They went on to say that it handled massive abuse for 2 years and is still going strong.Well after 3 months of waiting for a call back from Rhino linings I decide to do it my self!!
I used a product called 'Hippo Liner' its a 2 part polyurethane mix..... and can be by roller, brush or with a splatter gun between 45 and 60 psi. BTW doesnt come off yr hands thou once it setsso have lots of gloves around!!.
It appears like a plastics liner but nothing can get under it!! The floor coat is about 2 - 3mm thick and the walls 1 - 2mm. Sanding the tub down and masking it all off sucked big time and took the most time but like all paint jobs the prep is will decide the outcome of the finished job. I highly recommend it!! Price for the kit was about 130 buks so not that expensive!! Compared to 'Rhino Linings' that quoted me almost 800 buks to do the same thing!!!!!! (And they could learn a few things about customer service!!! (in Melbourne anyway) I am not a panel beater or painter so anyone can do it just prep the tub and this stuff will out last any plastic liner!!
This part sucked!!
Outcome is great!!!
I had a look at a locally available polyurethane product called Hurculiner. It seems much cheaper than Rhinoliner but must be painted on yourself. I contacted them about my project. They were very helpful and got back to me immediately. This is what they had to say:Big issue is getting silicone to stick.
One recent builder here used polyurea on a plywood tank. Silicone also does not stick to polyurea. Rhino liner is probably a polyurea blend.
At any rate, what the builder here on MFK did was to silicone the glass to the bare wood and then have polyurea sprayed over the entire inside, including the first inch or so of the glass and the silicone bead.
If it were me I'd use a small batch of polyester or epoxy to seal the wood framings where the glass would rest first. Then I would attach the glass to the frame before having the liner sprayed on.
I probably would also try to find some sort of caulk (not silicone) that the liner would adhere to. Twenty years ago there were some polyurethane caulks that were fish safe that would have worked. I'm not sure what's available nowadays.
To me that is the risk in this entire concept. I just don't trust the bond between silicone and polyurea, regardless of which one is applied first.
[FONT="]Hi Alex[/FONT]
[FONT="]Thank you for your interest in Herculiner. The product will certainly line your aquarium, However we only supply black and its proprties are more along the lines of providing a slip free surface and preventing rusting of steel truck beds rather than just a water tight seal. As such it may be more than you need for a water tight barrier. Once dry it is inert and can only be removed or modified by the use of xylene or acetone, neither of which will be present in water. It will present a water tight barrier to clean steel and prevent rust. The manufacturers list lining bait tanks as one of its uses but they have obviously not considered aquariums. You would beed our buddies, 4 kit pack, for a 2 coat application to do the required area.[/FONT]
[FONT="]I will peruse the product specs re silicone sealant but the product achieves a water tight seal by adhereing to itself, ie it is not just paint it has was very vhigh sheer strength and achieves this by a strong bond between itself. However I am coating a variety of substances with Herculiner to take to a trade show tomorrow. I will paint some over clear silicone sealant as well and place it in water for a day or two and give you my assessment later this week.[/FONT]
[FONT="]regards[/FONT]
[FONT="]Barry Jones[/FONT]
[FONT="]Herculiner Retailers Australia
[/FONT]
The best advise I can give if you go down the "using steel for a tank" route is to have the tank blasted and painted by an industrial standard company. That way it will last for ever. They should be able to spray a 100% solid epoxy that will be fish safe.Seal with Herculiner ($1000), paint exterior