Cutting apart 750 gallon acrylic and rebuild?

[stempy]

Is it possible (or worth attempting) to cut apart a 750 gallon aquarium that was custom built on site due to aquarium not being able to fit through doors and rebuild it at another site? I've only found 1 place to contact in ohio to ask them if they could do it and how much they would charge but have not heard back (aquatica). I've even considered cutting it apart and using a panel to build a plywood aquarium again but the tank is stunning and Id like to keep it as a full acrylic aquarium if possible. What do you all think?

 

[ReApEr666]

anything is possible.... is it worth it is the real question. probably not. How good are you with a skill saw? Ud need to cut the top and bottom off first at the seams then every side piece. prep the pieces by sanding and then reassemble with a solvent bond or weld on #40. Same as starting fresh with a bit more work if ur willing to learn the glueing process and get a cheap enough deal on ur "material".... may be cheaper/smarter in the end to pursuade the place to remove a door jam and pay to replace it for them then do the same in ur home. much less work for u that way also.

 

[stempy]

its $3000 for the tank and all the equipment. Huge protein skimmer, 2 huge bio pellet reactors, RO/DI, massive water change / mixing station, pumps, LED lights , $9k coral insert from ATM etc. Equipment alone worth well over 3k. Tearing a tank down that size just seems like a herculean task to get it exact enough to be able to rebuild without fear of failure. Unless theres tricks to cut acrylic tanks up precise enough to be able to properly rebuild, I guess thats what Im asking.

 

[BichirKing]

yes there is. I cut apart a 240g 8' long tank. I used a clamp on fence, a router and a drywall square. I also bought a router that had its own fence.
heres the aftermath,

I made it snow in my garage!

 

[BichirKing]

prep the pieces by sanding and then reassemble with a solvent bond or weld on #40

do both , the Weldon 40 will fill in any voids or gaps if warm enough. I will be posting a build thread on the reconstruction.

 

[fishdance]

If the tank is too large to be removed without dismantling then you could charge them for removal.

Just cut the seams out and make a smaller tank.

 

[markstrimaran]

14 tpi blade worked well on 1/2" slow going but, not very messy compared to a circular saw.

Weld on 40.
Works with gaps in the joints.

Maybe cut the corners out. Then pour weld on 40 fillets. Over the rough cut.

I would look for windows or cut a hole thru the wall of the building..

 

[Lepisosteus]

anything is possible.... is it worth it is the real question. probably not. How good are you with a skill saw? Ud need to cut the top and bottom off first at the seams then every side piece. prep the pieces by sanding and then reassemble with a solvent bond or weld on #40. Same as starting fresh with a bit more work if ur willing to learn the glueing process and get a cheap enough deal on ur "material".... may be cheaper/smarter in the end to pursuade the place to remove a door jam and pay to replace it for them then do the same in ur home. much less work for u that way also.

I agree with this. Take out a window or door then have it repaired. If the tank can’t be removed from the home then $3000 is a rip off regardless of the size. I would take it for free, no more. I would pay the $3000 to have his home repaired afterwards. What you plan on getting into will be a disaster. If you do cut it apart, use a circular saw initially. Then get all the material cut again on a proper saw or CNC router to the new dimensions you want. From there glue it back together as you would a normal tank.

 

[paulW]

Is it possible (or worth attempting) to cut apart a 750 gallon aquarium that was custom built on site due to aquarium not being able to fit through doors and rebuild it at another site? I've only found 1 place to contact in ohio to ask them if they could do it and how much they would charge but have not heard back (aquatica). I've even considered cutting it apart and using a panel to build a plywood aquarium again but the tank is stunning and Id like to keep it as a full acrylic aquarium if possible. What do you all think?

Hey Stimpy.. It just seems very risky to do that. There's been several people that have tried to build their own acyrlic tanks.. some are successful, some are not.. What are the dimensions of this tank? That might help us figure out a work around.. Oh, if you need a big piece of acrylic, I still have the one you gave me, you can have it back if you are thinking of doing another build.. Have the pump too, you can have that back if you want it.

 

[CarpCharacin]

The tank isn't worth $3000, and it would never be the same after you cut it apart and rebuilt it, you would probably have to make it smaller.