Boiling Water & Acrylic Aquariums

[pjf]

I've purchased and tested the "Therme Algae Terminator" (http://www.therme-at.com/) on my glass aquarium. It is a heating element that kills coralline algae by boiling the water next to it.

I am writing a review and am trying to find out if the Terminator will damage an acrylic aquarium. I'm planning to perform a test with a piece of acrylic but would first like to get a key number:

What is the boiling point of seawater at 2 feet of depth?

 

[dirtyclownfish]

That looks like a really cool machine for the marine reefer! I will definately consider that as I am starting to get a little coraline on my front pane.

100.56 C I think.

 

[pjf]

OK. I just looked up the boiling point of seawater at sea level. You are right. It is about 100.6 degrees Celsius. At a depth of 2 feet (bottom of aquarium), the boiling point will rise another 2 degrees to no more than 103 degrees Celsius or 217 degrees Fahrenheit.

I've no idea whether 217 degrees Fahrenheit will damage an acrylic aquarium but I can just run a test with a piece of acrylic. Since I live at 7500 feet elevation in Colorado, I'm not sure if any of this will be valid at sea level.

For what's worth, Tenecor, a maker of acrylic aquariums, responded to my query tersely:

(1) Is it safe to clean an acrylic aquarium with boiling water?

NO.



(2) Do you heat treat your acrylic aquariums in an annealing oven?

YES, BUT ONLY IF THEY NEED TO BE BENT OR SHAPED.



(3) Is the Therme Algae Terminator (http://www.therme-at.com/) safe to use in an acrylic aquarium?

THEIR WEBSITE SAYS IT IS, BUT WE AT TENECOR HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE AND MAKE NO WARRANTIES.

Caveat emptor!

 

[pjf]

I've been playing with a boiling point calculator:
http://www.csgnetwork.com/h2oboilcalc.html

According to this calculator, my boiling point at 7500 feet should be about 92C or 198F. If I add another 0.6C for seawater and 2C for 2 feet of aquarium depth, the boiling point should not exceed 95C or 203F at the bottom of my aquarium. However, the Therme Algae Terminator will run hotter at sea level (103C, 217F).

I'll run a test on an acrylic sheet this weekend and post my review.

 

[PSam]

sweet :thumbsup: so did it do the job on your glass aquarium? 30 day $ back guarantee. Can't beat that.

Well, unless your acrylic tank cracks w/in the 30 days

 

[pjf]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10762083#post10762083 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by PSam
sweet :thumbsup: so did it do the job on your glass aquarium? 30 day $ back guarantee. Can't beat that.

Well, unless your acrylic tank cracks w/in the 30 days

For portions of the front glass that my daughter worked on, the Terminator worked. She placed a rubber band on the rocker switch to keep the Terminator running and left the heating element at each spot longer. On some spots, the coralline algae came off easily with only a magnet scrubber.

For the portions of the glass that I worked on, it hasn't worked 100%. I followed the (sea level) instructions conservatively and kept the Terminator moving. Scraping with a plastic blade is still required. I do notice that with each passing day, the dead coralline algae is easier to remove with the plastic blade.

The instructions claim that the coralline algae will turn from pink to white. My coralline algae turned from pink to only green. Perhaps longer heat treatment would have turned the algae a lighter shade. Some of the spots I worked on are still pinkish because I was moving the Terminator too quickly.

 

[pjf]

3/8" Thick Cast Acrylic Test

3/8" Thick Cast Acrylic Test

I tested the Therme Algae Terminator on a 3/8" thick cast acrylic sheet. I placed the sheet inside my reef aquarium. It was held against the glass wall by the Terminator and the supplied external magnet. I let the Terminator warm up for half a minute until it started boiling the water against the arcylic sheet. I let the Terminator continue boiling the water for a full minute against the same spot on the acrylic sheet. I then took the acrylic sheet out and found no visible damage to the acrylic.

The acrylic sheet is 3/8" thick regular cast acrylic from Plastics Depot in Colorado Springs. Plastics Depot says that it is a regular item that is imported. Plastics Depot says that cast acrylic is easier to work with than extruded acrylic and believes that cast acrylic is safe to use with boiling water.

Contrast that with the cautionary warnings from Tenecor above. In any case, my review of the Therme Algae Terminator is posted on the review section of Reef Central.