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Advice? Acrylic Tanks

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by mattman319, Apr 21, 2016.

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  1. Apr 21, 2016 #1
    mattman319 Cedar Rapids, IA

    mattman319 SoManyTanks

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    Is there anyone out there that has a lot of experience with acrylic tanks? Specifically how to repair a crack and cleaning and buffing procedures? I bought a used tank that while removing it from a house, the person that was taking care of selling it dropped it on one of the corners and it cracked. It did not quite penetrate the seam but it is on the bottom and without repairing it I am not gonna set it up. It also needs a good cleaning and scratches removed. I would like some advice on this please. Thanks in advance.
     
  2. Apr 22, 2016 #2
    Roman Cedar Rapids, IA

    Roman Experienced Reefkeeper

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    @Turbo's Aquatics@Turbo's Aquatics does a lot with acrylic . He may be able to steer you in the right direction . Maybe take a detailed pic too may help .
     
  3. Apr 22, 2016 #3
    xroads La Porte City, IA

    xroads Veteran Reefkeeper Vendor

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    Where is the crack? Can you get a close up of it?

    The sanding and reinforcing is the easy part. Just a little elbow grease.
     
  4. Apr 22, 2016 #4
    Bud West Des Moines, IA

    Bud Loves Bacon Website Team Board of Directors Leadership Team GIRS Member Vendor

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    Pics of crack - it has to be repairable before you go down the cleaning/sanding/polishing route

    acrylic thickness? Is top/bottom thinner?

    for cleaning, lay on side, cover inside with paper towels, pour vinegar onto towels. Let it soak for a few hours then rinse it all off, use a plastic scraper a bit (gently), repeat as necessary. Turn to the next side & repeat.

    Sanding & polishing, a bit more involved. That's later though
     
  5. Apr 22, 2016 #5
    mattman319 Cedar Rapids, IA

    mattman319 SoManyTanks

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    The third pic is from the under side. Hard to get good pics of it.3/4" all the way around except top and that is 1/2". And I do realize that the fixing definitely comes before the cleaning! Lol. The damage is on the bottom corner on the end with the overflow.
    --- Auto-Merged, Apr 22, 2016, Original Post: Apr 22, 2016 ---

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  6. Apr 22, 2016 #6
    xroads La Porte City, IA

    xroads Veteran Reefkeeper Vendor

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    Its not horrible

    Here is what I would do if it was mine.

    First you will need to make it incredibly clean, especially on the inside where that seam is.

    Weld on make a couple products I have used. Weld on 18 & weld on 42.

    Tip the tank up so that damaged end is pointing down, and fill that corner with weldon. It will harden as hard as the acrylic and make it very strong. Try to tilt it so you dont get a ton on the viewing panel. I usually do all the seams so it basically looks like caulk in a glass tank.

    Then if you are happy with it, start wet sanding the viewing panes. Start out with 2000 or so, and work your way to 5000
     
  7. Apr 22, 2016 #7
    Waterrat41 Des moines

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    I'd be tempted to glue a small block of acrylic on the inside of the corner after it was completely clean using some weldon 4 or 16
     
  8. Apr 22, 2016 #8
    Actuary Adel, IA

    Actuary Well-Known ReefKeeper

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    Is that the 300g that's been on Craigslist for a while now? Kind of hard to tell the dimensions from the pics.
     
  9. Apr 22, 2016 #9
    mattman319 Cedar Rapids, IA

    mattman319 SoManyTanks

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    I got it off of craigslist, yes
    6' long
    3' tall
    30" deep? I think...
     
  10. Apr 22, 2016 #10
    mattman319 Cedar Rapids, IA

    mattman319 SoManyTanks

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    Where do they sell this weld on?
     
  11. Apr 22, 2016 #11
    xroads La Porte City, IA

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    Ebay, amazon, plastic companies
     
  12. Apr 22, 2016 #12
    mattman319 Cedar Rapids, IA

    mattman319 SoManyTanks

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    Ok. Thanks!
     
  13. Apr 22, 2016 #13
    Bud West Des Moines, IA

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    There is no weld on 18, I think you mean 16, and I would not use that. 40 and 42 are the same, 42 needs an applicator gun so 40 is what you want.

    That being said, I have to look at this pics closer on a PC. To me, it looks bad. If any of those cracks could continue along the panel it's a hard long term fix because you need to drill a hole at the end of the crack to stop it from progressing, then sandwich the crack with new acrylic

    I hate repair jobs.
     
  14. Apr 22, 2016 #14
    Bud West Des Moines, IA

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    this pic is the one that concerns me. I can't tell what direction the crack is "going", but it looks like you have multiple fractures that are travelling through the panel, not to the edges. The jagged one on the right seems like it's progressing upward into the vertical panel, and that's a bad place for a crack.
     
  15. Apr 22, 2016 #15
    Bud West Des Moines, IA

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  16. Apr 22, 2016 #16
    FishBrain New London

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    Saw it in person yesterday and personally I wouldn't try and repair it myself. You need to get a professional to look at it in person and if possible have them repair it for you. @Turbo's Aquatics@Turbo's Aquatics could that end panel just be cut off the good side of the crack? Then just rebuild the end?
     
  17. Apr 22, 2016 #17
    mattman319 Cedar Rapids, IA

    mattman319 SoManyTanks

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    If ur gonna b around the Cedar Rapids area any time soon I would love to have u stop by and take a look at it first hand.
     
  18. Apr 22, 2016 #18
    Bud West Des Moines, IA

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    (Response to @FishBrain@FishBrain)

    That's actually very complicated. It would be easier actually to just cut off the corner with a circular saw at a 45, then bond a patch over it and trim off the excess

    That is actually very doable in this case. The positive part about the crack is that it's in the corner, and this is the strongest part of the tank. So you can use that to your advantage.
     
  19. Apr 22, 2016 #19
    abower Ryan, Ia

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    Cut the corner out at a double 45°. Hone the cut to true flat. Take a small inch cube of acrylic and Weldon it in, cut the excess material away and hone it flat, fill corner as xroads suggested and done. No more fracture and corner reinforced. You can get a cube for a few bucks online.
     
  20. Apr 22, 2016 #20
    mattman319 Cedar Rapids, IA

    mattman319 SoManyTanks

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    If anyone has the time to help me with this it would be greatly appreciated being that I know nothing about acrylic. I'm sure I could come up with something to make the time and help worth ur while.
     
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