a link and a link from their site that it is a 1000 gallon tank :O That's a lot of water, I can't imagine trying to haul it around and filling it with water.

[New York Mermaid]

thank you so much @NeonMermaid you just gave me a great idea for my nieces mermaid party.

Plus Im also thinking of getting a small "see through" inflatable pool, which would work in "land" events.

or something like this, maybe paint it up a bit
its 300 gallons http://www.enasco.com/product/Z40740N

Or the more"pool-like" 500 gallon:
http://www.enasco.com/product/Z18630N

[Mermaasai]

What about polycarbonate sheeting?
Its just as strong or stronger than acrylic, its clear... also you can get UV protection sheets..
Maybe using a thick plastic tank (like for horse troughs and such.. just... larger) and having a large sheet of polycarbonate installed on one wall of the tank/tub..
I would think that would allow for a much lighter tank when empty.. and still be durable.
Also since it would be plastic you could probably have a stopper at a bottom edge of the tank to empty the water from it.
Any way just a daydreamy thought..

[Kanti]

The main/most dangerous problem/obstacle would be storage and moving I'd assume.
As mentioned earler, attaching it straight to a trailer of some sort would be awesome, but
it's still an expensive process no matter what.

The size tank the average person would need would be 1000 gallons. 800 is ok but a bit confined.
You can get them custom made for $10k-$15k but if you check out used ones that people put up on
aquarium forums and petstore sites, you can easily get the price knocked down to around 5k.
It'll be used, but it's an awesome price for a huge ass tank. Just make sure you have the person you're
buying it from fill it up so you can see there are no leaks or imperfections. Don't get conned xD

The largest tank I've actually made was about 100-150 gallons and they're a super bitch to make. The
process took around 40 hours of work and that was a fraction of what the tank a mermaid would need.
Plus, you may throw out your money if the tank goes haywire and breaks on you.

It's safer/easier to just have someone make it for you. But if you're good at building stuff and don't mind
taking a few months to take the time to make sure everything is perfect, you'd save a bunch of money
just making it yourself. Just make sure you test-fill it before taking it anywhere xD

[SireniaSolaris]

The tank my friend had made was 1000 gallons. Merbellas is the same. You really don't want to go smaller than that - there would be no room to move. Filling and emptying the tank both takes HOURS. And yes, moving it can be very dangerous. Personally, I think it's too much trouble. People can have me at a pool, aquarium, ocean, or dry. But, for others, it can be a nice upseller. Rates for mermaids allon is $300/hr per mer. Add the tank, and it's an extra $500. If you don't mind the amount of time involved filling and draining, that's a nice upsell

[Kanti]

I'd love a tank~
It'd be the extra pizzaz to add to a performance or draw a crowd. You would probably have to use it
at a festival or an art show, though.
I'll probably look into the materials but right now have no money.
Making them isn't really that hard either, it's just so freaking time consuming.
Filling it would be a nightmare, but I think the end result is worth all the effort :'D

[Mermaid Lorelei]

It's been a dream of mine as well to get a tank. It just seems like it would make such a difference in performances. I feel that when people can see you on display from every angle like in a tank (rather than say a pool) you make a larger impact. And it's not like you can't communicate with the audience or anything, in fact, I think you're interacting better. But those are my personal opinions. All I know is, difficult or not, I want one. XD

[Mermaid Sirena]

If I had a tank I could approach Theater Bizarre with higher odds of being able to show + getting into Ren Fairs would be easier. I will have a tank someday, just might be a Loooong time from now.

[Kanti]

Yea, essentially saving for a tank is like saving for a tail xD

The cheapest option is certainly to find a used one. Usually you can haggle pretty well with the people
selling it since chances are, they're aquarium enthusiasts who are either moving and need to get rid of
it or can't afford to keep it anymore.

[Kanti]

It's been a dream of mine as well to get a tank. It just seems like it would make such a difference in performances. I feel that when people can see you on display from every angle like in a tank (rather than say a pool) you make a larger impact. And it's not like you can't communicate with the audience or anything, in fact, I think you're interacting better. But those are my personal opinions. All I know is, difficult or not, I want one. XD

Absolutely!
I think viewing the costume from underwater allows people to see the fluke/fin movement and also gives your
costume/performance more realism. It also lets you act more like a mermaid xD

[Merman_Ryan]

KIDDIE POOL IT IS! :P