Very large 600 gallon Acrylic tank question

[1970 lonereefer]

Been using my acrylic tank since 1995. Personally feel they hold up much longer than silicone seams. Even tore mine down and stored it outside for 3-4 years in northern indiana had it back up for about 6 years now. 180 gal definitely inspect for cracks. Wow that would be awesome.

 

[ss88]

Hi
I’m in the process of purchasing a house and incidentally the owner was also a reefer and has a built in 600 g reef with a fish room. Aquarium is acrylic but was custom built by Tenecor in 2009. It is currently set up with probably 1000 lb live rock (no corals anymore). I’m worried about the tank being 15 years old though. The tank is 48” in height which is insane as I never imagined that would be the dimension of my future tank. That’s another topic but right now my concern is should I be planning to replace the tank or will this tank give me another 10-15 years? I have little experience with acrylic so what should I look out for?

How thick is the acrylic at all locations?
Any cracking or crazing?
Can you get a clear side picture of how the joints are assembled, is there a visible glue line, is it yellow or slightly a different color? The bonding line is what is most important.
what type of lighting was used above the tank?

 

[xiaoxiy]

I wonder if the new Quanta Atlas will punch deep enough for lighting

 

[Om84]

How thick is the acrylic at all locations?
Any cracking or crazing?
Can you get a clear side picture of how the joints are assembled, is there a visible glue line, is it yellow or slightly a different color? The bonding line is what is most important.
what type of lighting was used above the tank?

Will get these pics hopefully some time this week

 

[ss88]

Will get these pics hopefully some time this week

Also post tank dimensions along with how the top is built.
this will help answer the question of structural integrity.

 

[areefer01]

I don't know if Orphek will get the job done for lighting. Their lights are not that much wattage from what I know. You might look at the reefi lab uno 2.0. I use them, at 125 watts of the 270 available I am 80 to 100par in 27 inches of water. Even these reefi might not be enough light. You may HAVE to use MH lights.

Kessil a500's can probably do it with the lens kit. Also Than over at Tidal Gardens has a setup that has lights elevated yet is able to grow coral below. Also don't forget about WWC with their lagoon in the showroom. MH is an option obviously but there are a couple LED kits that could swing it. Even if they don't have the punch you just add in a couple more and drive them higher intensity.

 

[Om84]

Tank has been running kessils but the corals grown were not sps or high light demand corals.

 

[ss88]

Tank has been running kessils but the corals grown were not sps or high light demand corals.

Ok, unlikely an issue.
MH would be an issue bc of heat and uv.

 

[SlowAndStupid]

I have some personal experience with large acrylic tanks. See my thread for more info, but I'm redoing a 1000 gallon tank and converting over from fresh to salt. Seams will be the most important area to inspect. How well is it supported? I, too, am lookin at the orphek amazonas lights. Than is lighting a large tank with them at tidal gardens. I think they're worth looking further into.

 

[Mickey]

I'm curious and didn't see this info in your initial post. Is the reef tank currently up and running? And is the owner willing to leave everything for you? Or is he taking all the equipment, fish, coral, etc. with him to his next place?

Either way, sounds like an amazing new adventure for you. Looking forward to following your build thread.

 

[Om84]

I'm curious and didn't see this info in your initial post. Is the reef tank currently up and running? And is the owner willing to leave everything for you? Or is he taking all the equipment, fish, coral, etc. with him to his next place?

Either way, sounds like an amazing new adventure for you. Looking forward to following your build thread.

Everything is running and he’s excited leaving it all to me. In fact they took our offer over other similar offers because I would “know how to take care of his dream tank” lol. Honestly I am overwhelmed and scared and not sure if this is for me. We spoke and he said I have to let him have visitation rights lol. I may have signed up for more work. Regardless, for me the fun is in the start up of a new system. I’m walking into new territory given the size and dimensions of this system. I have a lot to learn. If this tank is deemed structurally sound I will keep it otherwise I will build a new system so should be fun (and expensive) regardless.

Even if the tank is usable I will still need to upgrade everything including pumps, sump, plumbing, lights, etc. The only living things are 1000 or more lbs of live rock and 15 year old yellow tang, flame angel, and a couple Springeri damsels I believe.

 

[Om84]

As promised, here are some pics and a video of the room in the back. Tank is bigger than I thought. 96” L x 36” W 45” H which I think puts it at almost 675 gallons. Acrylic is 1” thick. There is some crazing that I did identify. Crazing is noted on sides at the seams. No crazing is noted on the panels. How bad is this?

The back panel only has these bubbles which I’m not sure what it is. Doesn’t look like water. Owner says it has been there from the beginning.

 

[areefer01]

With regards to the back, last photo. Is that a plastic wrap or protective cover on the back pane that was never removed? If you touch or move your finger gently over the perceived bubbles do they move or is it a solid surface?

 

[Om84]

No, it is inside the acrylic which worries me. Never seen that before.

 

[areefer01]

No, it is inside the acrylic which worries me. Never seen that before.

Ok, thanks. I was just wondering if they used a colored wrap on the back or a thin layer of colored plexiglass on the inside so it wasn't see through. That was my guess and you are seeing air bubbles or gaps.

 

[Om84]

 

[Om84]

Is anyone familiar with any known company in the Chicago area that makes solid custom acrylic tanks?

 

[ocicilioni]

I don't know if Orphek will get the job done for lighting. Their lights are not that much wattage from what I know. You might look at the reefi lab uno 2.0. I use them, at 125 watts of the 270 available I am 80 to 100par in 27 inches of water. Even these reefi might not be enough light. You may HAVE to use MH lights.

 

[piranhaman00]

I don’t see any issue, if no bowing then nonproblem

 

[ss88]

I could go into a long detailed answer here, but if the acrylic is indeed 1 inch thick it is not sufficient.

The back is normal for laminating a thinner colored sheet inside. I prefer painting but that’s acceptable.

This should be built from 2” acrylic.

Joints are not solvent, they look to be chemical polymerizing cements. Those types need annealing. The lines inside the joints are crazing.

In short, this will fail prematurely. IMO.

I can provide mathematical reasoning if you wish.