advice on cleaning and buffing acrylic tank

[reeferlover]

hey all, i just aquired a very outta shape acrylic 55 gallon tank, lots of corraline and calcium buildup, and quite a few let scrathches and a couple deeper ones, i have a buffing kit and was thinking about getting an electric buffer? any advice on cleaning and buffing out the scratches would be appreciated..... also whats the cheapest best lights i can get for corals for this tank? can i use windex on the outside?

[MizTanks]

Clean with 100% distilled white vinegar, undiluted. Soak a sponge and apply. Keep wet allowing to soak, the longer the better and easier the old nasties will be to remove.
Sorry can't help with the buffing. Only that I've heard it's quite the job & time consuming.

[dlhirst]

I don't think Windex would be a problem (for the outside) while the tank is still empty. Just remember (or understand?) that Windex is ammonia, and you don't want to be putting that in the tank. For that reason, I won't use it even NEAR my tank at this point. Hot water is best to clean the outside. I just soak a paper towel and then zap in in the microwave for 20 secs or so. Any longer, and the water just boils out...

[FlynnFish]

I clean the outside off my large acrylic tank with tap water and a squeegee.

[reeferlover]

sent you a message funny how things work i have been trying to find you on here !!


I clean the outside off my large acrylic tank with tap water and a squeegee.

[AZDesertRat]

You can buy Novus polishing kits that have a 3 or 4 step process to polish the tank and remove scratches from a good LFS or any of the online shops.

[reef rover]

im also in the process of sanding and buffing an acrylic tank. i found a good article on monster fish keepers. ive started with 600 grit to sand out the drrp nasty scratches. i found good sand paper at a woodworking store in canton. i bought 600, 1000 , 2000 and found a novus 3 step kit on amazon. it is a great system. ive got up to the 1000 and 2000 stages of sanding. ive buffed with the novus 3, then the 2. the 2 is awsome..... i just buffed a little area to see how i was doing on sanding. ive went back to sanding with 1000 for the fine scratches. im hoping to have pics sorted and up here soon. its along hard process but the reward is greater then the work.... the tank i purchased should of been scraped !!!!!!! it took 3 gallons of vinager and hrs of rubbing just to be able to see the acrylic. good luck on your tank. ill be posting more on this project soon.

[reeferlover]

yes mine was just as bad but once it soaked in vinegar and a scrubbed it im surprised at the results already its not as scratched up as i thought it was think im just gonna start with 1200 and go from there, im shocked how people can let their tank get so bad, mine had so much coralline on it you could hardly see through it im going the plastx route we shall see how that works i start sanding tomorrow! keep me updated on your progress




im also in the process of sanding and buffing an acrylic tank. i found a good article on monster fish keepers. ive started with 600 grit to sand out the drrp nasty scratches. i found good sand paper at a woodworking store in canton. i bought 600, 1000 , 2000 and found a novus 3 step kit on amazon. it is a great system. ive got up to the 1000 and 2000 stages of sanding. ive buffed with the novus 3, then the 2. the 2 is awsome..... i just buffed a little area to see how i was doing on sanding. ive went back to sanding with 1000 for the fine scratches. im hoping to have pics sorted and up here soon. its along hard process but the reward is greater then the work.... the tank i purchased should of been scraped !!!!!!! it took 3 gallons of vinager and hrs of rubbing just to be able to see the acrylic. good luck on your tank. ill be posting more on this project soon.

[reef rover]

I have pics but not sure how to load ce. I had to start w 600. Once I was done sanding & Buffing I noticed lots of fine scratches that I could see. I went back over it w 1000 then 2000 both wet pads worked great. Did a water test to see how it looked. I. Happy with it now. The guy who wrote about the nous 2 polish is rite. Learn it & Love it. Good luck to you & be patient with this. The reward is amazing.