Is My Acrylic Tank Saveable?

[cryingrn]

So I just recently bought this tank used from someone on FB marketplace (180gal 6x2x2'). Im not an extremely experienced reefer so the rounded edges threw me off and I didnt notice the separation until after I spent 3 weeks building the stand and doing the plumbing.

Is this fixable? I did already fill the tank before I saw the seams (to leak test and to clean it) and it does not leak/didnt do anything super weird or alarming. But it is both sides of the front panel. This feels very discouraging since this upgrade was supposed to be a replacement for my 40gal with failing seams, just for me to buy a tank with also sketchy seams.

Edited to add: tank is acrylic btw

 

[albano]

If it was done to both front corners, I would bet that it was done by the builder and since it’s the outside corners, it should not affect the ‘welded’ areas.

 

[Tcook]

Ask one of the acrylic vendors here on R2R

 

[UncommonSense]

Oof, this isn’t an issue of radius corners, a welded seam is splitting!

Unfortunately, there is no good way to really repair this easily… best-bet would be literally cutting that pane off and welding a new one on after trimming all the edges back to a smooth, plane surface…

This is far from trivial as a repair, and would need to be done by a professional acrylic fabricator whom specializes in aquariums (water holding displays)…

 

[Fish Fan]

@UncommonSense

I can't quite tell what you're looking at, but are you seeing what looks like the two panes of acrylic separating at the seam? If so, something is very wrong. Acrylic seams should "weld" into one piece, it should never again separate.

 

[cryingrn]

Thank yall its what I suspected would be the answer but obviously not what I wanted to hear

Is there any advice on finding a company that could attempt a repair on this?

 

[UncommonSense]

Thank yall its what I suspected would be the answer but obviously not what I wanted to hear

Is there any advice on finding a company that could attempt a repair on this? It will probably be several hours of driving at a minimum for me. The alternative of course is buying a whole new tank, which Im considering, but my savings account is drained after paying for a wedding, honeymoon, summer semester for my graduate classes, and this new tank all within about 6 weeks. Im on a bit of a time crunch because my 40gal's seams were also failing hence this tank. I just want to have as many options available to me so I can balance affordability, reliability, and timeliness

I think the exorbitant repair cost from anyone who is both skilled enough, and willing to take on such a extensive job would outweigh the benefit… particularly when the repair almost certainly won’t come with any sort of warranty!

This tank could still be sold as a terrarium, or for its acrylic to recoup some costs!



Regarding your 40G tank, there are two reliable options:

— you can get a temporary holding tank, the likes of a 50-100G Rubbermaid stock tank, which will easily support all your livestock indefinitely while you take your time planning out the upgrade…

— you can get an off the shelf rimmed 40G breeder (or similar) aquarium to temporarily house your livestock, and even drill it for an overflow if you have an existing sump you want to plumb it to! (The stock tank above can also be drilled for a overflow very easily)

 

[Tripod1404]

Could you take a better picture of separating seam, just to make sure it is not an optical illusion?

It would be odd for a builder to attempt a curved corner with welded seams for an acrylic tank. It would be much easier to start with a single 10 feet panel and curve it with heat, or weld regular rectangular seams.

Also, it is worth mentioning that acrylic seams cannot separate. Once welded together, they practically are a single piece of of acrylic. So much so that if you try to physically separate the seam, it is more likely that the panel will crack (craze) somewhere else, as the welded seam is stronger than the panel. So if the seam is split, it means it was not manufactured properly from the start.

 

[exnisstech]

If it does end up being scrap and your not dead set on acrylic a standard rimmed 180g is 72x24x24" and fairly common used and not too awfully expensive new. You could buy one and drill it since you've already built the stand.

 

[cryingrn]

Could you take a better picture of separating seam, just to make sure it is not an optical illusion?

It would be odd for a builder to attempt a curved corner with welded seams for an acrylic tank. It would be much easier to start with a single 10 feet panel and curve it with heat, or weld regular rectangular seams.

Also, it is worth mentioning that acrylic seams cannot separate. Once welded together, they practically are a single piece of of acrylic. So much so that if you try to physically separate the seam, it is more likely that the panel will crack (craze) somewhere else, as the welded seam is stronger than the panel. So if the seam is split, it means it was not manufactured properly from the start.

Yes. I can get the tip of my razor blade into a gap on the left side of the panel in the middle. This is as far as it goes without forcing it

 

[cryingrn]

If it does end up being scrap and your not dead set on acrylic a standard rimmed 180g is 72x24x24" and fairly common used and not too awfully expensive new. You could buy one and drill it since you've already built the stand.

I might do this. I was considering just building a new acrylic tank but it probably would be cheaper/easier to find glass

 

[Dom]

Thank yall its what I suspected would be the answer but obviously not what I wanted to hear

Is there any advice on finding a company that could attempt a repair on this?

I don't think this tank is worth repairing, unless you have the skills to repair it yourself.

 

[Tripod1404]

Yes. I can get the tip of my razor blade into a gap on the left side of the panel in the middle. This is as far as it goes without forcing it

You may be able to fill that with weld-on which will chemically melt and fuse the acrylic panes together.

 

[cryingrn]

You may be able to fill that with weld-on which will chemically melt and fuse the acrylic panes together.

I do have a newish unopened can of weld-on 40 from when I made my 45gal acrylic aquarium a few months ago. Do you mean if I squeezed some into the gap on the front of the tank, it has the chance to "fill" it? I have some experience working with acrylic already, just not repairing. Since I already have the tank and materials, Im willing to give it a shot with an extensive fill test *outside* if nothing else except for practice

 

[slogan315]

No expert, but pretty sure the Weld-on is just a solvent that softens the acrylic. So you would need to apply weld on in the gap to soften, then apply pressure to squeeze the softened surfaces together until they dry.

 

[Tripod1404]

I do have a newish unopened can of weld-on 40 from when I made my 45gal acrylic aquarium a few months ago. Do you mean if I squeezed some into the gap on the front of the tank, it has the chance to "fill" it? I have some experience working with acrylic already, just not repairing. Since I already have the tank and materials, Im willing to give it a shot with an extensive fill test *outside* if nothing else except for practice

It needs to be thicker/cement version of weld on, (like weld-on 16). You can try injecting that into the gap with a needle tipped injector. That will basically create an acrylic filler that bonds with both sides of the gap.

If it is a total loss either way, I would try that and fill test outside for some time.

 

[cryingrn]

It needs to be thicker/cement version of weld on, (like weld-on 16). You can try injecting that into the gap with a needle tipped injector. That will basically create an acrylic filler that bonds with both sides of the gap.

If it is a total loss either way, I would try that and fill test outside for some time.

Yeah I've got weld-on 40 which has this epoxy consistency. I'll attempt to make some bevels on the inside to reinforce it, then inject it into the small gap on the problem panel on the outside of the tank. Im making plans to replace it with a  new glass tank to avoid this hassle a third time, but if I already have the tank and materials and Im never seeing that money again I might as well experiment with it. I can fill it up for a month and monitor the seam progression. I don't particularly care if it blows a seam outside. I dont know if I'll feel comfortable using it after that but at a minimum it will give me experience and confidence in the future if I ever need to do something like this again

 

[Tcook]

Could be a nice quarantine tank for angels and tangs, with dividers, to stock your larger glass tank.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

@Troylee

 

[cryingrn]

Could be a nice quarantine tank for angels and tangs, with dividers, to stock your larger glass tank.

I also have snakes and lizards and amphibians. Not that anyone really *needs* an upgrade, but I could always give it to one of them. Not 100% sure what I want to do here