speer
Aquarium Advice Newbie
I got a 20 gallon tank that got cracked and I was wondering if I cut a piece of glass and siliconed it to the cracked piece would it hold up ok? Thanks
Cracked tank
- Thread starter speer
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speer
Aquarium Advice Newbie
Just going to use it as a breeder tank for feeder guppies and don't have the money to spare right now May even just put it in the basement
If it was a tiny crack (maybe 1/2" or so) and was near the upper part of the tank, that might work. If the crack is substantial, and/or if it is in the lower part of the tank where the pressure will be much greater, then there's no way I would trust that.
It might work...but it would be a risk. And as far as cost, my guess is that you could get a brand new aquarium (certainly on sale) for about the same price it would cost to buy the silicone and a custom-cut piece of glass to cover your crack. So you say money is tight, but I don't think you are saving any money by trying to repair that tank. A lot of pet stores will run sales ($1 per gallon type things), so you could get a new tank for $20 or so. By comparison, a tube of aquarium silicone will run you $5-8 and then when you add in the cost of buying the glass...how much are you really saving? And is that worth the risk of 20 gallons of fish-poop-laden water pouring onto your floor?
It might work...but it would be a risk. And as far as cost, my guess is that you could get a brand new aquarium (certainly on sale) for about the same price it would cost to buy the silicone and a custom-cut piece of glass to cover your crack. So you say money is tight, but I don't think you are saving any money by trying to repair that tank. A lot of pet stores will run sales ($1 per gallon type things), so you could get a new tank for $20 or so. By comparison, a tube of aquarium silicone will run you $5-8 and then when you add in the cost of buying the glass...how much are you really saving? And is that worth the risk of 20 gallons of fish-poop-laden water pouring onto your floor?
jsoong
Aquarium Advice Addict
Where is the crack?? It is safer to patch something near the top vs the bottom.
For a small tank, it is generally just as easy to replace the entire pane. To do a proper patch, you would need to cut a piece that goes from one edge to the other, and at lest 6-8" pass both sides of the crack. By the time you add all that up, your patch is just about as big as the pane, you may as well be safe & replace the whole pane!
For a small tank, it is generally just as easy to replace the entire pane. To do a proper patch, you would need to cut a piece that goes from one edge to the other, and at lest 6-8" pass both sides of the crack. By the time you add all that up, your patch is just about as big as the pane, you may as well be safe & replace the whole pane!
speer
Aquarium Advice Newbie
Crack is from the bottom to the top so I think I'll just get another one. I was going to cut apeice as big as the inside measurement of the tank and just put the pane of glass over the cracked pane beings that I've got the glass and silicone. Guess I'll just use it for a reptile tank Thanks
bengoshi2000
Aquarium Advice Activist
Craigslist FTW on cheap tanks.
Fishguy2727
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2010
- Messages
- 2,667
I personally don't trust ANY used tank anymore. After running a LFS I have simply heard way too many horror stories. A ten gallon can cause over a thousand dollars in damage, it is simply not worth the risk.
mgamer20o0
Aquarium Advice Addict
i have 40 or so used tanks up never had a problem. also know a ton of people with used tanks again no problem. yes i wouldnt put it in the house where it can flood at first but fill it up out side make sure its fine before setting it up.
Fishguy2727
Aquarium Advice Addict
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- Messages
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Don't get me wrong, there are thousands of tanks out there that have never been an issue, but none of them are until they are. Used tanks are a thrifty alternative to new ones. But for me personally I feel it is too risky to warrant not just buying a new tank. (I have had great success with almost all of my used tanks.)
Customer #1: bought 200 gallon on craigslist, had it setup for a long time, one night glass center brace fell out, next day entire front sheet of glass comes off, kids come upstairs covered in glass and water.
Cousin: bought my 100 gallon tank that I had setup for a long time, we moved it to his house, he set it up, three days later corner seal fails and nice wall of water flows out and leaves 90 gallons of water on floor.
Me: ten gallon randomly fails seal and drains entire content onto floor. Water ran through floor, downstairs, through that floor, into basement. $600 in damages.
Me: 55 leaked 1/3, same multi-floor damage, $800 repairs.
I know that for most people it will never be an issue, especially with a seal and leak check, but personally it is not worth it.
Customer #1: bought 200 gallon on craigslist, had it setup for a long time, one night glass center brace fell out, next day entire front sheet of glass comes off, kids come upstairs covered in glass and water.
Cousin: bought my 100 gallon tank that I had setup for a long time, we moved it to his house, he set it up, three days later corner seal fails and nice wall of water flows out and leaves 90 gallons of water on floor.
Me: ten gallon randomly fails seal and drains entire content onto floor. Water ran through floor, downstairs, through that floor, into basement. $600 in damages.
Me: 55 leaked 1/3, same multi-floor damage, $800 repairs.
I know that for most people it will never be an issue, especially with a seal and leak check, but personally it is not worth it.
severum mama
Aquarium Advice Addict
I see where you are coming from, but IMO those are the exceptions and not the rule. We're running 60+ used tanks with no issues whatsoever. A great rule of thumb for used tanks is, when in doubt, reseal. ANY tank can fail catastrophically. That's just the way it goes with glass aquaria. JMO, but I'll go for used tanks whenever possible knowing that not only will it save a ton of money, but if I can score an older tank, the build quality is often far superior to newer tanks. We have an old 75 gallon Oceanic that is built SOLID, much nicer than newer tanks. Similarly, we have another 75 gallon with a manufacture date from 1984 whose glass is so thick that a center brace was not even part of the design. I can go pay 4 times as much for a 75 gallon Top Fin tank at a chain store and not trust it nearly as much.
Quick question: Why in the world did Customer #1 wait an entire evening for catastrophic failure rather than address the situation with the center brace immediately?
Quick question: Why in the world did Customer #1 wait an entire evening for catastrophic failure rather than address the situation with the center brace immediately?
i tell you what, comming from a fish freek friend of mine, this is what he did when his tank got a hole from his vac, don't ask , lol, but i tell you what we did , and oh ya it is a 50 gal + tank, what he did what used a bowl that was big enough to cover the hole, this is inside of the tank of course, and the outside he used a chunk of glass with silicon on the surface and pressed it to the tank, after a while he took it off, and i tell you what, i ever still think he has that tank still, lol but ya it does work.
