Strongest and best way to bond/weld an acrylic fish tank?

[acp914]

Hello, anyone know the best and strongest way to bond/weld a 5 piece rectangular acrylic aquarium. Should i use a solution or is there a process to do this?

thanks

 

[Demon3]

There are many ways that would work fine but my immediate suggestion is to look for the special adhesive recommended for such tanks. I believe it's quite common to make tanks of acrylic (polymethylmethacrylate or PMMA for short) and so there are sure to be adhesives recommended for such tanks. Try a Google search.

 

[parkerross]

There are commercial solvent cements, basically methylene chloride, that make very good, strong, "solvent-welded" joints in acrylic. The pieces to be joined must have very close-fitting seams. The solvent is "water-thin" and hence has no gap-filling capability. Parts to be joined are first "dry" clamped or taped tightly together, then the solvent is applied, usually via a glass or polyethylene syringe, only to the joint seams. The solvent will "wick" into the joint and fuse the mating acrylic sheets.

To insure water tightness of your tank, I would recommend applying silicone caulk/sealant to all the interior seams. I believe there is a special grade of silicone sealant that is best suited for full immersion in water, and is also formulated to not contain any chemicals that might possibly harm fish.