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Acrylic Aquarium Care

Your acrylic aquarium will provide a life time of enjoyment of your aquatic display. A fish tank built from acrylic is attractive because acrylic's their unique properties of clarity, strength, and versatility. However, acrylic aquariums do require care during maintenance and cleaning. The following are some recommendations for maintaining your acrylic aquarium to provide a life time of enjoyment.

Supporting an Acrylic Aquarium.
ALWAYS use a solid surface to support your acrylic aquarium. Use of a perimeter support stand will lead to sagging and undue pressure on the seams. Use of a perimeter stand will void your Tenecor Warranty.

Cleaners
DO NOT use any product which contains AMMONIA, ALCOHOL, or ABRASIVES, such as Windex, Comet, Ajax, or other commercial cleaners when cleaning an acrylic aquarium. Use of such cleaners will cause the acrylic to permanently lose it's clarity. A soft cloth and water, or a polish made specifically for acrylic, should be used for cleaning.

DO NOT expose your acrylic fish tank to paints, varnishes, turpentine, or their fumes. Exposure to these chemicals will cause crazing and loss of clarity.

For regular maintenance Tenecor recommends cleaners that are specifically designed for acrylic, such as Novus® and Plexus®. Many other cleaners contain chemicals which will penetrate the pores in acrylic and cause damage which shows as fine lines or haziness. Plexus® aids in the removal of fine scratches and abrasions and will actually help protect the acrylic from accidental exposure to harmful chemicals.

Cleaning Aquariums With Bleach
On occasions where a complete cleaning of the aquarium is required, such as a change from saltwater to freshwater or after prolonged storage, the use of chlorine bleach can be very effective. A half gallon of bleach mixed with 20 gallons of water or more is great for sterilization and is perfectly safe for acrylic.

Polishing Cloths & Sponges
Acrylic should always be cleaned with a good quality soft cloth. Special polishing clothes are available from Tenecor and are the best guarantee of a lasting finish. As a substitute, a soft cotton cloth or high grade paper towel can be used occasionally. DO NOT use commercial grade paper towels or newsprint.

DO NOT use coarse sponges or pads to clean acrylic aquariums. If you do use a sponge or pad, make sure it's designed for use with acrylic aquariums.

Removing Calcareous Algae and Diatoms
Some aquarium growths, such as calcareous algae and diatoms, are very hard and can be difficult to remove with standard cleaning pads. Simply use a plastic card such as a credit card, drivers license, or plastic putty knife to scrape growths from the acrylic. Using the edge will transfer more pressure to the growth, reducing the work, and because the card is still relatively soft it won't damage the acrylic. Several scrapers designed specifically for use with acrylic aquariums are now commercially available.

Maintenance Products
Tenecor sells a variety of maintenance products for use with acrylic aquariums. Our Deluxe Aquarium Care Package, which contains Novus®, Plexus® and the MicroMesh Scratch Repair kit and polishing cloths provides everything the hobbyist needs to maintain an acrylic aquarium. You may order this on our online acrylic aquarium Accessories store. Please visit our ??????? link page for more information.

Aquarium Setup Manuals
Tenecor Setup Manuals for our acrylic aquariums need link for setup manuals have information of maintaining an acrylic aquarium.