Sanding a tank

[fatboyt123]

well i didnt really know where to ask the question so i am going to ask it here

The sister just got a ferret and she has no room left for a 5 foot tall ferret cage and a 55 gallon tank in her room so with me just selling my 55 gallon freashwater setup in the living room i had the great idea to move it out of her room and put in out there

Since her tank is acrylic it has ALOT of scraches all over the tank so when i go to move it when i have everything already out of the tank i want sand it down to get most of the scraches out of it

What i want to know is what type of sanding paper i should use i know a very very fine grit and were to buy it or is there a website that i can buy a kit to do it

Also if anyone has done it before how long should i be expecting it to take to finish it and i know it will depend on how many scraches there is but i just want a rough estiment

thank you guys and gals for all the help, Travis

 

[luisse25]

ok my husband bought a scratch removal kit for $50 at aquarium paradise in lakewood..we bought a 55 gal to upgrade but the tank has big long scratches..he buffed some but he got tired plus he dont have that time anymore..so we end up buying a new tank..he removed all the long scratch ones on the outside the problem is theres scratches on the inside too and he got tiredtoo much work..or maybe he's doing it wrong..if you have some corals to trade i can trade you the kit..it got different grits with numbering on the back..step by step process and has a liquid polish..you can get one on ebay i think for $30 plus shipping..let me know if your interested otherwise i will post it on for trade or sale here

 

[luisse25]

the brand is rainbow lifeguard kit..

 

[CrankAddict]

Everclear is the way to go!

The kit you want to go with if you have some really serious scratches is the one made by everclear transperancy refurbishing. They make several kits including one you can use on a randomn orbit power sander. Of course this is only an option if you have no water in the tank. If you have water already in the tank then they also have kits for that as well. I have used the kit with a randomn orbit power sander and I was able to remove all the scratches, even really deep ones and bring it back to polished shine.

here is the link to their website: http://etr-inc.com/

 

[trido]

The kit you want to go with if you have some really serious scratches is the one made by everclear transperancy refurbishing. They make several kits including one you can use on a randomn orbit power sander. Of course this is only an option if you have no water in the tank. If you have water already in the tank then they also have kits for that as well. I have used the kit with a randomn orbit power sander and I was able to remove all the scratches, even really deep ones and bring it back to polished shine.

here is the link to their website: http://etr-inc.com/

This looks like a great recourse from a company who really knows what tank owners need.

 

[Saltyfish]

well i didnt really know where to ask the question so i am going to ask it here

The sister just got a ferret and she has no room left for a 5 foot tall ferret cage and a 55 gallon tank in her room so with me just selling my 55 gallon freashwater setup in the living room i had the great idea to move it out of her room and put in out there

Since her tank is acrylic it has ALOT of scraches all over the tank so when i go to move it when i have everything already out of the tank i want sand it down to get most of the scraches out of it

What i want to know is what type of sanding paper i should use i know a very very fine grit and were to buy it or is there a website that i can buy a kit to do it

Also if anyone has done it before how long should i be expecting it to take to finish it and i know it will depend on how many scraches there is but i just want a rough estiment

thank you guys and gals for all the help, Travis

Just go buy a new glass tank it is way easier and if you think about how much your time is really worth then it is money well spent.

Scratch kit at least $30.00 for a good complete one New 55 glass tank about $75.00 difference is $45.00 Now if you get paid $9.00 an hour and it takes you LESS then 5 hours then it might be worth it. However if you get $18.00 and you can't do it in 2 1/2 hours or less then it not worth it.

And on a final note you will not have a sore arm, hand the next day either.

 

[luisse25]

yup just what we did bought a new tank..

 

[DonW]

Its called micro mesh. You can buy it for pennys a sheet from the manufacturer instead of getting ripped of by aquarium use companies. On the other hand most 55s unless custom built are to flimsy to buff out deep scratches. Buffing will make the tank to thin and it can burst.

Don

 

[as1720]

i used the rainbow kit to sand out the deep scratches, and novus to do the rpolishing, i am using a drill and power ball with the novus, but i tell you what they are right buy a new tank!

