Stupid #*&%^$$@&$ Deep Tanks....

[squeakytoy]

I have an Acrylic 77g that I am "attempting" to bring back to life. It's a wierdo, a corner tank with a 24" half circle coming out the front. (I posted earlier in this forum about bio wheel versus bio balls.) It should be really cool when (IF!) I finish, and I will post pics of it. But at the moment I am only barely resisting the urge to "fix" it with a 5# hand drill ... and I do mean only barely. I have been chasing leaks for the last 4 weeks, and I am getting frustrated with constantly carting the big sucker in and out of the house to test it. So, it has a bio ball compartment on the back and the filter/pump feeds are located on the bottom, with the pump out coming up the main living compartment through the bottom. The problem, this time, is that the fitting that holds the outpipe to the bottom of the tank has come loose...again. Part of the problem is that the tank is about 3 feet deep and so it is very hard to accurately place things, as well as apply any significant amount of clamping pressure. This leads me to think that a thick epoxy, with a bit more fill than a standard plastic glue would be the best solution. However what are the best choices? I think it might be a good idea to list what adhesives / paints / caulks have been used successfully in various applications, as well as others that have failed miserably. Anyway, I did calm (one great feature of Formica countertops is that they can be punched repeatedly without breaking!! Oddly enough, you dont see that listed in too many brochures ) enough to get a photo or two to show what I am working with. The fact that the opening at the top is only just bigger than a foot wide doesnt help either.

in order... repair location

followed by the whole kit and kaboodle

 

[squeakytoy]

No responses, so screw it, I am tired of waiting on this tank... I just used a thing of PC-7 I had here. If it doesnt work I am going to just set the f'er on fire and dance naked around ashes. I am so damn tired of this tank not working. Much like land wars in Asia, never get involved in anything like this when you are the only one working on it, with a four year old underfoot. constant problems + 4 yr old = psychotic break of epic proportion.

 

[shelaghfishface]

thats very original, i like it, but dosent sound very practical, go on get it finished, if you dont like it you could sell it on to meeee

 

[squeakytoy]

thats very original, i like it, but dosent sound very practical, go on get it finished, if you dont like it you could sell it on to meeee

It was made in '87 or so, and it even had the box for the Magnum 350 (not the 350 pro mind you, just a 350) and given the amount of headaches this thing has been lately, I would be really close to doing just that. But I am hoping that it will all come together and be spectacular as a community school tank.



Sigh... it doesnt look good, as the rest of the epoxy batch doesnt seem to be hardening. Now if I can only remember where I left my lighter.

 

[Gill]

coool its a picard tank, like in picards captains room on star trek.

 

[squeakytoy]

well pc-7 is out. the batch didnt harden paste loose clay. tank is moving closer to flaming pile status, as my patience wears thinner my the solvent. Did I mention that the bottom of the tank where I am try to repair is about 6 inches past my full arm extension? yeah, frustration is a powerful emotion, getting real close to being more powerful than having a cool tank.

 

[Wolfenrook]

Does gold label sealant melt acrylic? If not you could always try that, it even cures under water.

Ade

(just checked, and it can be used on acrylic. It can't be used as a glue though, more like silicon but stronger.)

 

[rabbut]

I would use a product called Milli-put for this job It's a two part marine grade, solid state, epoxy resin, that you mix together elsewhere, and apply to your joint within 5 mins of mixing, to create your fix. It is instantly waterproof and can set deap under water. I would throrughly clean off all traces of previous solvents and dirt, by rubbing over the area with a fine grade wet and dry paper, followed by a wipe down with any alcohol based cleaner, such that all old glue and glue residue is lifted. The fine paper also puts pitting into the plastic, giving the putty (or any other bonder for that matter) something to hold onto

HTH some
Rabbut

 

[squeakytoy]

I would throrughly clean off all traces of previous solvents and dirt, by rubbing over the area with a fine grade wet and dry paper, followed by a wipe down with any alcohol based cleaner,

HTH some
Rabbut

and there lies the problem.... You wouldn't happen to know any one that wears maybe a 43-45 sleeve shirt willing to help a guy out, do you? It is 36 inches from the rim to the inner floor, and the opening at the top is a rectangle with a whopping 12 inches on the wide side. And just to add to the fun, the pipe is all the way in the front corner. Prep, clamping and placement are ALL a pain in the kiester. I have seen milliput in other posts, and I might give it a try next if I can track some down.

