[Calfire]

Hi all i am building a sump/refug and have a question. Can i use just plan old aquarium sealer to put acrylic to glass and also to more acrylic or do i have to use a acrylic bonding agent?


Thanks in advance

Jason

[Reefland]

I would use Weld-On for bonding acrylic to acrylic but regular aquarium sealant will be fine for acrylic to glass; although it won't be super strong it will hold water pressue and be water tight.

Scott Z.

[Calfire]

Scott can i use the weld-on for the acrylic to glass to?

Jason

[Reefland]

I'm not too sure about that. The problem is going to be getting the Weld-On applied correctly for inserting baffles. The weld-on should go at the butt of the acrylic opposed to being applied on the front like aquarium sealant.

[Calfire]

my idea was to build the internal structure first then insert it into the aquarium, or as much of the main structure as i can.


Jason

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by Calfire

my idea was to build the internal structure first then insert it into the aquarium, or as much of the main structure as i can.


Jason

Weldon is a solvent type cement that works by softening the acrylic at the joint and allowing it to reform almost as a single piece once the solvent evaporates. This provides a very strong joint for most Acrylic, Styrene and Polycarbonate based plastics. Accurate cut and fit is important here, as the better the to pieces fit, the better the bond will be.

Effectiveness on a Acrylic to Glass joint is more difficult to gauge, as I would expect you would need some imperfection in the class for the softened acrylic structure to 'key' into in order to get a good joint. Using Silicone also gives you the benefit of being able to easily rework a joint or remove the Acrylic should your needs change in the future (a sharp blade is all that is needed).

I would expect your best results would be to use the Weldon to glue all your acrylic together, and use regular Silicone Sealant to seal the acrylic to the glass itself. Just plan it so that you can get all the seals in place in the tank with all your acrylic in one piece

Steve

[Calfire]

Thanks i will give it a try

Jason