Bad Seal/Seam on new acrylic aquarium?

[Brian Goldstein]

I'm curious what the manufacture has to say. I'm no acrylic guy, but I know seams should not look like that.

I agree.. I emailed him about an hour ago. I will let you know what the response is.

 

[Brian Goldstein]

Does anyone think 1/2 inch acrylic without euro bracing for a 36" x 20" tank is sort of minimal? I could be wrong, but 3/4 seems to be the norm.

 

[w2inc]

Does anyone think 1/2 inch acrylic without euro bracing for a 36" x 20" tank is sort of minimal? I could be wrong, but 3/4 seems to be the norm.

1/2 in acrylic is pretty burly but acrylic bows over time in general and 36" is not a terribly big gap at 20 high. I have been amateur ish working with acrylic for the past 20 years. My seams are rarely textbook and that is why I don't do work for other people. If I paid for a job I would expect it to come to me with no bubbles at all. When I work with material thinner than 1/4 or material that I have laser cut I have trouble getting great seams. When I go 1/2 or thicker, I usually have way better luck. I think it is ok to expect perfect seams but I would allow a couple bubbles trapped on both sides of the weld.

I dont want to call them novice, but I will cosign with you that those are not awesome seams. I am comfortable saying that any shop that sells acrylic will back me up. Structurally solid for your tank, probably. Perfect, no, by no means.

There are a few things that can cause crazing. Flame polishing is kind of blamed a lot of the time. In my experience, cleaning a flame polished surface with anything that contains alcohol is a great way to make something craze. However, I have not always had an issue with it. Laser cut material is similar to flame polished and it usually doesn't craze when I put alcohol on it. Talking to the desk at San Diego Plastics I was told that there can be all kinds of things that cause crazing. Sun, Rubbing alcohol, high or fluctuating heat when doing finishing work, they had a few other environmental examples. There are lots of variables. I can't tell from the photo if the material is crazing, but there was a photo that had some of that look. Crazing looks bad, but does not always cause structural issues. That is a little above may pay grade as well.

In my experience with defective products as a consumer, as well as a business owner (a sign maker) is that phone calls get attention pretty fast. They make me put on my customer service hat and start saying "yes" and " we will get it taken care of". The flip side is that picking up the phone or just going to the a sellers shop usually pays out faster and better for me. I hate to do it. I would way rather send an email.

As a seller, I love emails because it gives me a chance to play chess and plan my move. No rush, I can do research, consult suppliers and talk to colleagues about the extent of my liability and all that. I know you already sent an email, but a phone call first thing in the morning might help you get a fair resolution faster.

Chances are that this is not their first tank from that time period that has had a complaint and they will have an action plan and know what they are willing to offer, but face to face communication is much more clear and no one wants to start saying fighting words when the other guy is within striking distance. I hope something in this was helpful. Good luck.

 

[P-Dub]

I have never seen bubbles and crazing in mass produces acrylic tanks so I would certainly NEVER accept that from a custom shop. Those seams are amateur at best. Period.

 

[Brian Goldstein]

1/2 in acrylic is pretty burly but acrylic bows over time in general and 36" is not a terribly big gap at 20 high. I have been amateur ish working with acrylic for the past 20 years. My seams are rarely textbook and that is why I don't do work for other people. If I paid for a job I would expect it to come to me with no bubbles at all. When I work with material thinner than 1/4 or material that I have laser cut I have trouble getting great seams. When I go 1/2 or thicker, I usually have way better luck. I think it is ok to expect perfect seams but I would allow a couple bubbles trapped on both sides of the weld.

I dont want to call them novice, but I will cosign with you that those are not awesome seams. I am comfortable saying that any shop that sells acrylic will back me up. Structurally solid for your tank, probably. Perfect, no, by no means.

There are a few things that can cause crazing. Flame polishing is kind of blamed a lot of the time. In my experience, cleaning a flame polished surface with anything that contains alcohol is a great way to make something craze. However, I have not always had an issue with it. Laser cut material is similar to flame polished and it usually doesn't craze when I put alcohol on it. Talking to the desk at San Diego Plastics I was told that there can be all kinds of things that cause crazing. Sun, Rubbing alcohol, high or fluctuating heat when doing finishing work, they had a few other environmental examples. There are lots of variables. I can't tell from the photo if the material is crazing, but there was a photo that had some of that look. Crazing looks bad, but does not always cause structural issues. That is a little above may pay grade as well.

In my experience with defective products as a consumer, as well as a business owner (a sign maker) is that phone calls get attention pretty fast. They make me put on my customer service hat and start saying "yes" and " we will get it taken care of". The flip side is that picking up the phone or just going to the a sellers shop usually pays out faster and better for me. I hate to do it. I would way rather send an email.

