How To Restore An Acrylic Aquarium | Step by Step | SANDING The Surface ON A 220 Gallon Fish Tank
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- Опубликовано: 5 фев 2025
- PART 1 Of Restoring my 220 Gallon Aquarium. This is all about sanding the acrylic surface to prepare it for polishing. The tank sand some scratch and imperfections like any used fish tank will have. With it being an acrylic tank, it can be restored. The first step is sanding it to smooth out the scratches and the gouges. It is important to make sure that you are keeping the acrylic wet in this process. Also wear ear protection as it is loud when sanding the inside of the tank with an electric sander. Also, only use MICROFIBER cloths to wipe down the tank, as it wont scratch the acrylic. I hope that his video will be helpful for you.
Please comment down below with any questions that you may have. I hope that you can click the like and subscribe buttons as well.
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African Cichlids Breeding: goo.gl/6OIo3F
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Current Stock List Of Fish At The End Of The Video:
Pseudotropheus Pombo Rocks - Demasoni
Labidochromis Caeruleus - Yellow Lab
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Filtration:
SunSun HW-304B
Aqueon Quietflow 55/75 Aquarium Power Filter
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Media:
Biological Media
Generic Filter Floss
Foam Pad
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Lighting System:
Built in LED Lights
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Aquascape & Rockscape:
Crushed Coral
River Rock
Lava Rock
Aquarium Rock
Black Painted Background
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nice project, cant wait to see the tank set up with the big boys
+Efrain Garcia - thanks for watching.
that is an awesome tank. now this is an upgrade.
+Dave Bandish - Thanks Dave. It sure is an upgrade. The fish will be going from a 55 gallon to this 220 gallon. I am sure that they will love it.
Whats the average cost of a tank that size?
It depends on if you buy used or new. New is super expensive for acrylic. You can find some good used ones for a decent price, they will most likely need work.
nice project can't wait to see the end result
+fin time - Thanks
cool vid...I can see the master plan now👍👍👍
+T-Man 428 - LOL YE! Its been raining here. I need to wait for a clear day to polish it up! :)
What a awesome and fun project looking forward to the finished product!
+AK Aquatics22 - Same man! I think its gonna look great.
This is exactly what I needed to see. Lots of haters in the comments. Whatever. If you cant figure out what hes using just go watch a different video.
Thanks E.J. how big is your acrylic tank?
@@inventoryking 120 gallons. When I initially saved it I was nervous because it was so foggy. But I kept away it and it's super clear now.
Man, you're giving me flashbacks with this. I did this to a 120 (that I eventually replaced with my 125) and it was so much work. Great video though and I look forward to part 2.
+Steve Poland Cichlids - Nice. It is a lot of work, At least its not in bad shape. So worth it though when you pay close to nothing for it :)
yeah man if I could find a big acrylic tank like that for next to nothing I would go through the pain to restore it, no question.
Steve Poland Cichlids - For sure.
Tanks going to look beast can't wait to see the final results and great choice going with novus... cool stuff!!
+RobStealth - Thanks for tuning in Rob. Hopefully I will have it done and the vid up next weekend.
I don't envy you, man... that's a big project. I'm sure it's gonna look amazing though. My 45 hex held water overnight so I think today I'll set it up for some little guys I have in my office... fish on!
+Dude That's Cichlid! - Right on Dude! Its not too bad. It is going to look amazing! Good luck with getting fish in your office.
+inventoryking Yeah, I'm sure you got it under control. Actually I have six very young juvenile fish (ACs) in my office that I am going to put in the hex in the "billiard room" and most likely blow their little minds with all the tank space. lol Stay tuned, as will I!! Fish on!
Oh wow that was awesomeness to watch I can't wait to see it all completed 👏👏👏🌟🌟🌟
+PsychedelicBabe - Thanks PB. I also can't wait :)
can't wait to see the finished product
+lou9294 - thanks for watching Lou. I cant wait either.
That's awesome man. Good work.
+NYCity Cichlids - Thanks Dude!
I know it's an old video but I have same tank just bought and going to use this same products and follow your directions in scared of ruining it though.
Try it on the top cross support and see how it looks.
@@inventoryking that's what I was thinking start process there thanks for responding
Some of the comments scare me, stupid people and power tools don't mix well. Complaints that you didn't say which grit you use first, which polish to use when? Really people, are you serious? You start with the coarser and work towards the finer in the proper order. You don't reach into a bag and use whichever comes out first. Wet/Dry sandpaper is meant to be used wet on acrylic especially the finer grit which is the higher number. The water lubricates the surface and carries out the material removed so use plenty of it and it should be clean water. You can add a couple drops of dish soap to provide more lube. There, I held your hand, if you are still lost it means you need to sell the tank cheap to someone like me, and go buy yourself a brand new tank. For God's sake don't try changing your own wipers, better off selling the car and buying a new one. Very pitiful!!!
great vid bro
Thanks chef.
IS IT SAFE TO HAVE WATER ON YOUR ORBITAL SANDER?..
Sweet, I haven't ever seen anyone do this, interested in the results
Thanks dude. I will be releasing part 2 soon.
