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View Full Version : Tank repair - Advice?


AndyL
02-05-2007, 10:25 PM
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i277/cgyreefer/Prop%20System/Feb2-07005.jpg

Yeah, I could probably replace it and be done with it... But I kinda like these tanks (the stupid thick glass is awesome - except when lifting them :lol:)

Any thoughts on how to properly fix this - it's the bottom pane, it's at least 3/8" thick (50g 44x18x15) Sides sit on the bottom if it makes a difference.

My repair thoughts are along the lines of taking a piece of glass, rectangular in shape - 4" longer and 4" wider than the cracked area. Silicone it down, and around the edges. But I'm somewhat concerned about how the old/new silicone will react against eachother in this application - do I need to cut/clean the old off?

Murminator
02-05-2007, 10:34 PM
Dez's 180G was cracked across the center and fixed that way it now resides at Joes aka "Dad" haven't heard any stories of the bottom falling out yet :mrgreen:

Quagmire
02-06-2007, 12:04 AM
You could repair it with a patch as you suggested,you would need to trim the old silicone down for a tight fit.Use lots of silicone.Should work but a safer bet would be to replace the bottom glass.

Almost forgot,if you do patch it,leave the old broken glass inplace and spread silicone over the whole thing.

briansmyth
02-06-2007, 02:59 AM
I had a 33 gallon that was repaired as has been described - I used it for 6 years as a freshwater tank and then a year as a saltwater tank and had no problems.

BCOrchidGuy
02-08-2007, 01:55 AM
If you do decide to try this repair I would have the tank sit on foam for the rest of it's life. Insulating foam like the blue or pink stuff or even the white stuff, just to make the weight of the tank spread out a bit better.

Doug

midgetwaiter
02-08-2007, 05:07 AM
It's edge to edge so it won't spread. If you strip off as much of the old silicone as you can you should be able to add a patch that joins to the sides and on top of the bottom. Do spread a thin layer like BCOrchid suggests. I did something similar in my overflow, has been fine for about a year.