I have a very small chip in the back 6' pane of a used 125, near the middle. It is very small but I can't tell how deep it is and I do not want it to turn in to a crack. I have decided to silicone a 2" square of glass over the chip. Will this be sufficient?
Glass Chip Repair v2
- Thread starter letstalkfish
- Start date
Hard to say without seeing the chip, knowing exactly how deep it is, etc. My guess is that a 2" square probably won't help all that much.
I'll try to get a picture. It is a very small chip but it is hard to say how deep it is. Wouldn't covering it with the square just ensure that no water got into the chip to prevent it from expanding?
Hello; My take is if the chip has weakened the integrity of the glass enough for it to ever crack further, that a small patch panel over it will likely do little good in preventing the additional cracking. A much larger patch panel over the area will give more surface area for bonding the silicone and should add more strength. Such a patch panel will be unsightly but unless the tank in to be in a basement or garage, the issue of 125 gallons leaking out would be a concern.
You do not mention if the chip is on the inside or outside. I would likely put the patch panel on the inside in any event. My thinking being that the patch panel on the inside should add more strength than if on the outside. I have gone that route on some actually cracked tanks, thou not as large as 125, and have had to add a patch panel on the outside as well in some cases.
I did have a 125 gallon that cracked down the back panel some years ago. Quite a mess but was in a basement. I decided to not try a repair as the force on a glass panel of that sized tank is considerable. I got rid of the tank. I do not think I could be comfortable with such a large tank that had been compromised. Even in a basement where the water on the floor is of no consequence, the loss of fish and the issues involved would make me consider replacing the tank or finding some other use for it.
Good luck