hey Guys,
I got a 450gallon glass, it's a monster and I have so many great plans for it.
After an intense labor to move the thing inside my house, I set out to make a few changes to the way I want it to be. Now, this is a used tank, and it was for a saltwater setup. it used to be a wall tank, so it has an overflow on the back side of the tank. I want to make it a three side viewable show tank, therefore, i need to clear the back paint and take out the overflow on the back side.
long story short, I finally was able to take the damn overflow out by stripping the silicones and melting them with a heat gun. i was so dumb that i completely overlooked the heat expansion property and pointed the heat gun at one spot for too long. you probably guessed what happened by now. the panel cracked with an excruciatingly loud noise that I would never want to hear again. at first it was just a round area of the size of a fist, but overnight, i guess as the tempt cooled down, the crack extended to the bottom all the way from the top.
I hope the pictures can show the crack well enough.
so here are my questions:
1. for a major crack like this, is the panel even salvageable? mind you, the glass is 1" thick and the height of the tank is 3', so the panels will exert tremendous pressure.
2. if it is salvageable, can i repair the crack to have it less visible or at least make it less obvious?
3. if i were to get another piece of glass, say 10" by 36" with 1/2" thick, to cover the area of the cracks and silicone it in place, will the tank leak in any way? or would that piece of support hold the pressure?
4. finally, what will it take to replace the panel? I know to replace it, it pretty much the same if not more effort to build a new tank. anyone knows any professionals who are in LA that could provide the service or give me an estimate?
I appreciate any and all help, thanks!!
Mark
I got a 450gallon glass, it's a monster and I have so many great plans for it.
After an intense labor to move the thing inside my house, I set out to make a few changes to the way I want it to be. Now, this is a used tank, and it was for a saltwater setup. it used to be a wall tank, so it has an overflow on the back side of the tank. I want to make it a three side viewable show tank, therefore, i need to clear the back paint and take out the overflow on the back side.
long story short, I finally was able to take the damn overflow out by stripping the silicones and melting them with a heat gun. i was so dumb that i completely overlooked the heat expansion property and pointed the heat gun at one spot for too long. you probably guessed what happened by now. the panel cracked with an excruciatingly loud noise that I would never want to hear again. at first it was just a round area of the size of a fist, but overnight, i guess as the tempt cooled down, the crack extended to the bottom all the way from the top.
I hope the pictures can show the crack well enough.
so here are my questions:
1. for a major crack like this, is the panel even salvageable? mind you, the glass is 1" thick and the height of the tank is 3', so the panels will exert tremendous pressure.
2. if it is salvageable, can i repair the crack to have it less visible or at least make it less obvious?
3. if i were to get another piece of glass, say 10" by 36" with 1/2" thick, to cover the area of the cracks and silicone it in place, will the tank leak in any way? or would that piece of support hold the pressure?
4. finally, what will it take to replace the panel? I know to replace it, it pretty much the same if not more effort to build a new tank. anyone knows any professionals who are in LA that could provide the service or give me an estimate?
I appreciate any and all help, thanks!!
Mark
