Tank repair??

[CAGE-RATTLER]

I have a guy that just contacted me and he has a 55 he is going to give me.

The front glass is busted it out and he said he was going to repair it but never got around to it so he is giving it to me.

He said he removed the broken panel and purchased a piece of 1/4 inch lexan he was going to replace the broken panel with.

My question ............. Is it doable to replace the glass panel with the lexan??

I thought they used something different to seal lexan to lexan.

Is there a sealant that will work between glass and lexan??

Would the 1/4 inch lexan bow to much on the 55 hurting the seal??

Anyone done this type of repair before?

If i decided to just get a piece of glass to repair it .......... how much would the glass panel cost and what type of glass should i be looking for?

Im heading for the DIY archives now to see if i can find anything on this.

[CAGE-RATTLER]

anybody??

[BIGFOOT]

Hi Cage


Not to pee you off butt the lexan is a real no no no no no. It just sitting on top of a tank at 88 degrees is enough to warp it. I know cause I tryed to use it as a top. You really want to repair it use glass. If you decide to use the lexan make sure you got a really large shop vac ready:D .

[CAGE-RATTLER]

Yeah the more ive been thinking about it the more i figure getting a sheet of glass is the better option.

Bowing out at the seams doesnt sound like a good idea ..... lol.

With never having bought glass for a tank ........ anyone know what kind i should look for?? Im assuming 1/4 inch to match whats already in there ....... but i have no idea if theres different types of glass that should be used.

Just a piece of 1/4 inch plate glass??

[nolefan]

Make sure your seams are real clean before resealing new piece of glass.Regular plate glass is pretty cheap, they can cut you a piece at the glass company probably out of scrap.

Make sure you buy silicone that is for aquarium use, you can buy it cheap at Lowes, home depot just make sure it is 100% silicone.I would test the tank outside for a week or so before moving inside.

In the long run instead of taking any chances I would just buy a new or used tank 55 gallon tanks are pretty cheap.Just my opinion, hope it helps.

[CAGE-RATTLER]

Im actually starting to wonder if its it worth the time (or the worries) to repair it or not.

But hey .......... its free so i might just pick it up and stick it in the shed in case i need a tank frame or piece of glass for another tank someday ... lol.

But then again ........... I would like to tackle the job just to see if i could do it successfully or not ..... lol.

[tcfish]

Hey cage its really pretty simple hardest part is to take the frames off ,use a real thin putty knife and utility knife make sure all the chips are out of the inside of the frame ,get your measurements and have a glass shop cut you a piece [sorry a 20x48 1/4 inch plate wont be scrap] have them take the sharpness off the edges [not polish the edges] just take the sharp edges off.Save some time and just go to a pet chain store and buy a tube of silicone, either all-glass or perfecto brand cause that is usally what the chain stores carry, it will cost more but will save your brain from hurting reading and trying to figure out which one is the right one. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Run a nice fat bead of silicon all around the tank glass to be sealed, with the tank sitting the regular way on the floor put your bottom down then stick it to the sides press it together then hold it with duct tape.Let dry cut out the excess nice and neat with a single always sharp [means have a couple on hand]razor blade.I would cut out all the old silicone before I start do the WHOLE tank dont cut in between were the glass is bonded together ,clean out with de-natured alcohol.now you can seal and re-seal the whole tank with your silicone,than silicone your top and bottom frames on.I've built them from scratch and repaired many its a pretty simple fix . And no you cant silicone lexan and glass together lexan is a bad choice for a fish tank even if the whole thing were made from it.