Is this tank a lost cause?

[KnineDHP]

Is this acrylic tank toast?  This is a bottom seam near the front right corner. There are a few of these this is the largest. Is there a fix? I don’t know if it leaks I do t want the seam to have any moisture in it if it can be repaired. 
 

thanks for the advice. 

[Cypher]

Put the tank in your bathtub or shower and fill it up about half way (with a gallon jug) and let it sit there to see if it is leaking. If it is leaking you can go around the seem with Aquarium Safe Silicone (https://fishlab.com/aquarium-safe-silicone/). If there are no leaks, you can take a torch to the edges to clear them up.

[KnineDHP]

Thanks. Will need to do the test in the garage it’s a 180gal 🙂

[lefty o]

i might try to find some acrylic glue, and wick into the crack, then after it dries run a bead of silicone over it.

[Anon]

Wait a second! Silicone doesn't bind to acrylic. You're going to need something like liquid acrylic or acrylic glue. Google "acrylic aquarium repair," it takes a bit of prep work and the right materials. 

[eatyourpeas]

You can use acrylic welding chemicals to fix it. Weld-On 4 is very thin and can get in the space that is showing the gap. Once that is done, you can caulk all the internal seams with Weld-On 40. Do not use silicone as it will not bind to the acrylic. I built my SW tank using both of those and it worked out great.

It is almost 4 feet wide, made out of 1" acrylic. And no, I do not clean the diatoms because the critters get very unhappy if there are none to eat.

 

Edited April 16, 2022 by eatyourpeas

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

And we all know @eatyourpeasbad things happen when Ursula gets angry! 

[eatyourpeas]

On 4/15/2022 at 5:00 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

And we all know @eatyourpeasbad things happen when Ursula gets angry! 

You certainly know that girl! 🤪

[Cypher]

my bad about the silicone,  meant acrylic aquarium glue (i should have caught that)

[KnineDHP]

There is a plastics company here named tap plastics. They build tanks and such. Stopped in pick there techs brain a bit even showed them the tank we brought it with lol. 

 

they gave me some scraps to learn on and learn to drill for bulkheads. 
 

weldon 4 for the seam and Weldon 16 for the inside of all the edges. A few days is glue and cure. Here we come!  
 

 

[KnineDHP]

On 4/15/2022 at 4:49 PM, eatyourpeas said:

You can use acrylic welding chemicals to fix it. Weld-On 4 is very thin and can get in the space that is showing the gap. Once that is done, you can caulk all the internal seams with Weld-On 40. Do not use silicone as it will not bind to the acrylic. I built my SW tank using both of those and it worked out great.

It is almost 4 feet wide, made out of 1" acrylic. And no, I do not clean the diatoms because the critters get very unhappy if there are none to eat.

 

I like the ecosystem look too. Grow stuff, eat stuff, grow more stuff!

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

TAP is amazing, there is so much they are able to do. Specifically for aquariums, I've had them cut me pieces for replacement glass lids. 

[KnineDHP]

On 4/15/2022 at 7:10 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

TAP is amazing, there is so much they are able to do. Specifically for aquariums, I've had them cut me pieces for replacement glass lids. 

Ya there a fantastic resource and willing to help/educate