How To Repair Crazing On Acrylic Fish Tank

Owning a croaky fish tank is not specially helpful. Acrylic fish tanks are plush, and buying a new one or taking it to be repaired will simply increase the price. Luckily, it is an easy DIY project every bit long as you own the proper tools and can follow instructions.

How do yous ready a cleft in a plastic fish tank?

Collect all your supplies.
Remove all the contents from the tank and thoroughly wash information technology out.
Take a small drill and drill a hole until information technology meets the end of the crack.
Fill up a precision tip applicator bottle with the acrylic cement and fill in the hole, which will then run across the crevice. Apply acrylic strips inside the tank if desired.
Place the fish tank on its side and utilize enough pressure to push the cleft together.
Utilise a heavy object to keep the crack together while it sits overnight.
Test your Tank if needed

Cracks and scratches often happen to fish tanks. If y'all're new to the earth of fish and aquarium maintenance, this article volition try to teach you all the necessary steps to fixing and maintaining your tank.

Our Footstep by Pace Guide to Fixing a Crack in a Plastic Fish Tank

Follow the guidelines closely to learn all the necessary steps to patching upwardly a crack in your fish tank safely and effectively. Let us begin.

Collect Your Equipment

For this DIY projection, you lot will need:

Acrylic Plastic Cement
Water Hose
Precision Tip Applicator Bottle/ Syringe
Face Mask
Gloves
Towel
Small drill
Square acrylic strips
A can-practise attitude

To choice the all-time materials, let's sympathize a bit more about each one:

Acrylic Plastic Cement

Acrylic plastic cement is a bonding amanuensis that works to attach acrylic too, you guessed it, acrylic. It will first soften the plastic surface and then weld it together.

Once the cement sits for a few days, information technology is condom for your pet. For a pocket-size and shallow crack, you'll need a diluted cement which is easy to apply and dries quickly; deeper and broader cracks volition crave a thicker bonding amanuensis.

A well-known brand used on aquarium tanks is called Weld-On (Amazon link), but feel complimentary to research other brands in the nearby shop.

There are 2 different types of cement to choose from:

A thin liquid one, i.e., Weld-On #3 – DANGER! – VAPOR HARMFUL – MAY BE HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED – MAY IRRITATE SKIN OR Optics

A thick one, i.e., Weld-On #sixteen – DANGER – EXTREMELY Combustible – VAPOR HARMFUL – MAY BE HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED – MAY IRRITATE SKIN OR EYES

Usually, whatever cement over Weld-On #xvi will be unnecessary for a elementary project like this. First, endeavour using a thin cement and if information technology doesn't move on to a stronger bonding agent.

Do not apply a silicone-based sealant. Silicone volition only work on glass aquariums. Acrylic must be bonded together, which tin can only exist achieved through the acrylic cement.

H2o Hose

Use a water hose to thoroughly rinse out whatever leftover gravel, sand, and built-up clay. Oh, and of course, take your fish out of their tank showtime, or suffer the consequences.

Precision Tip Applicator Canteen/Syringe

An applicator bottle is a small bottle with a long fine tip at the terminate. Using a fine tip, either from a syringe or a precision canteen (Amazon link) will allow you lot better accurateness and control over the cement.

Face Mask/ Gloves

Habiliment a face mask and gloves when you begin working with the cement. The fumes are toxic, and the cement irritates the skin. Working on the fish tank outside is likewise recommended. Recall, safety start.

Drill

If your precision bottle tip or syringe can not achieve directly into the crevice, you volition demand to drill a pocket-sized pigsty at the finish of the crack. You will want the smallest drill bit available, which is ane-sixteenth.

Acrylic Strips

It'south handy to ain a few strips of plastic for backup. You won't demand to get overboard on the size and width of your spare acrylic strips . If y'all have a major cleft on your hands, it'southward best to buy a new tank.

A Can-Do Attitude becomes Done

Just a side note. Stay positive while you're working on this project. It tin be quite tedious and frustrating. If you hit whatever problems, be patient and don't beat yourself upwards over any mistakes.

1. Clean and Prepare your Tank

Empty your tank of all fish, plants, gravel, and sand. If necessary, go outside and use a hose to wash out any built-up dirt and residual. Your tank must be clean.

After a thorough launder, wipe it all down with a towel and and so allow information technology air dry. Once your fish tank glimmers in the sunlight, you're ready to begin the project.

Pro Tip: Wiping out your fish tank with a microfiber towel will foreclose the acrylic from being scratched.

