Has Anyone Ever Thought About This to Prevent Acrylic Scratches?...

[terd ferguson]

Ok, I talked to my buddy who is Parts Manager for Team Gannassi. He sent me to the guys who do the tear off installs for all the teams. They say it will definately work for the outside of acrylic tanks. The inside is a no go.

The only drawback is the adhesive only lasts so long. It is applied pretty much like window tint with a soap solution and then squeegeed. The guy I talked to thinks it would last about a year. I'm waiting on the exact cost, he's going to call me back soon. But, to give you an idea, the standard 30"x60" pieces they use for race car windshields is around $60. This is for "two layer", he said I would only need "one layer" which is a little less expensive. I'll find out more when he calls back.

The guy I talked to who does the installs on the race cars is a fish nut too, oddly enough. He's got some big Oscars and Green Terrors. Small world, eh? He said he never thought of using it on his tank but that he would take a small piece home and apply it to check the clarity. It'll be four weeks til my new tank comes, so maybe I'll have a good idea of how well it may or may not work by then. Stay tuned...


Maybe I am a genius after all?

 

[RBE17]

acrylic eventually fogs over time, so it's not the only draw back.

I read in another post that acrylic is porous and absorbs moisture. Is that what causes it to fog? Can it be reversed?

 

[terd ferguson]

OK, I got the call back. For my tank that measures 96" long x 36" wide x 24" tall, he can get me a piece 30" tall by 15' long. This would cover the three clear sides (the front and sides, the back of the tank is black acrylic). This big piece is $155 plus $20 to cut it to exact size.

Here's the bad part, installation is around $200. But, they sell a tool kit for $20 and he says with someone to help it's not difficult to do it yourself.

So, my question now is...

Is it worth $200 (for the film, cutting and tools) for this in order to prevent scratches on the outside of a tank the size of mine (retail around $2,500) for at least a year?

 

[brianp]

I would suggest using 1/16" thick polycarbonate from TAP Plastic. It costs $3.25/sq. foot. So, you could fully protect the front of a 96"x30" tank for $65.00. After it has accumulated many scratches, either polish it or discard and replace.

 

[spiff]

For all that cost and work, I'd rather just use some 1/8 glass as a barrier and be done with it...

 

[terd ferguson]

I would suggest using 1/16" thick polycarbonate from TAP Plastic. It costs $3.25/sq. foot. So, you could fully protect the front of a 96"x30" tank for $65.00. After it has accumulated many scratches, either polish it or discard and replace.

How would it be attached?

 

[brianp]

How would it be attached?

TAP sells clear polyethylene (might be vinyl) tape. You will have to seal completely along the top and sides to prevent water from dripping between the acrylic and polycarbonate panels.

 

[MommyJulia]

I think this is a very creative well thought out idea. I would have never thought about this at all.
$200 a year to up keep a tank to look nice and not get scratched, well I don't think that is a huge amount to pay. Some ppl spend more than that with decor in a large tank.
Good luck to you and I hope either route that you go it will prevent the scratches on the tank and will keep looking beautiful

 

[terd ferguson]

TAP sells clear polyethylene (might be vinyl) tape. You will have to seal completely along the top and sides to prevent water from dripping between the acrylic and polycarbonate panels.

Have you tried this or do you know someone that has? It sounds as if with tape involved that there may be some clarity issues. But, I don't know, i have not seen or heard of this before.

 

[terd ferguson]

I think this is a very creative well thought out idea. I would have never thought about this at all.
$200 a year to up keep a tank to look nice and not get scratched, well I don't think that is a huge amount to pay. Some ppl spend more than that with decor in a large tank.
Good luck to you and I hope either route that you go it will prevent the scratches on the tank and will keep looking beautiful

I think scratches on the inside would be my main concern and this wouldn't help with that. I think that if it protected the inside, it would be a no brainer. I'd like to hear from some acrylic owners (I've never had one before) as to how they hold up to careful maintenance/cleaning on the outside.