you could patch over them with pieces of acrylic and silicone.. though picking up $60 worth of bulkheads and some caps would make be a lot easyer to get it running later..
IMO you should just set up the plumbing now though since pvc is super cheap..
I had the same issue. But the holes were on the bottom of the tank. Four of them. Also acrylic. I went to my local fish house and asked the owner how to solve the issue. He recommended glass bath tile and silicone. I took his advice and it worked like a charm. No leaks and has been good since I did it a year ago.
Now I chose this method cause I didnt have the doe to do it professionally. So I took the broke method. But it worked and my set up looks chill and my fish are happy. As long as you plug it from the inside so the water pressure doesn't pop it off. Another thing, my set up is 150 gallons fyi.
pics posted in my album how do you post pics in the forum without a URL? I dont wanna upload them to photobucket just so I can post them on this website
You need to select go advanced below the reply and then click on the little picture of mountains that will show insert image. Then you can upload images from your computer. By the way, I used my bulkheads with a cap and siliconed the heck out of them. I filled the bulkhead with silicone and then siliconed around them inside the tank. Worked like a charm.
I took a look in your photo album and I don't know how you are going to fix those holes and it still look nice. They do make inserts to go inside your tank for a nice rock look. Maybe you could plug the holes and do a DIY background for inside the tank.
you could patch over them with pieces of acrylic and silicone.. though picking up $60 worth of bulkheads and some caps would make be a lot easyer to get it running later..
IMO you should just set up the plumbing now though since pvc is super cheap..
Silicone does not adhere to acrylic very well, I would not go this route. Unfortunately, tank adaptors are quite expensive but the safest method to use. You can put a acrylic patch over each hole using acrylic cement but it should be done on the inside so the pressure helps push the patch in rather than out. This will be very ugly if you decide to go this way. I would plumb all the holes together and just use a ball valve to shut off the water. You can use it to empty the change during water changes.
My thought would be to find some acrylic that is the same color as the backgroung, cut out some holes and fit them into there. You could then just put anothe piece of acrylic on the back behind it and glue the pieces with Weld-on.
Even if you want to turn it into a reef later, you wouldn't really need all of those holes in the fist place.
Silicone does not adhere to acrylic very well, I would not go this route. Unfortunately, tank adaptors are quite expensive but the safest method to use. You can put a acrylic patch over each hole using acrylic cement but it should be done on the inside so the pressure helps push the patch in rather than out. This will be very ugly if you decide to go this way. I would plumb all the holes together and just use a ball valve to shut off the water. You can use it to empty the change during water changes.
Having seen the tank, I think this is the best option. Just get a bunch of bulkheads (so that they're there for later and you don't end up with chunks of acrylic glued to it, which would hurt resale) but then cap them. It'll still look crappy, but better than gluing new acrylic over it. And then yeah, just cover it up with a background (or thick plants).
And by the way, you can upload your photos to here by going to Manage Attachments in the bottom of the full reply page.
how do you post pics in the forum without a URL? I dont wanna upload them to photobucket just so I can post them on this website
