Cracked bottom of 300 gallon glass tank repair

[skjl47]

I am going to be taking out the broken glass and replacing the whole bottom piece.

Hello; I have considered this approach but rejected it. My thinking has been that the process of removing an entire pane posed a risk of cracking the remaining good panes. That said, if it can be done cleanly a complete replacement is a way to go.

Just for an expanded understanding of the process, is there a clever way to break the bond between the cracked bottom pane and the verticle panes. This has been one of my reasons for not removing broken panes as I do not know a risk free way to do that.

 

[matthew8706]

I destroyed a glass 220 trying to remove the bottom with only a razorblade running through the seam seems impossible but it happened

 

[millerkid519]

Not to sound crude... flip the tank upside down take a hammer and basically smash the bottom out of it and pull as many pieces out as you can obviously with gloves. There will be pieces still silicone to the sides just lift them up and cut the silicone from between the pieces and cut the remaining silicone from the bottom. Ya ya I know it's not safe but it works and it's quick.

 

[Homer Siped]

^^this, I have only done a 20 gallon, but I cut bottom out for a topper on turtle tank. I cut as much silicone out that I could then took a ball peen hammer to it and knocked it all out(safety glasses are a must). Then pulled what was left off, which wasn't very much.

 

[millerkid519]

Mine was 1/2 out of an old 110 tall same idea just have to hit it a little harder and not to close to the edge make sure you plan how you want it to break more less

 

[windsor]

Probably the easiest solution! Not pretty but effective. It may e worth considering trying to protect the front viewing glass (at least) from accidental scratches due to flying glass fragments.

 

[paulW]

When you finish the repairs, let the silicone cure for a lot more than a few days.
One vendor that I bought a custom tank from also had 1/2 inch glass. IT was delivered to me with a date written on it. Guy said they recommend letting the silicone cure 30 days. It's a long wait, maybe not necessary, but better safe than sorry. There's stories on this board about people putting tanks back together after not letting the silicone cure very long. The tanks pass the leak test. They fill up and put fish in, and then a week or two later , a seam seperates.. Use caution..

 

[skjl47]

When you finish the repairs, let the silicone cure for a lot more than a few days.
One vendor that I bought a custom tank from also had 1/2 inch glass. IT was delivered to me with a date written on it. Guy said they recommend letting the silicone cure 30 days. It's a long wait, maybe not necessary, but better safe than sorry. There's stories on this board about people putting tanks back together after not letting the silicone cure very long. The tanks pass the leak test. They fill up and put fish in, and then a week or two later , a seam seperates.. Use caution..

Hello; For tank repairs where only the inner beads of silicone are replaced to stop a leak I like to let them sit for four to seven days. Silicone cures from the outside in. It gets more firm over time. This sounds like good advice as you will need to silicone to be both leak free and have structural strength. Not sure what the minimal time to wait should be exactly, but whatever you can stand.

 

[millerkid519]

I agree let it sit for a month from my experience it's the best and safest way to do it really if you have the glass and some help you can have it done in a afternoon

 

[jimmie d wad]

i asked this years ago. mind you my tanks are in an unfinished basement. i sealed a corner that was cracked with a pc of.25" glass. its been holding water since i first came to this site. no leaks ever. and it has been moved across the basement one time to a new location. the thread should still be in threads page