Title: Can I fix my cracked acrylic tank?
Description: need advice on a tank crack
paul shea - May 9, 2006 06:08 AM (GMT)
I just discovered a v shaped crack on the bottom pane of my fish tank, its about 3-4 inches long, i never would of noticed if my clownfish hadn't moved away all the substrate from in front of his anemone. it is barely leaking right now only sort of weeping. but i definitely need to take care of this right away, i read about repairing acrylic cracks using a chemical weld with some kind of solvent. but i can't find any evidence of people doing this with a large tank. mine is 100 gal 60x18x20, can anyone recomend this from experience, i'm really upset about this. ive only had my tank for two weeks(bought it used from craigslist) but it is in beautiful condition. my e-mail is
peshea@hotmail.com , any advice is much appreciated
Tim - May 9, 2006 06:37 AM (GMT)
Well you can seal it with aquarium sealant but sometimes it is better and safer to get a new tank. It depends and is up to you. Personally if i had the money i would get a new tank.....a bigger one.....more interesting fish.
bartier - May 9, 2006 11:22 AM (GMT)
Also if you try to repair it you run the risk of a water spill.
FishyFry - May 12, 2006 03:39 AM (GMT)
Here is a product that you can use to seal an acrylic tank. The bigger problem is how to tank down a 100 gallon tank to do it. This is where the "seals in seconds" aspect of the Liquid Solvent Cement comes in handy. That is, seems like it is fast enough where you don't have to worry about it getting in the tank and poluting the water. If you chosoe to tank down the tank, the thicker version might be the way to go, but it might spoil the appearance of the tank more than the quick dry version with the needle applicator. There are several other products for acrylic tanks on this page that might be of interest as well.
http://www.northcoastmarines.com/acrylic_const.htm MAZZA_402 - May 12, 2006 09:58 PM (GMT)
If you have the ability, you can drain the tank and melt the crack back into one piece. If it's on the bottom, you wouldn't even notice. If you aren't comfortable doing the repair, you can always have a good, quality glass shop do it for you.
jdizine - May 12, 2006 10:09 PM (GMT)
Personally, I would replace the tank, and repair the broken one. Test the broken one with full water for awhile. You will not take the risk of a major probllem then, and in the process, if the sealant works then you have another tank.