Cracked aquarium frame

[Sum22]

I came home yesterday to discover a puddle on the floor and a fish tank that had lost a lot of water.

After evacuating my fish, I found that I have a crack in the lower part of the frame on my 29g tank. I'm guessing the crack is allowing water to leak around the silicone.

So my question is, do you think it is worth the time and effort to repair it, or should I just buy a new tank? Any thoughts, suggestions, personal experiences or ideas on cost are greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[black hills tj]

Sounds like a good excuse to upgrade.

 

[Sum22]

Interesting, except I'm about 6 weeks from moving, so my funds need to go towards that rather than new fish items. I'm seriously considering leaving my fish in the 7g qt tank until after the move. The downside is that I really have to monitor the water and probably change it at least 2x weekly until I move.

 

[jsoong]

A cracked frame alone should not have caused a leak ... check if a seam had came apart, or worse a crack in the glass.

If there is cracked glass, it is prob. not worth replacing as tempered glass costs more than the tank retail. It is possible to redo a tank if it is just a busted seam. It is fairly labor intensive (you have to take the whole tank apart since it is a bottom seam, and put it all back together again) but cost only $5 or so for silicone (from the hardware store). It may be worthwhile if you have lots of time on your hand & enjoy a DIY challenge.

Otherwise, it is a good excuse to upgrade. If you want, you can get a 30 or 40 gal plastic tub for fairly cheap to house your fish till after the move. This is better than a 7 gal & should be more stable. <If you have saved your biofilter - ie keep filter & substrate wet - you might be able to move everything to the temp setup & avoid a major cycle.>

 

[Sum22]

No cracks in the glass, just in the frame. I figured it caused the seal to break and leak.

Sadly, I have no time. I work 7 days a week, so it looks as if my best option will be to buy a new tank.