Acrylic Tank Question

[Shrimpblimp]

Hello all!

Just joined the board, excited to be part of the cichlid loving group. Had a question for anyone familiar with acrylic tanks--picked this tank up from someone who was looking to get out of fishkeeping, he had it for several years and never had any issues with leaks and despite being on a stand that I don't think was the best (large gap in the middle so it wasn't supporting the entire bottom of the tank), there wasn't any bowing going on. I think the brand was Seaclear, unfortunately only 3/8" thick which seems to be pretty standard for these mass produced tanks, and there is some noticeable crazing with a few spots that made me a little uneasy. I'm not super familiar with acrylic tanks, but I wanted to post some photos of the spots I mentioned to see if I'm just being paranoid or if there is serious cause for concern.

For as long as he had the tank, there were no issues, no leaks, bowing, or anything like that and he kept an Oscar, a Parrot, a Firefin, two Plecos, a number of pretty decent sized rocks/ornaments and a lot of substrate for several years without any issues. Am I getting worried over nothing? Thanks guys!

[Ron]

Welcome to the forum.

I make no claim to be an expert or familiar with acrylic tanks and it will ultimately be your decision to use the tank or not.
^ Disclaimer. 

The small ones don't bother me, but the largest that is over 1/2 way through the width of the seam is concerning. If it doesn't continue to separate, I don't think it will result in a leak, but it should be monitored. Anywhere that the seam is clear, it's a solid seam and anywhere it's opaque, it's compromised IMO.

I suspect that the gap between the panels isn't large enough to inject the gap with some solvent. You'd like need to get some additional acrylic stock to weld against the existing material if you wanted to reinforce it (preferably probably square stock and placed upon the inside of the tank provided that the edges are straight so it sits flush - wouldn't be a big deal if you can make that side the back of the tank once setup).

[danielratti]

If you get weldon 3 it might find its way in...  If you really feel handy you could cut the tank apart and rebuild it and get rid of all the crazing and the bubbles in the acrylic. Ultimately it will be your call on how you approach the issue.