Sealant for plexglass or acrylic?

captmicha

captmicha

Le tired.
Dec 6, 2006
2,052
0
36
40
Maryland, USA
What's a safe sealant for bonding plexiglass or acrylic together? At a few sections, I'll need to bond it to glass, so which do I use then? Silicone and/or plexiglass/acrylic sealant??

Silicone isn't supposed to be good for bonding plexiglass and acrylic, I hear.

This will be exposed to both fresh water and salt water.

Thanks! DIY is hard!
 
Plexiglas is the original brand name for acrylic plastic.

Bonding acrylic to acrylic is done with a chemical solvent that melts the two pieces together.

Your best bet for bonding acrylic to glass that will be safe for fish is silicone. The bond strength between acrylic and glass using silicone isn't great though, so its best kept to sump dividers that aren't expected to hold water. Bonding glass to glass with silicone will have a much better bond.
 
I'll probably just use glass then. I hate cutting it though. I always mess up :/
 
It just all depends on the purpose. If its not to hold back full tank pressure then GE Silicone 1 is fine for bonding glass to acrylic. In fact almost all internal corner overflows are made of glass cemented to acrylic for the little overflow slots at the top and they are under moderate pressure and last as long at the tanks themselves. So if its for internal use, glass and acrylic bonding using silicon is not only OK, its been a very common practice for over 20 years.
 
I'm making two little water tanks for my hermit crab tank. One will hold fresh water and the other salt water. The person who's idea I'm copying used acrylic and they said they have problems with theirs leaking. They used silicone to seal it. I'm hoping I have better success with glass. Even though I hate cutting it.
 
If your making something that small, a few inches by a few inches you can use hardware store cut acrylic and bond the edges together with a $3 can of PVC cement. Once the structure is cemented died and strong, you can then followup with silicone sealant on the inside seams and it will not leak becasue its the PVC cement does all the heavy lifting of bonding the structure, the silicone is just preventing water from escaping from any unseen seeps or vents. Although I would never use PVC cement on an acrylic tank ( only expensive acrylic cement #4), cheap PVC cement for small projects like yours I have used many times always with great success. Have you considered using cheap ready-made plastic containers you can cut to size like Sterilite or food storage containers cut with scissors to fit for custom use? A little sand or rocks inside should keep them anchored to the bottom.
 
I'm not too sure what's hermit crab safe. It's probably the same as what's safe for fish. But I already got a huge pane of glass (acrylic much more $) and I'm psyching myself up to doing some glass cutting.
 
Well good then, if you already have the resources its best not to let them go to waste and the added benefit of being willing and unafraid to try/learn something new, or perhaps in your case get practice better at it. Glass definitely has the better viewing optics, durability, and overall looks. As far as other material safe for fish the 2 rules in my book are if they have a history of being used safely in aquariums i.e PVC glue/piping for sumps, and food safe plastics for human consumption.
 
Thanks for the help! I'll be sure to post a pic of the finished project.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom