fixing a broken bottom??

[new2natives]

i can get a HUGE tank and pay next to nothing for it
the only problem is the bottom has a crack in it.

i dont know the extent of the crack yet (i am going to check it out in a day or so)

its a 325g tank, so the glass is probably pretty thick.
is there a way to get it where it holds water without replacing the glass?? (ie, lots of silicone and extra bracing of some sort?)

[terd ferguson]

Do you really want to risk 325 gallons of water on your floor? Get the tank, fix it properly and be happy with your monster tank for a steal price (even with a new piece of glass).

[spiff]

Its possible, but risky. Consider that the fix would be about half the effort of just doing it right. Might as well replace it.

[KNH]

I would definetly have it fixed and not risk the flood. Where in the heck are you going to put it?? lol

[new2natives]

it's going to sit around for a little while until i move in may :)
you know how it is, its a little crowded in my place at the moment (and you didnt see the 150 i picked up yesterday to replace the 55 in the living room ;))


anyhow, as for the cracked tank ... i need to take a look at the crack and go from there, but i'm not going to risk 325g of water, and a decent amount of fish just to save a few bucks
i just thought id see what everyone said first

[Modest_Man]

I replace the bottom of a 210 gallon that was cracked. Very easy fix job. Bought the tank for $75 then bought a piece of 6' X 2' (1/2") tempered glass for $200. Hardest part was getting the black trim off, rest was a piece of cake.

[new2natives]

i forgot to mention, the tank is similar to Koops big tank, in that it is an odd shape, maybe an S or ~ shape ... so the bottom glass is probably in sections ...

to the person who posed about replacing a bottom pane, how did you get the fram off and back on without damaging it? and how did you remove the pane once the frame was off?
i took apart a 30g, and had to break the side panes just so i could get the front, back, and bottoms apart :nilly: it was a pain in the butt!!!!

[packer43064]

Is this the tank that had that reptile in it?

[new2natives]

shhh, its a secret, i'm buying it before anyone else sees it!!! i dont know if we are talking the same tank or not, but i think thats how they have it set up at the moment??

on a side note, with that much weight, is a 1/2" enough, or would i have to go 3/4" ? or would i have to know the dimensions?

[Venom SS]

shhh, its a secret, i'm buying it before anyone else sees it!!! i dont know if we are talking the same tank or not, but i think thats how they have it set up at the moment??

on a side note, with that much weight, is a 1/2" enough, or would i have to go 3/4" ? or would i have to know the dimensions?

I would do a big piece for the bottom on a tank that size. 3/4" would probably do the job.

[Pharaoh]

I would definitely go with 3/4. 1/2" would be pushing your luck.

[Modest_Man]

i forgot to mention, the tank is similar to Koops big tank, in that it is an odd shape, maybe an S or ~ shape ... so the bottom glass is probably in sections ...

to the person who posed about replacing a bottom pane, how did you get the fram off and back on without damaging it? and how did you remove the pane once the frame was off?
i took apart a 30g, and had to break the side panes just so i could get the front, back, and bottoms apart :nilly: it was a pain in the butt!!!!

I used a lot of shims and chisels to gently pry the plastic trim off. To put it back on, I just applied silicone and stuck it on. The bottom was already cracked, so I just smashed it and pried the chunks off (after removing as much silicone from the inside as I could). I then removed the old silicone with a wire wheel and laid down my new silicone. I removed 3/4" annealed and put in 1/2" tempered. Gave me a whole new appreciation for how strongly silicone adheres to glass.

For the glass thickness, are you planning on tempered or annealed glass? That will help determine the thickness.