A question for you acrylic repair experts

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Aldiaz…
Yes I thought about how big the Pacu would get, the 240 is just to get him out of the 100… for now.
Ultimately I want an 8ft L x 4 ft W x 2 ft or 2.5 ft High, walk around setup. I’d like to go 3 or 4 ft high, but I plan on getting it out the front door, if I ever have to move. (want to try building this one)
 
i have not eurobraced using #40 yet...i've done alot of seam work inside my tanks with this stuff as pictured though. I would trust it for eurobracing because its easy to melt sheets together with this product. Alot like silicone in theory but more runny. I would not use acrylic angle. the square stock is good stuff. i put together an exploded 450 gal. with square stock in all the seams. I used 1" and extruded is fine since its solid material. i ordered mine for fairly cheap online at "u.s. plastics" if you have a local shop save on shipping. i like to check online first so i know im not getting ripped off at local places. Please dont cut that tank any more lol...better to struggle getting the pacu in and out then have the hole tank esplode if you cut to much. If you must i would just shave a couple inches out of one of the holes not both. Dremel tools with roto-zip blades eat right through acrylic :) hard to make straight lines though. I've removed a couple overflow boxes for my customers with just a dremel/rotozip blade. Also comes out very clean if your patient. I still advise against this though for your situation.
 
I noticed the crack is propagating from a corner that is not radiused or rounded. High intensity lighting over these areas will also promote cracking.

This is going to sound like a lot of work but if it were me Id probably replace the entire top. Once removed Id replace it with a thicker one with better raidused/rounded corners.
Id route a dado (square channel groove) into the new top for the tanks edges to sit into. Of course you would have a minor edge to contend with but worth the trade off IMO. Would flip the tank over and glue it on with #40 or 42 as mentioned earlier. You dont want this to happen to the other corners later on down the road. Before starting try to figure out what made it crack there? And ask, is this a band-aid repair or a permanant soloution. If it happened once a new design is required unless the circumstances change that caused it. Sorry for the long reply.

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I use alcohol and or nail polish remover to clean my acrylic becore glueing...mild acetone will work also....if it is really scratched ive even just dumped on some weld on 3 to etch the glass surface for better ahdesion.

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Nail polish remover is prob ur best bet...i use it quite often and on the tank i posted pictures of being glued :)...good luck on ur repair dont b nervous! Youll get the hang of it
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Thanks Wednesday... not nervous about the repair. I'm not worried about the scratches, which are minor, it's that the seams have what looks like mfg cement residue as well as normal dirt and mild staining from use. Hope to get back on this project next month... ran into some $$$ issues last month.
 
Hmmm....if theres alot of residue like you say built up on the tank it may not be a bad idea to hit it with heavy grit sandpaper to get it back smooth. This will also help the glue get a good grip on ur patch work. You can get it clear again with additional sanding or just leave it if its only on top of the tank.
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