Well I am just going to put this out there for any ideas and or possible help I have one idea of my own but not sure if it will work... Any way to the problem at hand I have a 270 gallon acrylic tank and I just moved it everything seemed fine but now I am seeing some salt creep out of one of the bottom end seems (OH CRAP)!!! the last thing need is for 270 gallons of water on my floor I can wipe it away but its back in a week even if I wipe it clean and wait 30 min I can feel a little bit of dampness I am worried.... the end that is leaking is up aginst a wall and this is pretty much built into a cavity under my stairs... I dont know if there is anyway to seal acrylic or use weld on for a permanant from the outside I could cut a hole in the sheet rock if that is possible. But I am thinking I am going to need to empty the whole tank and weld on some squareacrylic pieces on the inside of the tank for supprt and to seal the inside of this tank before I have a blow out any other IDEAS would be GREAT any help would be good as well I can compnsate for supplies/time as I am not an acrylic professional.. THANKS ANDY
Acrylic HELP needed Please possible blow out
- Thread starter WA coral
- Start date
Help Support Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum:
That pretty much sums it up. You could use the acrylic patch on the outside but, It wont be pretty and it may not seal due to the weep that your trying to stop. Going from the inside with a clean dry tank is the only way to guarantee that the patch will hold long term.
Last edited:
Well I guess I was hopeing for the magical acrylic fix not the spend 3 days emptying fixing and setting back up thing but I think its is the only way. Any other ideas??? Any one good with repairs willing to evaluate /glue in pieces if I have it empty/dry I would rather not cut all of the plumbing to take tank out as it is built in.
vwmoneypit
one larg lps
ohh ooohhh ooohhhh I had a glass tank do that was full to the brim too much rock crack so what works is go in side with sealant i just took the tube in the tanks and cleaned area with a terry cloth then goobered it over area the out side wicked it with alcohol then smered it into area gently applied preesure to get it to wick in the area as needed thats the best i can think of OR SEALAND INSIDE WHICK IT THEN #16 ACRYLIK GLUE OUTSIDE?WHAT YA THINK
Did you try it with water in it ?? or was it empty I am afraid that just sealing the leak wont be enough I could probably get the leak to stop but structuraly if the bottom seam lets go I dont think just sealing it will stop it from blowing out I just thought if I could get away with not emptying it and applying weld on and an acrylic piece on the outside but I am coming to the realization that unless I empty it there is no real way to get a permenant fix now I guess I am just looking for some one good with acrylic for advice at least or maybe some help I have never done any of this before I understand what you mean by wicking it but just wouldnt trust myself to do the job
Hey Andy, I hate to tell you "I told you so" That tank is a ticking time bomb. You would need to drain it completely, let it dry for a week or so, then glue in 1/2 in square strips w/ weldon 40 in all the seams. It in not a difficult process, you would just want to mask off the edges so that you don't get excess on the viewing panels. I am sure that Todd could help you out, he has used weldon 40 w/ me on numerous occasions. Apart from that I would definately recommend looking for a new tank. Sorry buddy.
I know I know I should have listened. I have investigated the other seams and they are clear but this one in particular was visably cloudy. do you think that if its patched like you said that it will hold for a long time I mean all the other seams look OK not perfect but you can tell they are clear, I thought that if you had a half inch attached to the end , bottom and sides that the bond weld on made was stronger than the acrylic itself?? I could very possibly be wrong as I know nothing (By the way Why did you move away just when I need you ) you could have waved the magic acrylic wand. I will pm you I have free long distance maybe easier than posting
vwmoneypit
one larg lps
With Water In It
If you do this, you will have a nice strong tank that should last a long long time.
If you do this, you will be revisiting this issue much sooner than you like or worse yet, come home to a flooded house and a dead tank.
Last edited:
SteelHead
Well-known member
Yo! Call up Eric at Veralte or Jayson at CFI. They will help you fix your problem...if you want it done right. You can get thier info on the sponsors page, Good Luck!!!
thanks I will check into it.;.... Does anyone know how long weld on 40 takes to setup I mean how long do you have to position the piece of acrylic in place and how long till it is cured enough to put everything back in??
SteelHead
Well-known member
At least a few hours....I kinda had the same problem except before it started leaking. I drained the tank and used 16 on the inside seam and outside just for good luck.
SteelHead
Well-known member
Give me a sec...I will get thier cell#s
SteelHead
Well-known member
Did you leave a message on Jaysons 888 number?
no I didnt leave a mesage at either # I figure I wont be able to fix this till after thanks giving as I have about 25 people coming over but I will call on monday to get some advice and maybe some help and I think the tank will hold but just a little scary. So far the plan is to scab a 120 gallon onto my sump so I can keep the coral/rock and water running just like nothing ever happened and stor the rest of the water in holding tanks I should be able to move my halides on to the 120 and then I need to remove all of the sand dry out the tank fix and undo the whole process. Sounds like all kinds of fun. not really. I hate doing a whole big process to just get back to where you were in the begining. but better thank 300 gallons on my floor