As a seller, I love emails because it gives me a chance to play chess and plan my move. No rush, I can do research, consult suppliers and talk to colleagues about the extent of my liability and all that. I know you already sent an email, but a phone call first thing in the morning might help you get a fair resolution faster.

Chances are that this is not their first tank from that time period that has had a complaint and they will have an action plan and know what they are willing to offer, but face to face communication is much more clear and no one wants to start saying fighting words when the other guy is within striking distance. I hope something in this was helpful. Good luck.

Really appreciate the response. I should be hearing back from the builders tomorrow. I am going to give them one business day to get back to me before I call. Want to at least give them some time to read over my email and figure out their course of action. The shop I bought the tank from is known as one of the best in the business but perhaps the person who was working on my tank was newer? not sure.. mistakes happen.

Will update.

 

[Brian Goldstein]

I have never seen bubbles and crazing in mass produces acrylic tanks so I would certainly NEVER accept that from a custom shop. Those seams are amateur at best. Period.

this is unfortunate to hear, but a pretty ubiquitous opinion among people I've talked to.

I swear man, I've had the worst experience when it comes to aquariums. Initially, I bought a really nice 45g glass frag tank, came to me shattered. 2nd attempt, bought a 40g breeder to replace the 45g and it started cracking as I filled it with water. 3rd tank (decided to say screw it and pay the extra money for acrylic)... and now this lol.... I've been trying to set up my propagation system for over a month now.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Hang in there. I bet they call or email and make it right. Give them time to respond mon. Maybe call late monday. You gonna get that tank up and running the way it should be and soon hopefully.

 

[Macdaddynick1]

I’ve had the same issue before, they just didn’t clamp the tank properly when it was curing. Meaning the tank is probably custom made by a smaller shop without the proper equipment. I have a frag tank from advanced acrylics that has bubbles in it and it holds no problem, I also have a 300 gal from them with the same bubbles in the seam. The tank will hold just fine, but I would still contact the shop you got it from and let them know that it looks really sloppy.

 

[Brian Goldstein]

I’ve had the same issue before, they just didn’t clamp the tank properly when it was curing. Meaning the tank is probably custom made by a smaller shop without the proper equipment. I have a frag tank from advanced acrylics that has bubbles in it and it holds no problem, I also have a 300 gal from them with the same bubbles in the seam. The tank will hold just fine, but I would still contact the shop you got it from and let them know that it looks really sloppy.

My frag tank was made by advanced acrylics as well. This probably isn’t the best analogy, but when I buy a new expensive car, I wouldn’t expect to see blemishes in the aluminum or fabric of the interior. It’s ability to drive (as a car was made to), should be a give in.

 

[rockskimmerflow]

My frag tank was made by advanced acrylics as well. This probably isn’t the best analogy, but when I buy a new expensive car, I wouldn’t expect to see blemishes in the aluminum or fabric of the interior. It’s ability to drive (as a car was made to), should be a give in.

I have quite a few clients in the socal area with advance acrylics tanks, sumps, etc. Those seams aren't an issue structurally IMO, look pretty similar to tanks built by them I've had set up for years now. They are not perfect seams by any means but I don't see the tank blowing out because of them. Up to you how you want to roll with them. I've always considered them lower end custom based on their pricing personally. I've never heard of someone paying big money for one of their tanks relative to what you could spend on a higher end piece of craftsmanship. Good luck working with them, it'll be up to you and them how you want to proceed with handling the situation.

 

[Brian Goldstein]

I have quite a few clients in the socal area with advance acrylics tanks, sumps, etc. Those seams aren't an issue structurally IMO, look pretty similar to tanks built by them I've had set up for years now. They are not perfect seams by any means but I don't see the tank blowing out because of them. Up to you how you want to roll with them. I've always considered them lower end custom based on their pricing personally. I've never heard of someone paying big money for one of their tanks relative to what you could spend on a higher end piece of craftsmanship. Good luck working with them, it'll be up to you and them how you want to proceed with handling the situation.

My tank was bowing as soon as I put water in it. I am assuming this is normal though? I would like to hear his opinion first and see how he'd like to move forward. I have received advice from some big names in the industry through email, and they all agree that it's not an acceptable seam by their standards. I guess I just considered $550.00 for a 30 gallon tank to be on the high-end of things. Maybe not?


-Brian G.

