Repairing tank with cracked bottom

[Revonok]

I'm sorry if this isn't the right place, but I'm at work and couldn't find anywhere that seemed like a better place to put this.

So my friend recently purchased a very nice 30 gallon tank, but didn't realize until after she brought it home that there was a small crack in the bottom pane of glass.

I have an extra piece of glass from a 10 gallon tank I tore down, and I was wondering if I could sort of "patch" the glass so to say? I was thinking if I used enough aquarium safe silicone, maybe I could silicone the crack real good then place the extra panel of glass (it covers the entire crack + like 5 inches or more on every side) over the crack and get the edges sealed real well with silicone also.

Has anyone ever tried this? Does it sound like a disaster waiting to happen? We filled the tank 3/4 of the way with water and it didn't leak or crack anymore so I really hope it's doable, I can't afford to replace the entire bottom at the moment, Thanks.

 

[bob mccoy]

yes i repaired a 55 gallon like that

 

[Revonok]

Thanks for the reply. How long did your tank hold up for you, and did you use anything on the exterior side of the crack or just the inside?

 

[tonedogz]

I wouldn't do it, I'd look for a cheap tank on craigs list or if you have a petland something they have a dollar a gallon sale cause if it doesn't hold your going to have a real mess on your hands.

 

[Revonok]

Hello everyone, and thanks again for all the advice and replies. A little bird told me to keep an eye out after Christmas for the 1$ per gallon sale, and sure enough December 28th I went in and bought myself a brand new 29 Gallon marked for $29 with a 25% off cupon, needless to say it was a great deal.

However, I also went ahead and took a gamble with my 30 Gallon. I put very thick beads along the cracklines themselves, removed and replaced the silicone on all edges, heavily siliconed the sides of a 10 gallon tank to the top and bottom of the tank on and around the crack area, and then cut some insulation foam to the proper size and placed it along the entire underside of the tank. I was very nervous while filling the tank with substrate and the hardscape, but here I am a few weeks later and the tank has been up and running just fine, I've been keeping an eye on the cracks and marked them initially with pieces of tape and a marker (obviously externally) and also took pictures, and none of them have spread or gotten any bigger. I know I was takin a big risk but it seems to have worked great and my girlfriend loves the tank. I'll post pictures soon but I just wanted to let everyone know that as of right now, the repairs worked very well.

I know it's not ideal, but if anyone finds themselves in a similar situation and cannot afford to replace the entire tank I think if done properly this is a viable option (While still extremely risky)