Very large 600 gallon Acrylic tank question

[Om84]

Hi
I’m in the process of purchasing a house and incidentally the owner was also a reefer and has a built in 600 g reef with a fish room. Aquarium is acrylic but was custom built by Tenecor in 2009. It is currently set up with probably 1000 lb live rock (no corals anymore). I’m worried about the tank being 15 years old though. The tank is 48” in height which is insane as I never imagined that would be the dimension of my future tank. That’s another topic but right now my concern is should I be planning to replace the tank or will this tank give me another 10-15 years? I have little experience with acrylic so what should I look out for?

 

[littlefoxx]

Post some pictures of it! Everything I read on them said that they lasted way longer than glass. Maybe someone who has a bigger one can tell you what to look out for!

 

[tbaum101]

Ummm....Pics please!

 

[Om84]

Gonna have to take detailed pics later but right now looking mainly for info I need to make the decision on question above. I’ll try to get pics of the seams as well.

 

[littlefoxx]

Gonna have to take detailed pics later but right now looking mainly for info I need to make the decision on question above. I’ll try to get pics of the seams as well.

The pictures would help answer the question

 

[Jimbo327]

I think the bigger problem is the 48" height.

But as for the seams, if the tank was built by Tenecor, I would reach out to them as they are still in business. Proper acrylic seams are chemically bonded, so it is very strong...more than silicone. I would take photos of all the seams and show it to Tenecor for their feedback.

 

[Bruttall]

@vetteguy53081 You have a 600+ Acrylic don't ya Vette?

 

[Bruttall]

Hi
I’m in the process of purchasing a house and incidentally the owner was also a reefer and has a built in 600 g reef with a fish room. Aquarium is acrylic but was custom built by Tenecor in 2009. It is currently set up with probably 1000 lb live rock (no corals anymore). I’m worried about the tank being 15 years old though. The tank is 48” in height which is insane as I never imagined that would be the dimension of my future tank. That’s another topic but right now my concern is should I be planning to replace the tank or will this tank give me another 10-15 years? I have little experience with acrylic so what should I look out for?

I would use the rock, but I would replace all the sand with new CaribSea Live Aragonite Sand.

I Have a 30+ Year old Oceanic Glass Tank I started a reef in about a year and a half ago. Nothing wrong with older equipment, just stress test it first.

 

[Chrisv.]

I would use the rock, but I would replace all the sand with new CaribSea Live Aragonite Sand.

I Have a 30+ Year old Oceanic Glass Tank I started a reef in about a year and a half ago. Nothing wrong with older equipment, just stress test it first.

Those old oceanic tanks were built like...tanks.

I might be inclined to pay tenecor to come and inspect this one, since they built it (theoretically in situations?).

 

[Bruttall]

Those old oceanic tanks were built like...tanks.

I might be inclined to pay tenecor to come and inspect this one, since they built it (theoretically in situations?).

Do a BUILD THREAD!!! Guys like me like to watch

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi
I’m in the process of purchasing a house and incidentally the owner was also a reefer and has a built in 600 g reef with a fish room. Aquarium is acrylic but was custom built by Tenecor in 2009. It is currently set up with probably 1000 lb live rock (no corals anymore). I’m worried about the tank being 15 years old though. The tank is 48” in height which is insane as I never imagined that would be the dimension of my future tank. That’s another topic but right now my concern is should I be planning to replace the tank or will this tank give me another 10-15 years? I have little experience with acrylic so what should I look out for?

Having only large tanks - I don’t see why it would not last another decade….. may have seam grazing but as long as not heavily cracking

 

[Om84]

I think the bigger problem is the 48" height.

But as for the seams, if the tank was built by Tenecor, I would reach out to them as they are still in business. Proper acrylic seams are chemically bonded, so it is very strong...more than silicone. I would take photos of all the seams and show it to Tenecor for their feedback.

This is a great idea. I emailed them so if I don’t hear back I’ll call them and see what they say. They are based in Arizona right? I’m in Chicago so not sure if they would make a trip out. Are there any acrylic masters near me that I should reach out to for inspection?

Regarding the 48” height - yeah this is giving me a headache lol. I reached out to Orphek and we discussed the Amazonas which so far I’m interested in. I’m definitely going to do majority SPS so the 48” is concerning.

I will say though the height of the tank really makes an impact on the viewing experience. I asked the owner why those dimensions and he said he wanted to feel like he’s at Shed aquarium. I see what he means.

If we move forward on the house and get this I will definitely do a build thread! I have one up right now with my 260 gallon. I don’t know how I’m going to transfer my colonies as my tank is packed with sps! Unfortunately I expect loss so I’m gonna try to save a bunch of frags or sell a bunch.

