Help! I Screwed Up, Chipped Tank

[wolf13]

Well, I blew it, I got two used 55g for cheap. get em loaded and home, but unloading em, I dinged one of them and and a flake came off one of the long sides at the edge.

I have the flake. So, can I get some silcone, cement it back in place, and get a couple of strips of something to silicone on each side of the glass to reinforce it and be ok? Or is the tank trash? Its a vey thin flake, But I don't want to have it fail on me.

 

[Danno]

Exactly how thin is it? Eggshell thin or quarter thin?

 

[wolf13]

clamshell like in that the top of it at the very edge is maybe quarter thin for the little notch, then tapering down to eggshell thin at the inner edge. it looks like a half a seashell litterly on the break plane.

 

[SkiFletch]

clamshell like in that the top of it at the very edge is maybe quarter thin for the little notch, then tapering down to eggshell thin at the inner edge. it looks like a half a seashell litterly on the break plane.

Tough to say without seeing it...

 

[doresy]

That chip is low down where the pressure is going to be the greatest. Perhaps if you get a square of glass just a little larger than the chip and superglue it on the INSIDE it will spread the load and strengthen it. I would still say though, it maybe a good idea to fill it up outside in the garden and leave it for a week just to be sure! If you do, remember to place the tank on a sturdy sheet of wood to support it entirerly

Oh......good luck, eh?

 

[wolf13]

so you can get a real idea of the depth. on closer exam, it does rise up at the very edge, so its hard to get a reel feel for its depth, its VERY hard to be precise, but it looks like theres about 1/4 inch of material at its deepest pointand that is still in the portion where the panes overlap.

 

[Danno]

I think that is fixable. Grab the chip and silicone it in. Then silicone over it . Then silicone it in the inside of the tank again. Silicone every place anywhere around it. Let it dry for 2 days, 3 days if you want to make sure

 

[SkiFletch]

I think that is fixable. Grab the chip and silicone it in. Then silicone over it . Then silicone it in the inside of the tank again. Silicone every place anywhere around it. Let it dry for 2 days, 3 days if you want to make sure

Agree with Danno. My 45g has a larger chip on it that was re-siliconed in. According to the previous owner (my friend), the tank was first chipped back in 1994 and its still going strong today in 2007. That kind of thing can be re-glued like Danno suggested

 

[cheesy feet]

I've had tanks runing for years (not now though lol) with chips like that and even cracks lol.Wouldn't reccomend it

 

[Rooster]

Siliconing the chip back in is POINTLESS - it will add little, if any, strength... unless you GLUE it back with glassbond.

I have had worse for years But if you are a "belt and braces" person, glassbond a patch over the damaged area too.

 

[Danno]

But if you silicone the chip in corrent, it will look a lot nicer than seeing a clamshell chip mark.

 

[Rooster]

But if you silicone the chip in corrent, it will look a lot nicer than seeing a clamshell chip mark.

....and if you GLASSBOND it, it will be invisible !

 

[Danno]

Not everyone has glassbond in thier back pockets. Pretty much everyone has silicone. It is up to the DIYer to do which eather they want.

 

[DarkEntity]

IF you are going to do it, do it properly with glassbond