Tank crack

Hello Internet been down last month so haven't been on .Question seen crack about three inches on under side of glass bottom at corner on trigon 190 can't fell it from inside .Thinkin of draining tank tomorrow and tryin to get some type of resin.cant see how it happened been sitting on the stand with bubble wrap between it for last two years .will windscreen resin do or any help appreciated. Cheers derek

Unfortunately I don’t think the resin used to repair windscreens would work. In windscreen repairs, the resin is forced into the crack under vacuum pressure. Also bear in mind that the windscreen glass is laminated so it is a lot easier to repair. Typically a crack in the windscreen will only affect one layer of glass.
In the case of the aquarium, you don’t have the ability to inject such a resin under vacuum and a layer of the resin sitting on top of the glass will do no good. Also bear in mind that the tank base is only a single layer of glass. Given the amount of pressure the base of a tank is under, it is not worth risking either.

The only realistic and reliable options are to place a patch on the inside of the tank, at lease the same thickness of glass as the original base and ensure it’s well sealed with silicone. From what you say, this can not be done. The other option is to replace the whole tank base, in the case of the trigon this will be expensive as the glass will require specialist cutting and polishing to achieve the right shape.

Can you explain why the tank cant be fixed from the inside? is the crack under the internal filter box?
If so, it can be easily removed and re-installed after the tank is repaired. The internal box is only held in place with a few spots of silicone.
If you can get your hands on some braided fishing and a small steel object such as a small swivel and a magnet, you can easily get the braid down the back corner of the tank, under the filter and up in front of the filter. Then simply use the braid like a wire saw to cut through the silicone. Alternatively, a long thin blade such as a craft knife blade will cut the silicone away. The braid is a safer option as there is less risk of cutting yourself or aquarium corner seals.

If the crack is in a front corner, you could get a patch of glass cut to shape, all you would need is a template of the right shape cut out of paper or card. It will cost more than a square piece of glass but still a lot less than a whole new base for the tank.

Obviously any such repair job in the tank would require the tank to be drained and cleaned, and of course dried thoroughly before the application of any silicone. Would advise at least 2 to 3 days (Preferably 5 days to a week) to allow the new seals to fully cure before filling with water again. Would definitely recommend leak testing outdoors to ensure there is no risk of flooding the house.

Hope this helps

Cheers,

Bill.

Sorry John, both responding at the same time

Thanks lad the crack is side to side corner of trigon .the reason why I don't think it would be able to fix from inside is can't feel it from inside seems underneath.thinking about it now I had a flood two weeks ago tank In attic flooded house and wooden floor swelled may have caused it.later Ill empty tank and update whats it like.floor doesn't seem swelled in that area thu.

Silicone a piece of glass inside the tank base right into the corner and extending over the crack by a few inches at least
or might be aswell/easy to get a triangle cut so only the bow isnt covered.
You can also rub some silicone into the crack. The crack will probably go right through when moving the tank anyway.
Pull the cabinet out and ensure the floor is level and also check the cabinet in position too checking both the top surface an the feet touching the floor. Stand on the floor area to to check for soft/lifted spots.
Maybe a camping mat or a foam base would be better than bubble wrap ?

Lads I be doing it tomorrow I'll take a few pictures and upload them .have been fairly busy since last time.

Embarrassed but the truth needs to be told.Here goes spent all day yesterday setting up tanks for fish and taken water out as I said had a crack only finished the job at one today.The crack wasnt a crack which I'm glad but a bit of silver tinsil between the bubble wrap and bottoms of tank.tank got a massive clean and levelled proper and the usual,May sound silly but looked so much like a crack.sorry for the time wasting lads

When you said you couldnt feel it on the inside
I was going to ask if it was a crack.
At least we got a bit of craic out of it

Hi Dubero,

as John said, no time wasted at all glad to hear it was not a crack, better situation for you and your fish! And you got some bonus tips on how to replair a tank crack

Cheers,

Bill.

Ha Ha i brought a tank back to my LFS shop one time and demanded a new one because there was a crack in the base.After i kicked up such a fuss he said he'd replace it.When he went to my car to get the "cracked" one . he pointed out that it was just a bit of silicone that hadn't been cleaned off after the tank had been made.

Don't think i've gone back there since.

Stuart.

dubdero wrote:

The crack wasnt a crack which I'm glad but a bit of silver tinsil between the bubble wrap and bottoms of tank.

so the fish had an early christmas party and didnt invite you and you get all upset and try to wreck their home that laugh has made my morning well no harm no foul,