first of all, thank you for everyone who has given their inputs, they are all very helpful and have helped me decide to do this epic DIY! I will start to research on taking siliconed glass tank apart and research on where I can get the glass at a bargain.
and since I'm getting a new panel anyways, I thought I might as well get a starphire glass. the other side, which was meant to be the front side of the tank is starphire already. but I'll have to see the price difference, if there's too big of a gap, then it'll have to be regular glass.
If you remove the back panel and clean the silicone completely you will be fine to replace just the one panel as there is really no place the new silicone will be bonding to the old silicone.
Then all you have to do is reseal the hole inside of the tank
any tip on removing the silicone? I had a hard time removing the overflow already, that's why i resort to a heat gun to soften it...which was the detriment that led to this thread... lol
and thank you for all your help brotha!
Sorry to hear about the crack but I would say go for it yourself and replace the panel with the help of a buddy or two.
I cracked the back of my 300 a little while ago and replaced the panel with the help of my wife. Took a ton of time to get the old one out and scrap off all of the silicon and then some wax and grease remover to insure a proper seal. I used about a tube and a half of SCS 1200 clear for the seal and 4 Irwin clamps to hold the panel to the rest of the tank (not gonna lie, I went to lowes and bought them, left the tags on and took them back a week later for a store refund but that saved over 100 dollars). After about a week I filled it and havent had a problem since. Just be generous when using the silicon because you can come back with a razor blade to clean up whatever excess pushes out the seams.
It's really hard to mess it up since all the other panes are intact and the tank will still be square so everything will line up perfectly. I never messed with sealing glass before but would definitely do it again versus paying a builder.
thank you for your advice! can you also give me some tips on striping the silicone? and i'm assuming that you have to put somethings to hold the rest of tank in place while replace the panel, right? lastly, did you have to look thru a lot of glass shops to find a good deal? i have called quite a few places around LA and most of them seem to be getting their price from their supplier anyways...i'm wondering if there's a way that i can contact the supplier directly.
Was looking good! Sucks it happens but thats life things happen you just got to deal with it. IMO I would never ever trust it so I would replace it and just do the whole tank again. Silicone everything take everything apart and your good for another 10 years on this tank.
Also what breed are those puffers? haha
haha, those puffers are the cute kind LOL
anyways, thanks for the encouragement, I will be doing this by myself!
I disagree with above post and agree with previous 2 posts. Glass is one inch, use strong silicone like scs1200, as stated tank is already square so just make sure it is 100% clean. I hear what above poster is saying about peace of mind, but take your time and research it and make a plan and you will be fine. Start calling all glass companies in your area as prices vary, and do not buy tempered glass. Scs1200 has a fast tack time so be prepared and have some friends around. You can do it man and you will feel good about it.
thank you! any tips on stripping the old silicone and finding a glass company? I'm pretty handy, and I always feel great when I build something so I believe I will enjoy every bit of this building process.