Little elbow grease goes a long way eh? It's going to be sick!! Hard work always pays off.. quite the process though. I had no idea what it all involves.. very good vid!
+DebTim A CANADIAN Girl - Thanks for watching DebTim! It takes some work, but so worth it in the end.
keep busy I see 👍
I'll keeping an eye out for the next vid
+electric water - Thanks for tuning in!
you said you would go over step by step. I only saw fast motion. No information on what you were using, which grit you used first.. ect.
I apologize. I plan on making a new video soon
dam bro keep it up!
+Sin City Cichlids - thanks.
no explanation of the grit sandpaper used and what was added to it other than water? Did you start at 1000 and go up to 2000? Only use 2000 in certain spots etc..
I apologize Christopher. This was a long time ago. I sanded the entire aquarium. The spray bottle only had water in it. Its important to keep the acrylic wet. I plan on making another video on this soon.
thanks!
Looking good. BTW the next vid RUclips wanted me to auto watch was about fixing fake acrylic finger nails. Hell no! Fish on dude!
Lol! Thanks for watching
What type of cloth did you use, microfiber?
Yes
Where did you get the buffer kits?
I got them on Amazon.
thanks!
Great video! Very informative. I have a 225g acrylic tank similar to this one and it has a nasty deep scratch along the front of the display area from when i moved across town. What grit sandpaper would you recommend to blend in the scratch and make the front nice again? Thanks!
+Justin L - I would start at maybe 1000-1500 and then go to 2000. Then do a test spot with the novus polish. I recommend trying it on the top braces first so that if it's to tough a grit it won't show. Make sense?
Justin L - I used 1000 and 2000
Thanks for the reply! Yes, makes perfect sense. Would 800 grit be over kill on acrylic? I see a set of assorted grits I can get for my palm sander that ranges from 800 grit to 2000 grit.
Justin L - I think that if you test it on the braces first, al the way through. To see if it will be too much. Who cares if the braces get messed up, they don't how. Lol
Yes, exactly! lol
Thinking I'll do the front of the tank, with water and fish in it.
The outside right?
Yes, no way to sand the inside with water and fish!
Hey man. I've watched a ton of your videos and love them all. I'm stuck and need help. How long did this take you? I bought a used 220 gallon acrylic aquarium that I got for 400 bucks. It has a bunch of scratches in it. I have spent hours wet sanding and can't get rid of them all. Some are really deep. Lowe's didn't have 1000 grit so first I tried 1200. That really didn't work so i stepped up to 800, then 1200 and 2000 and 3000. I'm using a palm sander too. I got rid of some of the deep ones that would catch my nail. But I really had to get at it kinda hard. But all the small ones keep coming back. The frustrating part is I think they are gone. Then when I finish with the 2000 or 3000 and it dries they reappear. What should I try next? I bought some of the Noves. But they are the small bottles and don't want to waste it.
Hi Scott, first I wanted to say THANK YOU for supporting my channel, it is greatly appreciated. It took me some time to do it. handful of hours. Have you tried a polish a small section after the wet sand to see if the small scratches go away? I tested it on the top of the tank where the openings are so it wasn't visible later in case of an issue. I would start there and see what happens. When you wet sand it, it is going to scratch it up. once you go from heavy grit to light grit its ready to polish. The novus polish should get rid of MOST of the scratches. not all of them, but more. The polish order is use #3 first, then #2. These are the compounds that help with removing the scratches. #1 is to add a finish (only do #1 on the outside) If you use it in the inside, rinse rinse rinse. Are you using an electric drill? That plugs into the wall? You want that constant high RPM to buff out the scratches. I hope that I am making sense.
I have a smaller acrylic tank that I am going to be setting up. But I need to polish it. Wasn't going to do a video. Should I?
Wow. I'm honored. No. Thank you for the reply. I think you should. But go slow. There are bunch of this videos on RUclips. But all of them seem very rushed. I think there is a little more to this then wet, sand and repeat. They all say use plenty of water. How much? I used a lot when I started. A squeeze bottle in one hand palm sander in the other. All that did was waste time and made a huge splattered mess. They also show light or fine scratches. What about a deep gouge? Like someone scrapped the side with a large rock or in moving. Thanks again
Could anyone in the comments answer the following: Could one use a orbital sander instead of a regular palm sander?
Believe it or not, you can remove scratches in acrylic with just a heat gun..scratches will melt back into the acrylic.
Hmmmm, I should try
@@inventoryking yes, give it a shot...the trick is to keep the gun moving and don't keep it over a specific area too long...it definitely works and I've seen several videos of it...just clean the acrylic thoroughly with rubbing alcohol first so that no dirt gets trapped in the acrylic as you remove the scratches.
Right on
@@inventoryking :)
Have you made a new video yet? I could really use your help.
look up How To Remove Scratches From Acrylic Aquarium on my channel. That is a newer video on this on a different aquarium.
My tanks are all glass no need to work that hard.
One of the benefits of glass
and shit your pants at 6:23 :D
lol,. huh?
step by step? where are the steps
Josh Ford thanks
Poor explanation