Fix upwards your workstation with plastic or a paper to cover and protect your floor or tabular array.

2. Using a Power Drill

Yes, it's ability tool time! Using a minor drill will only be necessary if you're unable to fill up in the fissure with the syringe directly. Use a drill with a 1-sixteenth scrap. Calmly and slowly drill a hole at the end of the crack. But drill deep enough to meet the cease of the fissure. Do not drill deeper than the crack.

three. Acrylic Cement Solution

Habiliment a facemask to avert breathing in the fumes and clothing gloves when yous work with the cement.

If you drilled a hole:

Use a thin acrylic cement solution
Use your syringe or precision tip bottle to fill in the hole slowly.
Watch to make certain the cement is running into the crack.

If you did not drill a pigsty:

Decide which cement to utilise. the larger and deeper the crack, the thicker and stronger the solution
Use your syringe or precision bottle and directly apply the solution to the crack.

Proceed in mind that the acrylic cement is a heavy-duty bonding agent. It will melt whatever part of the tank it touches.

four. Acrylic Strips

This is an optional step . Use a thick cement to attach a small strip of acrylic over the crack on the inside of your tank. You still need to add cement to the outside, simply this can provide additional strength. If your square is not quite the correct shape, have a heat gun to curve the strip.

Securing the Crack

Let the cement to sit down for a minute to piece of work its magic and and so apply pressure to the tank and so that you push the crack together. Remainder a heavy object, similar a dictionary or large handbag of rice, on your tank and let information technology sit for a mean solar day or two. Badabing badaboom! Leaks are gone.

Test Out Your Tank

One time y'all've finished the steps above, information technology's fourth dimension to effort out the tank. Fill your tank up with water and check for whatever leaks. Leave the water in for a couple of hours to make certain the crack is truly sealed. If your tank is nevertheless unfixable, it'southward fourth dimension to switch information technology out for a new 1, but which type?

Which is Meliorate: A Glass or Acrylic Fish Tank?

After reading through all the instructions, you may be rethinking your acrylic tank. Never fearfulness, here is a comparison of plastic and glass aquariums.

Acrylic Fish Tanks

Acrylic, also known by the allonym plexiglass, is a type of transparent thermoplastic specifically designed to be lightweight and durable. The best attributes of these tanks are:

Lightweight
Customizable shape
Durability

Weight

Acrylic fish tanks are lighter than glass. Plastic tanks don't need to be as thick as drinking glass tanks to back up the same amount of water. If you are interested in owning a small-scale fish tank, an acrylic tank is an excellent option because it will exist easier to motion effectually.

A glass tank can easily weigh up to 10x more than an acrylic fish tank.

Shape

Acrylic is a flexible plastic that tin can be molded into most whatsoever custom shape imaginable. If you desire a custom made fish tank, acrylic is your best choice.

Acrylic is also superior because plastic doesn't "bend light" as much as glass tanks. This means the lite that enters through a plastic tank will not distort the images of the tank. When light passes through a glass tank, it distorts the fish because the light has been refracted iv times through:

Air
Drinking glass
Water
Fish

Then it is reflected out of the tank.

Durability

Acrylic tanks are the articulate winner in this department. Acrylic tanks are less decumbent to chipping and cracking and are far more durable against collisions. Although they are incredibly durable, we don't recommend finding out your tank'due south affect resistance through the first-manus feel. The easiest way to never test your tank's durability is to follow these steps:

Don't drop it.
Don't crash-land it.
Set it on fifty-fifty surfaces.

Another positive cistron is that acrylic is an adjustable cloth. If y'all're looking to modify your fish tank, cull a plastic tank because you can hands drill into it. This is why fixing the crack yourself is doable just on a plastic fish tank. Don't fix a crack in your glass fish tank unless you are experienced. Drinking glass is not a forgiving material.

Oestrus Retentiveness of Acrylic Fish Tank

Acrylic tanks provide ameliorate insulation which allows them to trap heat longer than glass tanks. This isn't a huge factor if y'all're keeping cold-water fish, merely it's of import to keep in mind if you lot own tropical fish.

Acrylic tanks can retain up to 20% more heat than the glass tanks, which means less expensive electric bills!

Acrylic Fish Tank Cons

Here are a few of the less desirable qualities of an acrylic fish tank:

Toll

Acrylic tanks are far more than expensive than their glass alternatives. Even though acrylic as a material is cheaper to manufacture, acrylic tanks still have the cake when it comes to high prices.

