LittleBurger
Member
Hi Albano, thanks for the affirmation. Will get an acrylic tank on my next upgrade. :thumbsup:
Acrylic tank question
- Thread starter Mabyboi
- Start date
I've had my acrylic tank for over 10 years now. No complaints at all only comments as to how clear it is. It has curved corners which make cleaning easier. I've found my urchin scratches the tank with its teeth while grazing but they are easily buffed out. I've buffed the inside of the tank twice now and it still looks great. Coralline algae loves to grow on the acrylic too and I use acrylic scrapers to handle it. Best part about it is the versatility of acrylic. I've added a hang on back Refugium and frag brackets to the back.
Bilk
New member
Greenfish can you point me to the products you use to polish the inside of the tank when wet? I have a few minor scratches which are only noticeable to me, but .....
I use an Algae Free Hammerhead magnet on my tank. Years ago they used to sell an acrylic repair kit that went with the magnet. I had no idea if they still sell the kit until your question and had to search to find it. Below is a link to the kit I first used. I found just buying the sand paper was cheaper than the kit as the kit is $70 and I think I spent 10-20 in paper?? . Its expensive but their kit was really nice and they may still carry it.
Now I just use wet sand paper that i double stick to the magnet. I use 1800-8000 grit paper. (the kit goes to 6000 but I went a couple higher) Most of the damage from my urchin can be buffed out starting with 3200. All I do is make sure I have my filter sock in place (I usually dont run the tank with one) and start sanding. 3200 up and down the area, then the next grit left and right removing the scratches seen from the previous sanding, then next grit up and down, etc until the scratches are buffed out.
The acrylic removed floats and is skimmed off the tank from the overflow and then trapped by the filter sock. I take my time to insure its done properly. I've done my tank in a day before. Most people are afraid that they will ruin the tank more. But by taking your time you can buff out all scratches and get the tank looking like new again. The deepest scratch I removed was from a grain of sand that was in the pad of the algae scraper. You could feel the scratch with your finger.
http://www.aquadirect.com/store/product.php?productid=21744&cat=0&page=1
Now I just use wet sand paper that i double stick to the magnet. I use 1800-8000 grit paper. (the kit goes to 6000 but I went a couple higher) Most of the damage from my urchin can be buffed out starting with 3200. All I do is make sure I have my filter sock in place (I usually dont run the tank with one) and start sanding. 3200 up and down the area, then the next grit left and right removing the scratches seen from the previous sanding, then next grit up and down, etc until the scratches are buffed out.
The acrylic removed floats and is skimmed off the tank from the overflow and then trapped by the filter sock. I take my time to insure its done properly. I've done my tank in a day before. Most people are afraid that they will ruin the tank more. But by taking your time you can buff out all scratches and get the tank looking like new again. The deepest scratch I removed was from a grain of sand that was in the pad of the algae scraper. You could feel the scratch with your finger.
http://www.aquadirect.com/store/product.php?productid=21744&cat=0&page=1
