New and need help!

[eric1115]

Hi I am Eric and new to the hobby or rather coming back to the hobby after years. I wanted to start right this time so decided to start with a bigger tank.
I went out to buy a used acrylic tank that's 250 gallon and the seller has the tank filled without any leak. This is my first acrylic tank so I really didn't know anything about it and thought Acrylic is much stronger.

I should have done my research before buying but I ended up paying too much and afterward was told by several people that the tank might have bad seams.

Now I am worried but don't have the money to buy another tank. I did a lot of reading and read I can probably enforce the tank with acrylic rods and Weld on #16 on the side of the rod. At this point I am not overly concerned with the look of the corner but rather concern with flooding my house with 250 gallon of water.

I am seeking any help that can be provided to me, including maybe step by step instruction if possible. TIA

 

[eric1115]

Here are some more pictures. Ofcourse the seller is telling it wouldn't leak and there's no chance of returning the tank and getting the money back. Again really really appreciate any help thank cam be provided to me on this.

 

[Timfish]

I would consider that some pretty serious "crazing" or areas the glue has failed. Using acrylic rods and SCi-Grip #16 should work ok. If you can find Sci-Grip #40 it's a whole lot stronger but it's a two part and will take more care in using.

Using either adhesive you will want to get the manufacturer's tech bulliton and MSDS data sheet and read through them, they shoudl be available at Sci-Grip's website. Sand the rod and carefully sand the joint area of the tank with the recommended grit to roughen up the area and improve adhesion. Use a level and blocking or bracing so the joint being glued is level (both glues have the viscosity of heavy weight oil and will flow slowly). Apply some of the glue into the joint then set the rod in place and apply additional adhesive so it flows over the rod. It may help to use scewers to jiggle the rod a little bit to get it set in the adhesive well.

Notes on using #40

Defintely use it with adequite ventilation. It's probably a good idea to find some sscrap acrylic and parctice a bit first. It is a two part self polymerizing glue and has a short pot life of about 10 to 15 miutes. Depending on heat and humidity I've seen it start to skim over in just a few minutes so it's important to have everything prepped and laid out before mixing the glue. For application I use the large syringes used for injecting meat but don't use the needle that comes with them. I also use paper cups since cleaning out syringes of the old glue is a bit of a hassle but it takes more practice to apply it this way. The set time for #40 is pretty short but the initial cure time is 24 hours and there is an extended cure time of several days. After the glue has set you can move on the the next joint but it's best to leave the tank sit for at least a few days after the all joints are reinforced. Good luck!

 

[eric1115]

Thank you so much for your input. I will go with the 16. How many oz will I need to buy to add a rod to each seam on the side and the top? The bottom seams, the seller had rods weld on already, so hopefully those would hold.

The length is 60", depth is 40" and heigh is 24".
So I will need to buy 2 40" long rods, 4 40" long rods and 2 60" long rods. How much Weldon 16 will need to do the 4 rods.

Also, regarding sanding the rods and the seam to roughen up, how to I figure out the grit to use?

How safe would you think the tank would be if I add these rods?

Also, can the rods be Weldon outside instead of inside?

Any suggestions on where to buy the rods and what type?

Thanks again for your help.

 

[eric1115]

Can I use this?

https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=24196&clickid=related-slider

Thanks

 

[Timfish]

Should work fine. It'll have more surface area for a glue joint than smaller rod or square.

 

[eric1115]

Thank you!