There is a simple reply: Glass tanks, although a more expensive fabric is simpler to manufacture. They require less specialized tools and are easier to transport. Why is glass easier to send if it has a lower impact resistance? This brings us to our side by side con.

Scratching

Acrylic tanks are scratch-decumbent and even a slight brush against the tank with a difficult object volition do the trick. If you plan on having many kids effectually or keeping the tank in a high trafficked zone, we would steer you away from an acrylic tank as information technology is much more than probable to get scratched.

This lilliputian problematic flaw is why shipping plastic tanks are more expensive than glass tanks that don't scratch. While information technology may be less expensive to produce plastic, it'south another story when a shipment of plastic fish tanks are sent back considering they're un-sellable. Sadly, this besides means cleaning a plastic fish tank is far more time consuming than the glass counterpart.

Base Back up

Acrylic tanks have the reward of weighing less, but its flexibility requires the tank to have a total bottom support stand. If there isn't total support, the bottom will plummet. Glass tanks are heavier and denser, which means they just need to be supported on the outer edges of the aquarium, which allows you to have a smaller base. If you own a big tank, it's best to have total lesser back up for both types of tanks.

Clarity

Clarity is a top priority if you lot are interested in looking at your fish. Glass doesn't lose its clarity over time, UV light doesn't dethrone it the same style it breaks down acrylic. Although it volition take years, all acrylic tanks become sun damaged which makes the plastic plough xanthous and brittle. At that place are in fact "UV- resistant" plastic aquariums, just they still practice not compare to glass aquariums in clarity.

Worst Case Scenario: The Cleft Expands To…

Aye, the nightmare we fish owners fear above all else: An exploding or leaking fish tank. The moment instant anarchy ensues as your floor is littered with plants, gravel, and tropical fish flopping all over the room.

Then to make matters worse your CAT speeds through the room with a wild look in its eyes you've never witnessed before. Let's identify the reasons why tanks cleft so nosotros can prevent the instance above.

Why Did My Plastic Fish Tank Scissure?

There are two master reasons why your tank can crack:

Poor manufacturing
An unlevel base

There is fiddling we can exercise about a poorly built fish tank. The only thing nosotros tin can control is who and where nosotros purchase our fish tank from. Ever purchase a fish tank from a trusted shop or person. If possible, accept the fish tank out of the packaging before purchasing to bank check it for scratches or cracks, then make sure it is fully repackaged for transportation dwelling house.

An un-level base is the well-nigh common event that can exist hands rectified. If the aquarium is held up by an uneven base, the weight from the h2o will add pressure to the lowest part of the tank.

It is besides important to go on your fish tank out of direct sunlight because information technology will somewhen damage the plastic. This volition greatly prolong the lifespan of your tank. Bank check your fish tank for whatever leaks once a month, this will alert yous to whatsoever future problems.

Maintaining Your Fish Tank

Keeping your fish tank at optimum condition volition increase the lifespan and happiness of your fish and your tank. Cleaning a plastic fish tank is similar to cleaning a glass tank, but it needs to be done slowly and carefully to avert scratching the sides. The main point with acrylic tanks is to avoid scratches.

Never clean the outside of your plastic fish tank with:

Windex
Ammonia
Alcohol

Any abrasive chemical volition harm the tank. You'll demand to purchase cleaning products specifically designed for acrylic tanks. Change out a rough sponge and fabric for a microfiber cloth and magnetic cloth cleaning tool. 2 cleaning products essential to your maintenance kit:

A magnetic textile tool
A plastic scraper tool

You can but apply the tool specifically designed for a plexiglass fish tank. A magnetic cleaning cloth is your all-time option considering yous can leave it on the glass tank and regularly rub off algae build upward.

If there is build-up at the bottom of the tank, gently push away whatsoever gravel and use a plastic scraper tool. Y'all tin can either purchase a scraper specifically made for an acrylic tank, or that pesky plastic gym membership carte you never use. To each their own.

A sand or gravel vacuum is a superb add-on to your cleaning routine every bit long as you're careful not to bump into the tank. I believe the principal takeaway is to make clean your tank – carefully. Of course, minor scratches are inevitable. Fortunately, yous can buy an acrylic scratch removal kit which volition easily remove minor scratches.

What Did We Learn?

In decision, choosing the right tank depends on what y'all're looking for. Both glass and acrylic tanks have their pros and cons. I would recommend visiting a pet store to vocalisation your concerns and dreams to a professional. Only, if you cull an acrylic tank, you now have the confidence to prepare a crevice and how to keep it from cracking in the future.