Modifying acrylic tank

jsker · Jul 9, 2016

cromag08 said:
Yes, use a template. no, don't use a straight bit, use a template bit. be sure and route in the proper direction. use Weldon 40 for the crack.

This is a tricky operation any way you slice it. do it wrong and you'll destroy the euro.

And if you would clicked the link i gave, you would have seen the the bits have barring guides

cromag27 · Jul 9, 2016

"straight bits" have no bearings, but template bits and flush trim bits do. the difference is the placement of the bearing.

Reefrookie220 · Jul 9, 2016

Messing with the euro on used acrylic has ended in a loss all three times I've tried it.

In my experience the euro actually separated from the tank in numerous places 2/3 times.

I've seen it done and helped do it numerous times, but for some reason it never works out.

The integrity of that centre brace is of utmost importance

@Floyd R Turbo , any input?

cromag27 · Jul 9, 2016

Supporting the cracked area is essential, yes. wo16 has acrylic filler in it which inhibits it's bonding strength. it dries really thin and you can chip at it with your fingernail. it should not be used for any load bearing or structural situations.

jsker said:
Never had an issue with it and I have been using it for years, have you? and the resason I suggest to fill the crack, so when the router bit hit the crack the crack will not fisher and will not be chip out when the bit hits it.

thenissantech · Jul 30, 2016

Ok so I've had success routing the euro, and repairing crack. I left the center brace 8 ", the side euro 3" thick, the front 2" and the back 4". I made a template out of mdf (the router glides better across it) and moved the router very slowly to cut acrylic. It came out awesome and I'm water testing now.

Lionfish Lair · Jul 30, 2016

That's seriously a beautiful beautiful job.

CastAway · Jul 30, 2016

Work of art my friend!

TaylorPilot · Jul 30, 2016

I would be very leary with those sharp edges. It creates stress point and will crack with time. As was mentioned above, a 2" radius on all edges would help keep that from happening.

thenissantech · Jul 30, 2016

Lionfish Lair said:
That's seriously a beautiful beautiful job.

Thank you. I think it came out pretty good myself!

CastAway said:
Work of art my friend!

Thanks buddy

TaylorPilot said:
I would be very leary with those sharp edges. It creates stress point and will crack with time. As was mentioned above, a 2" radius on all edges would help keep that from happening.

Thanks for the input. I have a minimum of 2" euro brace. Another thing that I think will really help is the sides and front are all one piece of acrylic that was bent in the corners to make it seamless like a biocube. the center brace is actually 8" across. all the edges have been sanded and slightly beveled with sand paper. I will be flame polishing them too.

CastAway · Jul 30, 2016

The existing crack does indeed stem from or to a sharp inside corner of the euro brace. Perhaps there's a way to not only repair, but reinforce both the sharp inside corners of the brace.

Are you going to have to polish the tank at all?

thenissantech · Jul 30, 2016

That's something I've been considering. The gentleman I bought this tank form said its been cracked like that for ten years. The company sent him a corner piece to install over it. I've thought about doing that too. I will most likely being installing a piece of 4" acrylic the length of that side of aquarium from side to overflow just as a precaution. I do t need to buff it out. With water it's very clear. On the flip side when it's empty there are some scratches so I will be buffing out the whole thing.

thenissantech · Jul 31, 2016

So, here are the pieces I have to attach to strengthen the tank. They are from the manufacturer along with their recommended glue.

Pepcrylic · Aug 1, 2016

Looks like you are doing a great job. ..... But.... I dont think I would have put so much time and effort into a 10yr. old acrylic tank. They do have a self life. Just sayin

Lionfish Lair · Aug 1, 2016

Pepcrylic said:
Looks like you are doing a great job. ..... But.... I dont think I would have put so much time and effort into a 10yr. old acrylic tank. They do have a self life. Just sayin

We pretty much did the same thing with a 10 year old tank we found on ebay. We liked the 2 foot depth and there wasn't a lot of acrylic tank fabricators at the time. We reworked the top holes, repaired a crack, put an overflow on the back, drilled holes and buffed the whole thing out. That was in 2004 and that tank is still fine.

thenissantech · Aug 1, 2016

Pepcrylic said:
Looks like you are doing a great job. ..... But.... I dont think I would have put so much time and effort into a 10yr. old acrylic tank. They do have a self life. Just sayin

I suppose your right. We are quickly becoming a throw it away and buy a new one society. That's why everything now is built so cheap. I like projects though and I take a lot of pride in seeing something I've put time into.

Lionfish Lair said:
We pretty much did the same thing with a 10 year old tank we found on ebay. We liked the 2 foot depth and there wasn't a lot of acrylic tank fabricators at the time. We reworked the top holes, repaired a crack, put an overflow on the back, drilled holes and buffed the whole thing out. That was in 2004 and that tank is still fine.

That's a beautiful tank!