cracked acrylic tank top... need advice

LOTUS50GOD · 10/29/2006, 07:42 PM

Members,

I am in a quandry... I have a 260 custom acrylic tank. Well the heat from my 1200 watts of DE-HQI finally took its toll on my center brace. The center brace on my tank broke in completely across. With this being said, the back of my tank is bowing about 1/4 -1/3 of an inch. The tank is an inwall and the mortor around the rocks are holding the front panel in place.

Here is my thought... Get a piece of 1.25" acrylic.. and make a brace for the top. The top brace would be essentially be the same size as the old top, giving me a 2" top. The extra 1.25" should give the top enough structure to prevent bowing...

What do you all think?

golf4lyfe · 10/29/2006, 07:45 PM

Are you saying that the top piece is 2 inches thick, or that the brace will be 2 inches wide

LOTUS50GOD · 10/29/2006, 07:46 PM

The top piece is currently .75".. The new piece will be 1.25" think. The top of the tank will now be 2"... and I plan on removing the center brace all together.

rich99rich · 10/29/2006, 08:10 PM

I have absolutely no knowledge of how acrylic/plastics work, but my LFS had a crack in a couple of its acrylic tanks, and all the owner did was use a thin piece of acrylic and Weld-On to cover up the crack. Problem fixed, no leak. He said that bonding the new piece of acrylic relieves the stress and stops the crack.

Please keep in mind that I have never tried this and I don't know if what the LFS owner did really works in practice. That's just what he told me.

LOTUS50GOD · 10/29/2006, 11:33 PM

ttt

LOTUS50GOD · 10/30/2006, 08:16 AM

TTT

10/29/2006, 07:42 PM	#1
LOTUS50GOD Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 3,210	cracked acrylic tank top... need advice Members, I am in a quandry... I have a 260 custom acrylic tank. Well the heat from my 1200 watts of DE-HQI finally took its toll on my center brace. The center brace on my tank broke in completely across. With this being said, the back of my tank is bowing about 1/4 -1/3 of an inch. The tank is an inwall and the mortor around the rocks are holding the front panel in place. Here is my thought... Get a piece of 1.25" acrylic.. and make a brace for the top. The top brace would be essentially be the same size as the old top, giving me a 2" top. The extra 1.25" should give the top enough structure to prevent bowing... What do you all think? __________________ Vertex Alpha 300 Skimmer, AI SOL Blue, Neptune Apex Controlled 360 gallon Reef Current Tank Info: born 6/26/2008- 340 reef + 100 fuge, 300lbs of figi LR

10/29/2006, 07:46 PM	#3
LOTUS50GOD Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 3,210	The top piece is currently .75".. The new piece will be 1.25" think. The top of the tank will now be 2"... and I plan on removing the center brace all together. __________________ Vertex Alpha 300 Skimmer, AI SOL Blue, Neptune Apex Controlled 360 gallon Reef Current Tank Info: born 6/26/2008- 340 reef + 100 fuge, 300lbs of figi LR

10/29/2006, 11:33 PM	#5
LOTUS50GOD Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 3,210	ttt __________________ Vertex Alpha 300 Skimmer, AI SOL Blue, Neptune Apex Controlled 360 gallon Reef Current Tank Info: born 6/26/2008- 340 reef + 100 fuge, 300lbs of figi LR

10/30/2006, 08:16 AM	#6
LOTUS50GOD Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 3,210	TTT __________________ Vertex Alpha 300 Skimmer, AI SOL Blue, Neptune Apex Controlled 360 gallon Reef Current Tank Info: born 6/26/2008- 340 reef + 100 fuge, 300lbs of figi LR

10/29/2006, 07:45 PM	#2
golf4lyfe Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Chaska, MN Posts: 175	Are you saying that the top piece is 2 inches thick, or that the brace will be 2 inches wide

10/29/2006, 08:10 PM	#4
rich99rich Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Seal Beach, CA Posts: 307	I have absolutely no knowledge of how acrylic/plastics work, but my LFS had a crack in a couple of its acrylic tanks, and all the owner did was use a thin piece of acrylic and Weld-On to cover up the crack. Problem fixed, no leak. He said that bonding the new piece of acrylic relieves the stress and stops the crack. Please keep in mind that I have never tried this and I don't know if what the LFS owner did really works in practice. That's just what he told me.