Hey everybody, I am buying a tank with a few nicks and one in particular ding that is about the size of a quarter and maybe 1/16 of an inch deep. the glass is a quarter inch thick total, its a 110 gal. would this knick present an issue for the tank? I hope to repair it, by using windshield repair techniques...has anyone done this and would it work? thanks!
Glass Repair!
- Thread starter iHonesty
- Start date
Hello; I do not know anything about the repair of a chip, perhaps others will.
To somewhat prevent chips on the edge of all glass tanks I have been putting clear plastic corner protectors on my tanks. The last I found were made to be outside corner protectors for wall paper. I adhere the plastic with clear silicone. It does a fair job of preventing chips.
The chip you describe sounds large. I have some tanks in use with smaller chips that have held up fine. I likely would walk away from from the tank as you describe it.
To somewhat prevent chips on the edge of all glass tanks I have been putting clear plastic corner protectors on my tanks. The last I found were made to be outside corner protectors for wall paper. I adhere the plastic with clear silicone. It does a fair job of preventing chips.
The chip you describe sounds large. I have some tanks in use with smaller chips that have held up fine. I likely would walk away from from the tank as you describe it.
well its being sold with a stand for 75 bucks! haha i cant walk away from that. its definitely a fixer upper, but its not intended to be a show tank or anything, just a good size home while i set up a show tank. the chip didnt seem detrimental to me when i saw it, but I definitely hope to fix it somehow. I just hope i can come across a permanent fix or someone who knows for sure that this tank is not safe. Thank you for the prevention advice though!
Well you are talking about over 1000lbs of pressure on that glass that has imperfections. I dont think windshield repairs are going to help strengthen it to that kind of tinsel... I would have to agree, make it into a reptile or riptank, but I definitely wouldn't use it to hold full capacity water unless its in the garage, over the drain and holding feeders...
I wouldn't waste time with that personally. The cost of the fishes and potential disaster of water damage to the house out weights the $75.
if it is just going to be a grow out tank then i would say get it and make a wooden frame that will support it so the pressure is shared by the glass and wood
There's no way to repair it other than replacing the entire sheet of glass. If you get it and set it up, it would be at your own risk.
The tank in question is actually mine. Here are some pictures from this morning. It is a standard Perfecto 110 x tall with 1/2" glass. I built the stand. It has x6 4x4 posts; overkill yes, but I had extra untreated 4x4's and needed to get rid of them.
I got the tank a year ago and have never used it. I filled it up with water last night and will drain it when Tony comes to get it. I just wanted him to see that it does hold water. I am sure there are some horror stories with chipped tanks, but I also know there are people that have used chipped tanks for years without incident.
Based on the pics, please give Tony some feedback. I definitely want all of these extra tanks out of my garage, but don't want Tony to buy a tank he is going to regret.
Thanks
I got the tank a year ago and have never used it. I filled it up with water last night and will drain it when Tony comes to get it. I just wanted him to see that it does hold water. I am sure there are some horror stories with chipped tanks, but I also know there are people that have used chipped tanks for years without incident.
Based on the pics, please give Tony some feedback. I definitely want all of these extra tanks out of my garage, but don't want Tony to buy a tank he is going to regret.
Thanks
Hello; The picture shows the chip well. Sounds like the chip has removed about half of the thickness of the glass at that point and is roughly half way up. As stated in a pervious post, I have 29 gallon tanks in use with smaller and less extensive chips. I chipped them after they were mine. So far no issues.
The price is good for a large tank. I go along with others, in that if the tank can be set up in a basement or room with a floor drain for a few years to see if it holds. I have had a few tanks 55 gallon or larger over the decades. Eventually they all failed and had to be replaced. In my current home, of one year, I removed the carpet from the aquarium room, placed vinyl tile, Siliconed plastic quarter round around the perimeter of the tank area and drilled a drain hole to channel water into the basement. Tanks do fail or get broken quite often. I have only one intact survivor from over five decades.
If you buy the tank; I would consider running a fresh bead of good silicone along the inside seam where rthe chip is and at the same time adhering a panel of glass on the inside of the tank over the area of the chip wide enough to cover the chip and long enough to run from the top to the bottom. Since the chip is on a back corner, I would also consider adhering with silicone a length of angle aluminum (or something similar) on the outside corner where the chip is. (I have seen carbon fiber strips for use as reinforcement. Never tried them, but it might be possible to bond a thin strip of that stuff to the outside.)
The price is good for a large tank. I go along with others, in that if the tank can be set up in a basement or room with a floor drain for a few years to see if it holds. I have had a few tanks 55 gallon or larger over the decades. Eventually they all failed and had to be replaced. In my current home, of one year, I removed the carpet from the aquarium room, placed vinyl tile, Siliconed plastic quarter round around the perimeter of the tank area and drilled a drain hole to channel water into the basement. Tanks do fail or get broken quite often. I have only one intact survivor from over five decades.
If you buy the tank; I would consider running a fresh bead of good silicone along the inside seam where rthe chip is and at the same time adhering a panel of glass on the inside of the tank over the area of the chip wide enough to cover the chip and long enough to run from the top to the bottom. Since the chip is on a back corner, I would also consider adhering with silicone a length of angle aluminum (or something similar) on the outside corner where the chip is. (I have seen carbon fiber strips for use as reinforcement. Never tried them, but it might be possible to bond a thin strip of that stuff to the outside.)
I'll agree with you Brian. I had a 30 gallon that had a chip almost all the way through the glass. It held like a champ. I probably wouldn't sweat it.
But as always, the disclaimer had to be stated to use at your own risk. Of course, even setting up a brand new, perfect condition tank has its risks as well.
But as always, the disclaimer had to be stated to use at your own risk. Of course, even setting up a brand new, perfect condition tank has its risks as well.