Used Acrylic tank bubbling...please help

[onsloth]

I bought a used 180 gallon acrylic aquarium.
It had fish in it right before I bought and I did a leak test.

The problem is there's bad bubbling at the top seam and a little on the side corner.
Should I try to fill these with Weldon-4,16, or just seal the whole top with weld-on 40?
Cosmetically I was thinking weldon-4 or 16 for the bubbles before the Weld-on 40. However I don't "need" to do that step. It might just help resell down the road.

 

[onsloth]

I've never done this also. I wouldn't wanna ruin the seal either.

 

[deeda]

wednesday13 should be able to offer some excellent suggestions for a fix.

 

[wednesday13]

I bought a used 180 gallon acrylic aquarium.
It had fish in it right before I bought and I did a leak test.

The problem is there's bad bubbling at the top seam and a little on the side corner.
Should I try to fill these with Weldon-4,16, or just seal the whole top with weld-on 40?
Cosmetically I was thinking weldon-4 or 16 for the bubbles before the Weld-on 40. However I don't "need" to do that step. It might just help resell down the road.

View attachment 1541897

View attachment 1541898

View attachment 1541899

Looks like a good candidate for some refurb i agree. Sounds like ur right on track also. I usually always start with #4 solvent to try and rebond any of those white areas. Its 50/50 tho. Some areas take it in, others dont. You can do square rod on the inside with solvent also if ur good with it. Myself, i prefer #40 to tip and pour fillets on the the inner seams. It does heat up alot tho and can cause crazing. Bit of give and take for adding maximum strength and seal, but losing a bit on the “cosmetic” end. #16 is not my favorite product to use. Its the weakest glue in the lineup. You can do square rod with #16 to reinforce it a bit. Sometimes it works well, other times it does not. Its very brittle and can pull away over time IME. Solvent is alot stronger than #16 but its harder to “get right”…. #40 is pretty user friendly and the strongest option but comes with crazing and bad fumes. Best used in a well ventilated area or outdoors. All depends what u want to do. Personally i love #40. Everything has its down sides tho.

 

[onsloth]

Looks like a good candidate for some refurb i agree. Sounds like ur right on track also. I usually always start with #4 solvent to try and rebond any of those white areas. Its 50/50 tho. Some areas take it in, others dont. You can do square rod on the inside with solvent also if ur good with it. Myself, i prefer #40 to tip and pour fillets on the the inner seams. It does heat up alot tho and can cause crazing. Bit of give and take for adding maximum strength and seal, but losing a bit on the “cosmetic” end. #16 is not my favorite product to use. Its the weakest glue in the lineup. You can do square rod with #16 to reinforce it a bit. Sometimes it works well, other times it does not. Its very brittle and can pull away over time IME. Solvent is alot stronger than #16 but its harder to “get right”…. #40 is pretty user friendly and the strongest option but comes with crazing and bad fumes. Best used in a well ventilated area or outdoors. All depends what u want to do. Personally i love #40. Everything has its down sides tho.

Thank you so much.
Can I ask...what do you mean by fillets?
Tip and pour? You mean 45 degree angle?

 

[Joshuakahan]

I've never done this also. I wouldn't wanna ruin the seal either.

I don’t know anything about fixing tanks, acrylic or glass. But I did buy a used acrylic 180 with this same issue and I knew someone that could fix it. I’m not sure which Weldon he used but he injected it with a medical syringe into the bubbling areas and it held up great and my friend I sold it to still has it up and running 3 years later

 

[wednesday13]

Thank you so much.
Can I ask...what do you mean by fillets?
Tip and pour? You mean 45 degree angle?

Yes, you can reinforce any inner seam with #40 tipping the tank at 45 degree angles and pouring out a fillet/bevel of glue 3/8-1/2” thick across the seam. Its a syrup consistency and self levels.

 

[Lepisosteus]

Tip and pour #40 or 42 works the best for these jobs. I’ve found injecting #4/3 into these spots doesn’t do much for strength but makes the seam look better. The strength comes from the #40 or the acrylic rods at this point

 

[onsloth]

Yes, you can reinforce any inner seam with #40 tipping the tank at 45 degree angles and pouring out a fillet/bevel of glue 3/8-1/2” thick across the seam. Its a syrup consistency and self levels.

On some these spots I was wondering if I should do on the outside or in side or both.
As you can see in this picture, this is the top above the tank.

 

[wednesday13]

On some these spots I was wondering if I should do on the outside or in side or both.
As you can see in this picture, this is the top above the tank.

View attachment 1542546

You can tip and pour #40 up under the inside there. Just have to flip the tank over.