 

[squeakytoy]

Alrighty.....


Does anyone in Northern Virginia have an idea where a guy might get some milliput, outside of having to order it?

 

[squeakytoy]

next up..... goop supermend. 15 minute two part as it would seem that none of the LFS's or hardware stores here carry milliput. Should know in about an hour.

 

[squeakytoy]

well, so far so good, at least as far as the stuff on the plate goes. I am going to let it stand for a day or so without touching it just to be on the safe side. I had the presence of mind to take a few shots along the way to document success or failure, so I will have a write up if it works, or better, when I get a little more time to type it out.

 

[Mystil]

coool its a picard tank, like in picards captains room on star trek.

Thats what I thought!

 

[squeakytoy]

Well, it would seem that not taking the 5 pound sledge to the tank was a "good idea" It would seem to be water tight, and ready to outfitted for fish! I figured I would write up a walkthrough just in case any one else managed to end up in a similar predicament. Here goes... Fitting fittings to deep floors 101.

First off, get the area to be glued as clean as possible. I used mineral spirits on the end of a 3 ft dowel as best as I could. Once that was finished, I wanted to make sure that I was going to get the output lined up on the hole as close to center as possible. To this end, the dowel came back into the picture. There is a valve right below where the pipe meets the tank floor, and so as not to have to replace the valve (again...) I also used a little sandpaper to taper the dowel and get all the sharp edges off the end. (pic 1) With the dowel end inserted far enough to be stable, I then slid the pipe over the dowel to check fit and alingment. (pic 2)

It is very important that you do all of this while everything is dry. You do not want to have epoxy mixed and applied when you realize that you need to slide you fittings down the side of your tank, smearing epoxy all over the place.





The next problem that came to mind was how to clamp the fitting while the epoxy cured. My solution was to use some big heavy washers that I had waiting for another project. (pic 3) If I had been patient enough, I would have gotten another half dozen or so just to be on the safe side, but what Ihad seems to have worked. One of the great things about epoxy is that it doesnt like a lot of clamping pressure: it squeezes out the epoxy and prevents a good bond. So next time you epoxy, dont clamp too hard. Pic 4 shows the whole stack as it would look once the epoxy was applied for the final run. Again, DO A DRY RUN FIRST! Cant stress that enough.

Once you have completed the dry run, making sure that everything fits together and lines up, another quick little tip when dealing with epoxy is that anywhere you dont want the epoxy to stick, use wax. (pic 5)

using the wax will also help the dowel move easier when you are inserting and removing it after the repair. For this attempt, I was using goop super mend. It's a 2 part that you mix in equal proportions. Kinda have to wing it a little as one is a little more liquid than the other.

Also, a handy tip when dealing with something like epoxy in a far off place, mix more than you will possibly use. This pile will allow you to test how well the epoxy is curing (drying.)

 

[squeakytoy]

From there, it is pretty much repeating the earlier steps, just with the epoxy applied to you fitting. In hindsight, I think I should have mixed up a test batch of the epoxy first. It was a unknown quantity, and if I have been more familiar with it's curing properties, I could have made a cleaner bond. It seems that it still stayed tacky for a while, and if I had known this before hand I would have let it stand for 5-10 minutes before rolling it into a rope and making sure that more stayed under the part while clamped. Once you have the stuff applied, you will want to rush, but dont get into so much of a hurry that you forget the way that everything was placed before. This is the way the repair looked when completed. (pic 8) Also, I almost forgot... I did use a piece of matboard to make a "finger" about 12 inches long that I used to smooth and press the epoxy into place. Make one ahead of time if you think you might need one.

Now,the payoff if you have been reading this wall of text... the tank.

the magnification is incredible... Those are standard bioballs in the back compartment! They look like they are about 3-4 inches when you look through the bubble. I really am looking forward to getting flocks of neons and bloodfins. Gonna be a big tank full of little fishies!

actually, you can also see the first repair that I made in the first pic. There is a crack running through the base fitting and bottom, with the piece of white plex glued over it. This tank has been a real lurnin experience! Sigh, it better keep working!