The owner did tell me the live rock was originally brought from Fiji when it was legal. All of that rock is originally from the ocean. I also don’t want to lose all that life given this tank has been up for 15 years.

I am not a fan of sand and honestly I want to get rid of all the sand. I am worried if I remove the sand I will cause a crash though.

The best scenario I can see is this tank is sturdy and I just set it up. I will have to upgrade all the equipment and plumbing. I believe it is closed loop which I have not had experience with. The fish room is kind of small so I want to route everything to a near by room to place a much bigger sump and use a more reliable pump (thinking Abyzz).

I think the bigger problem is the 48" height.

But as for the seams, if the tank was built by Tenecor, I would reach out to them as they are still in business. Proper acrylic seams are chemically bonded, so it is very strong...more than silicone. I would take photos of all the seams and show it to Tenecor for their feedback.

 

[twentyleagues]

I doubt Tenecor will send out someone to inspect it but, with good enough pics of top, seems, and I would also send the best pic you can of the sides to see or show any bowing they may be able to give you a good answer by email.

How is the acrylic on the viewing panels? Scratched up or clear? I refurbished a 300g acrylic years ago. Lots of work but crystal clear when done.

If the tank and rock are in good condition and running when you buy the house, you may be able to just transfer everything to the tank. If you need to rescape or get rid of algaes or whatever get a 300g rubbermaid stock tank and transfer your rock and corals to it. Supply heat and flow you can also attach your skimmer may lose some corals but would help moving them. Or sell all your stuff and start fresh.

Like others have said acrylic tanks are much longer lasting than glass. That 48" depth can be a lighting concern but there are ways around it. The big thing is crazing at the seams and cracks, scratches are not much of an issue but a lot of work to deal with. I cannot (or maybe its will not) afford something like that new so I would definitely put in the work to keep that one.

 

[Om84]

I did notice a lot of tiny scratches through the viewing panel but sounds like this can be fixed.

If anyone has good examples of crazing at the seams I’ll appreciate it. In the meantime I’ll look for examples here. Is crazing fixable or not worth it in a tank this size?

 

[twentyleagues]

I did notice a lot of tiny scratches through the viewing panel but sounds like this can be fixed.

If anyone has good examples of crazing at the seams I’ll appreciate it. In the meantime I’ll look for examples here. Is crazing fixable or not worth it in a tank this size?

Crazing can happen in many places on acrylic for many reasons. It looks like a patch of micro cracks. This can be caused by intense heat in an area like from lighting or heaters, It can be caused by a chemical, it can also be caused by stress from prolonged pressure or weight among other things. On a flat panel you can usually fix it the same way as scratches, in the seams it is an indication of a possible failure to come. I have seen someone "fix" a corner seam that was crazing with weld-on (that is what is used to attach 2 pieces of acrylic together) it looked good after, but I have no idea how well it worked in the long run.

Not my pics just taken off a google search.


Edit- sometimes crazing doesnt happen at the surface it is in the "center" of the acrylic and is not repairable as far as I know. Tenecor will hopefully be able to assess the situation for you provided you can get good clear pics.

 

[Chrisv.]

I doubt Tenecor will send out someone to inspect it but, with good enough pics of top, seems, and I would also send the best pic you can of the sides to see or show any bowing they may be able to give you a good answer by email.

Maybe they would do a video call consultation.

 

[areefer01]

I think the question no one is asking is this. Is 2009 Tencor the same as the one in 2024?

Better yet are any of those employees still around or what sort of records do they have that may help. Visual inspection is one thing for sure but it could be that the current Tencor didn't build it. Something to keep in mind.

Also 600 dry gallon display is a lot of potential water meaning lots of structural damage. Whatever you do decide treat it like you would a fresh install. Inspect, test, find failure points, address, rinse and repeat.

 

[Jimbo327]

I think the dimension and thickness of the acrylic will be a huge factor on how solid the tank is.

 

[Bruttall]

I don't know if Orphek will get the job done for lighting. Their lights are not that much wattage from what I know. You might look at the reefi lab uno 2.0. I use them, at 125 watts of the 270 available I am 80 to 100par in 27 inches of water. Even these reefi might not be enough light. You may HAVE to use MH lights.

 

[Om84]

I do have the Reefi Uno 2.0 on the current tank and love these lights. I’ll talk to Daniel at Reefi. I thought the Amazonas from Orphek were designed for very deep tanks. Although I love metal halides I’m not sure if that will be doable mainly due to heat and future possible availability issues. I am not planning on keeping high par demanding corals in the bottom half of the tank. I will probably keep lower light corals there and keep sps towards the top half. Thanks for all the suggestions because this is exactly what I need. I’m expecting to move in a couple months so expect to start taking decisions on this tank then.