Buffing Acrylic ??? Coraline Alge ????

[MeanFishBoston]

Has anyone buffed acrylic before ? Does anyone know someone I could pay to buff my new tank ?

Whats the best way to get dried coraline alge off the front of the tank ?

Thanks in advance,
Phil

 

[estubbaly]

Phil did you try white vinegar???It comes in gallon bottles...great for removing corraline from powerheads and other equipment.Walter

 

[MeanFishBoston]

Thanks Walter.....I will give it a shot. It wont hurt the tank itself ? I just have to figure a way to get it all out because I cant exactly tip the tank....Is it very harmful if some dont get out ?

 

[LosingSleep]

Stop into Jay's in Salem NH and check out the buff-job they did on his shark tank. You wouldn't believe what it looked like before and now it looks new. I'm sure he'll give you some tips.

 

[estubbaly]

No it's not harmful but you don't really want to leave it in there as it will screw up your water chemistry...It is an acid albeit a very mild one...It wipes out easy with paper towels and a freshwater rinse...if the tank is too big to tip and drain use a wetvac...as for the buffing you may want to check with Brendan AKA saltwaterB,I know him and Anthony buffed a few big tanks in the past...He might have some insight on compounds to use...

 

[LosingSleep]

Are you only talking inside the tank?

 

[MeanFishBoston]

Yes inside only but now that I think of it, if it goes smooth I will do the whole tank. the tank si 96lx30tx36w so it's hard to work with......Thank you both...very helpful

 

[Chuck Spyropulos]

Muriatic Acid is much faster than vinegar. Just make sure you give the tank a really good rinse no matter which one you use.

 

[ZReef]

If you can fill the tank with water then you can add muriatic acid or vinegar to the water. It is recommended to use a 1/10 ratio so 1 part acid, 10 parts water but seeing as you have a huge tank you could get away with using 4 gallons of acid or maybe even 3 in that ~450 gallon tank. Otherwise, if you can tilt the tank then you can use putty around the coralline areas to seal it off and then soak that area in the solution.

As for buffing, the stuff I use is called Novus scratch remover. If there are visible scratches, you want to use some high numbered sand papers, then use the Novus #3, 2, 1 in that order. I use a cheap buffing wheel for my power drill but you could get an actual buffer.

 

[Arthur1]

I have used the novus products as well. just messing around though. Someone I know actually uses some auto buffers I cant think of which ones though. And yes there should be fear of contaminants and a good rinse would definately be in order. He buffs it just like a a car.