My arms and back hurt really bad just from an hour of working on my 125. And i am no ware near done! With it only being a 55 i would just buy one! Really llok on cl i bet in a week or two you will find one or go buy a new one from petco whine to corprate and they wil give you $25. lol

 

[luisse25]

i used the rainbow kit to sand out the deep scratches, and novus to do the rpolishing, i am using a drill and power ball with the novus, but i tell you what they are right buy a new tank!

My arms and back hurt really bad just from an hour of working on my 125. And i am no ware near done! With it only being a 55 i would just buy one! Really llok on cl i bet in a week or two you will find one or go buy a new one from petco whine to corprate and they wil give you $25. lol

yup i found a 60 gal with a nice canopy and stand for $250 and its acrylic really pretty..buffing the tank is a waste of time plus got ripped off buying the kit..

 

[fatboyt123]

Alright alright i MIGHT buy a new tankbut the real reason i wanted to sand it is that stuff is kinda fun to me just seeing what it looks like now and the finish the job just kinda makes you feel good inside you know what i mean dont ya

Really i dont think my arms is going to hurt much got used to that pain when i detail cars on the side making alittle bit of extra cash after i get done washing 3 or 5 cars and them coming home and waxing my 67 caprice which is one big car and the lexsus and the s10 i dont feel the pain anymore doing that every weekend man i need to get one of those mother powerballs

 

[DonW]

Its not at all hard to do. You could sand and buff an entire 55 in a couple hours with RO sander and a stacked cloth buffer. You just need to make sure the tank is made from real 1/4 cast acrylic. If its a petco special or other stock tank it won't be and will be to thin.

 

[luisse25]

if you wanna try as ive said i have a kit i bought $50(what a ripped off) that you can have for $15..or trade for a coral..let me know

 

[fatboyt123]

Its not at all hard to do. You could sand and buff an entire 55 in a couple hours with RO sander and a stacked cloth buffer. You just need to make sure the tank is made from real 1/4 cast acrylic. If its a petco special or other stock tank it won't be and will be to thin.

the tank is made by Seaclear what kit would you recomed getting to finish it up that quick?

 

[DonW]

I wouldn't buff deep scratches from a seaclear tank. If the tank is in bad shape then its a sump at best.

Don

 

[luisse25]

funny is after my husband buff the tank,for just an hour and complains he still try and polish it with a car wax..it did look clearer though but still i didnt get satisfied..if you have time and patience you can try but if it didnt work you will be disappointed and you wish you could have just bought a new one..

scratches that are deep,i dont think you can get rid of it..plus when you buff it should be even or else it will cause distortion..

 

[fatboyt123]

I wouldn't buff deep scratches from a seaclear tank. If the tank is in bad shape then its a sump at best.

Don

there are maybe 3-5 deep scraches that i want to get rid of just because they are right in front of the tank

 

[user 2204]

funny is after my husband buff the tank,for just an hour and complains he still try and polish it with a car wax..it did look clearer though but still i didnt get satisfied..if you have time and patience you can try but if it didnt work you will be disappointed and you wish you could have just bought a new one..

scratches that are deep,i dont think you can get rid of it..plus when you buff it should be even or else it will cause distortion..

Hope that he used the car wax on the outside of the tank as those waxes can seep into the plastics and leach back out in the water. No fun and not anything good in those waxes.

 

[DonW]

Not really the case if the tank is decent quality. I trashed my tank pretty good during the build process and rounded the top edges with a router. It took me about 2 hours to polish the edges 3/4 acrylic and buff out the sanding marks. The trick is to not buy a cheasy kit. Just a RO sander stacked 3" buffer wheel with turtle wax rubbing compund and novus #2 to finish.

 

[user 2204]

I've used Novus and wet sanded for clearing up those foggy headlights that everyone has probably seen on those cars with polycarb lenses.
Works like a charm using the novus and very very fine sandpaper. I get my supplies at Westco Autobody.