Used acrylic aquarium - what to look out for?

[DarylMac]

Hi All,

I figure this would be as good a place to ask as any...

A fish keeper in my area is selling off a large acrylic aquarium. I have never owned an acrylic aquarium...

What should I look for, and perhaps more importantly, what should I look out for?

I have read a few threads and watched a few videos on how to buff out scratches, so I am not too worried about that. Is there anything like thickness of acrylic, or tell tale signs for seam quality that I can look out for?

I will make sure the tank is filled when I view it, even though it is torn down right now. I guess excessive bowing would be something to look out for?

 

[joe jaskot]

Check the seams for gaps. Check tank for bubbles in the acrylic and for crazing. Check to see if tank is bowed when filled. Be sure the right thickness of acrylic was used for the height of the tank.

 

[DarylMac]

First concern... Tank is 8' x 2' x 2' and the seller believes it is 3/8 acrylic, with a full acrylic top brace (openings routed out).

That seems thin to me - but all my info is based on DIY stuff, which tends to be overbuilt (at least with aquarium stands that's the case).

 

[JK47]

First concern... Tank is 8' x 2' x 2' and the seller believes it is 3/8 acrylic, with a full acrylic top brace (openings routed out).

That seems thin to me - but all my info is based on DIY stuff, which tends to be overbuilt (at least with aquarium stands that's the case).

24" inch tall tanks need 1/2" thick acrylic not to bow IMO. Bowing is something that all acrylic tanks do to some degree but the rule of thumb is the thicker the material, the less boring/view distortion. That tank is a standard 240 gallon. If it's cheap and there are no cracks I would still jump on it. It would make an epic sump worst case.

 

[DarylMac]

Wondering, are acrylic measurements like lumber measurements in that the nominal size is different than the actual size? I.e. A length 2x4 is actually 1.5" x 3.5".
I'm going to go see the tank I person and will measure the thickness of acrylic... Need to know if I'm looking for a "true" size or not.

Thanks again for the help guys. This tank is super cheap, but if it blows up on me the resulting damage will not be! I have to make the right call on this!