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View Full Version : Looking for Acrylic scratch repair



LCPL67
02-26-2013, 08:54 PM
90 Gallon (standard) tank. Lots 'o' scratches. Any thoughts? Thanks.

KorL
02-26-2013, 09:38 PM
Wet sand and polish the entire tank. It does take some time but very easy to do. Just youtube it.

LCPL67
02-28-2013, 01:40 PM
Most of the scratches are inside the tank, so I will be removing livestock for the task, but need to be able to return them home asap. GBeing as such, any suggestions for the polish as it will need to be "reef safe."

KorL
02-28-2013, 01:46 PM
Start off with wet sandpaper and finish with a product such as a novus. Then rinse out tank with water to remove any acrylic dust and product. Theres a "how to" thread on here or do a youtube search

scubasteve
02-28-2013, 01:48 PM
There's a method to sand while tank is full.... Johnny airtime knows how

KorL
02-28-2013, 01:52 PM
If the tank is full of scratches, i think it would be best to empty out tank and sand and polish while dry

pinoyreef
02-28-2013, 02:15 PM
If the tank is full of scratches, i think it would be best to empty out tank and sand and polish while dry

I agree or maybe buy a new one

JohnnyAirtime
03-01-2013, 09:41 AM
90 Gallon (standard) tank. Lots 'o' scratches. Any thoughts? Thanks.

There's a method to sand while tank is full.... Johnny airtime knows how

Thanks Steve... ;)

You can SAND and POLISH the tank with livestock IN the tank. It's doable, but a long drawn out process (longer then if it was drained).

I posted about it here (in the following two posts);
http://www.sandiegoreefs.com/forums/showthread.php?82936-Acrylic-Scratch-Removal-dry-or-wet!-(no-need-to-remove-inhabitants)&p=674839#post674839
http://www.sandiegoreefs.com/forums/showthread.php?82936-Acrylic-Scratch-Removal-dry-or-wet!-(no-need-to-remove-inhabitants)&p=747327#post747327

I've returned many tanks from old scratched and beat up, to looking new again. Brought them back from the dead. My own 240gal is one of those.
... to this day, I'll continue to take out small scratches with using micro-mesh as a cleaning/polishing solution once a week. Simple, and effective. A great solution to acrylic upkeep.

There's several processes to making a tank look like new. It ALL DEPENDS on the depth of the worst scratch.
There isn't any one person who can give you a "how to" over the internet or phone, without seeing the tank first. That's step one. Get someone to look at the tank that knows what they are doing. Once that has been accomplished, you'll be on your way to clearing it up to look perfect once again. (One GREAT feature of acrylic tanks... they can always be made to look like new!)

Let me know if you need anymore assistance (beyond the two posts I linked to).