oops
- Thread starter scottt
- Start date
i know this probably has absolutely nothing to do with it but ive worked with plexiglass/lexan some and i havent used alcohol but i have used paint thinner and other items like this and it starts to melt the acrylic. dont know why but it does and when it does this it looks like it "frosts" the glass. maybe this is what he is referring to?
Well when we got the acrylic we wiped it down with alcohol to clean it so that we can weld it together to make the aquarium. No cracks happened then. We put up the aquarium again after we moved and a problem spot opened. So we drained it so that we could fix the tiny hole with 100% silicone and when we cleaned it with the alcohol a million cracks showed up. The cracks went through 2 layers of 1/2 inch acrylic on the braces on the top! It was crazy. The only thing that I can think of is the temp change, but why now and not for the first cleaning?
I'm not sure about the cracks that the OP has described. I was curious so I looked at the paper work that came with my tank. The below was taken from that.
"Do not use any product which contains ammonia, ALCOHOL or abrasives such as windex, comet, ajax, or other commercial cleaners when cleaning an acrylic aquarium. Use of such cleaners will cause the acrylic to permanently lose its clarity. A soft cloth and water, or a polish made specifically for acrylic should be used for cleaning."
"Do not expose your acrylic fish tank to paints, varnishes, turpentine, or their fumes. Exposure to these chemicals will cause crazing and loss of clarity."
Maybe what the OP is experiencing is crazing which looks like cracks but are inside the panels.
"Do not use any product which contains ammonia, ALCOHOL or abrasives such as windex, comet, ajax, or other commercial cleaners when cleaning an acrylic aquarium. Use of such cleaners will cause the acrylic to permanently lose its clarity. A soft cloth and water, or a polish made specifically for acrylic should be used for cleaning."
"Do not expose your acrylic fish tank to paints, varnishes, turpentine, or their fumes. Exposure to these chemicals will cause crazing and loss of clarity."
Maybe what the OP is experiencing is crazing which looks like cracks but are inside the panels.
Sorry OP, that is horrible.. but I'm glad you posted for it seems that many of us didn't know this about acrylic tanks... for informative reasons is what I mean.. gl..
I thought it would have been crazing too. Is the bottom sheet as thick as the sides? Its crazy that it cracked like that if its all 1/2 acrylic like the sides look.
Side not I saw a video of a guy who cleaned his with windex and it instantly crazed all the way through the tank. When Mine crazed it was only half way through, and the same thing with a tank at a LFS.
Sorry for your loss.
Side not I saw a video of a guy who cleaned his with windex and it instantly crazed all the way through the tank. When Mine crazed it was only half way through, and the same thing with a tank at a LFS.
Sorry for your loss.
sorry to hear that bud that really stinks....but hey think at least you'll never do that again. Live and learn right.
