Removing paint on acrylic tank

[samue202]

I recently purchased a 180 gallon acrylic tank which has the back painted black. The seller stated that it was spray paint, is there any way to safely remove it?

 

[bathawk]

could be tricky as there a lot of paint removers on the market but need something that will not react with the sealant if possible.I would use a small paint brush on the areas near the sealant if any goes on the sealant was it off quickly then us a plastic scraper to remove the treated paint then give the tank a good wash there are gel types that are very powerful so would try to avoid any getting on the sealant would just have to take your time doing it

 

[Oughtsix]

I think I would sand it off. Start with 220 grit - 400 - 800 - Novus 3 - Novus 2 - Novus 1. I would wet sand, use a sanding block and wet/dry sand paper while using a constant trickle of water from a garden hose. The paper doesn't clog nearly as fast with wet sanding. The sanding block will keep the acrylic flat and keep you from sanding indentations into the acrylic.


It will be a LOT of work but a single exterior surface isn't that bad of a task. The interior surfaces are the real challenge. You will probably end up polishing all 4 exterior viewing surfaces with the Novus 3 - 2 - 1 after you see how clear the painted surface ends up.

I do not know of any chemical remover that will take the paint off without softening the acrylic.

 

[bathawk]

yeah didn't realise it was acrylic sorry.

 

[Rocksor]

I would just leave it alone. If it bothers you that much, you could always spend the money and silicone 3d background on the inside of the aquarium. Let the silicone cure for at least 1 week, making sure you cannot smell it.

 

[Backfromthedead]

Could be sanded off pretty easily, but you would have to follow that with a not so easy polishing of the whole panel...