 

[Macdaddynick1]

My tank was bowing as soon as I put water in it. I am assuming this is normal though? I would like to hear his opinion first and see how he'd like to move forward. I have received advice from some big names in the industry through email, and they all agree that it's not an acceptable seam by their standards. I guess I just considered $550.00 for a 30 gallon tank to be on the high-end of things. Maybe not?


-Brian G.

550 for a 30 gallon tank is a bit steep. That being said, acrylic bows, if you can have him make a tank out of a 1/2” acrylic, then it will not bow as much, unless it’s rimless.

 

[Brian Goldstein]

550 for a 30 gallon tank is a bit steep. That being said, acrylic bows, if you can have him make a tank out of a 1/2” acrylic, then it will not bow as much, unless it’s rimless.

It's a rimless tank made with 1/2" acrylic

 

[rockskimmerflow]

My tank was bowing as soon as I put water in it. I am assuming this is normal though? I would like to hear his opinion first and see how he'd like to move forward. I have received advice from some big names in the industry through email, and they all agree that it's not an acceptable seam by their standards. I guess I just considered $550.00 for a 30 gallon tank to be on the high-end of things. Maybe not?


-Brian G.

I know Jon at advanced offers a museum quality polish option etc. Was this tank expressly asked for as a showpiece display or just quoted as a standard custom build? I only ask cause I know the price and quality level changes based on the the customer expectations at the time the build order is put in. Is it half inch acrylic or 3/8th? Acrylic tanks bow. Period. It's just a matter of how thick you want to go in terms of how limited the bowing will be. Should be very minimal on a 30 gallon made from half inch material. I have a 60 cube sitting in my grow out room by advanced that I got used from a client that was upgrading. It was already 2 years old at that point and have had it for the past 3 now and it's never had any issues. The seams are not perfect - they look a lot like yours in fact. Doesn't bother me, but I can see how if you had expectations of an absolutely perfect aquarium then it would be disappointing. I'm not here to tell you what you should or shouldn't accept quality wise as that's up to you and however Advanced decides to handle it. I just don't want you to worry about the structural integrity of the tank as I'm very confident the seams are not a liability of popping apart if you did decide to keep water in it. Best of luck!

 

[Brian Goldstein]

UPDATE:

I spoke with John. He was extremely understanding and agreed that the tank was not acceptable. Apparently there were some quality control issues and it never should have been approved to go out the day I picked it up.

John said he will be building me a new tank personally, and is even letting me keep the old one for the inconvenience. He was confident that the tank would still hold water very well and leaking wouldn't be an issue. I am really impressed with the customer service and will continue to give them my business


-Brian G.

 

[EmptyWallet]

Free tank with a minor aesthetic defect - gotta be happy with that outcome! My tank has heaps of bubbles in the seams and holds 200 gals no worries, so I don't think you have to worry about structural on your soon to be second tank

 

[Mastiffsrule]

UPDATE:

I spoke with John. He was extremely understanding and agreed that the tank was not acceptable. Apparently there were some quality control issues and it never should have been approved to go out the day I picked it up.

John said he will be building me a new tank personally, and is even letting me keep the old one for the inconvenience. He was confident that the tank would still hold water very well and leaking wouldn't be an issue. I am really impressed with the customer service and will continue to give them my business


-Brian G.

Glad it worked out.

 

[w2inc]

UPDATE:

I spoke with John. He was extremely understanding and agreed that the tank was not acceptable. Apparently there were some quality control issues and it never should have been approved to go out the day I picked it up.

John said he will be building me a new tank personally, and is even letting me keep the old one for the inconvenience. He was confident that the tank would still hold water very well and leaking wouldn't be an issue. I am really impressed with the customer service and will continue to give them my business


-Brian G.

Thats great news! I love it when companies back up their products!

 

[Halal Hotdog]

UPDATE:

I spoke with John. He was extremely understanding and agreed that the tank was not acceptable. Apparently there were some quality control issues and it never should have been approved to go out the day I picked it up.

John said he will be building me a new tank personally, and is even letting me keep the old one for the inconvenience. He was confident that the tank would still hold water very well and leaking wouldn't be an issue. I am really impressed with the customer service and will continue to give them my business


-Brian G.

Best possible outcome in this situation. Every company has issues, how they handle it is what determines if they have return business or not. I have read a lot of things about companies that even sponsor this forum that do not treat people correctly, great to see one company that stands behind their products.

 

[Brian Goldstein]

Best possible outcome in this situation. Every company has issues, how they handle it is what determines if they have return business or not. I have read a lot of things about companies that even sponsor this forum that do not treat people correctly, great to see one company that stands behind their products.

"Every company has issues, how they handle it is what determines if they have return business or not. "

100%.