# Tank repair



## rbcxpeter (Feb 19, 2006)

My 60 gallon is cracked on the bottom corner is this repairable? The crack is about 3-4 inches long and is located at a corner. Can someone please direct me on how to repair this? The same tank also leaks at one of the joints. (This has nothing to do with the crack) I think the silicone is wearing off. What kind of silicone should I use to heal the wound? I've never repaired a tank so please be more detailed in your explainations. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks in advance.


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## Daniel (Feb 17, 2006)

cracked then ditch it as it will fail to repair a seam look here


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

The only really good way to fix it would be to replace the whole cracked panel. GE silicone is what you want, and most big hardware stores like ACE Hardware carry a version of GE sealer made just for fishtanks. 

You'd have to take a razor blade and cut out the sealer along all the edges touching the cracked panel, and also remove the frame, which is a lot of work. Come to think of it, you'd pretty much have to take the whole tank apart and rebuild it.

Many glass shops have been called upon to fix aquariums many times, and can fix one with no problems and for cheap.

You may be tempted to just try to put a glass patch over the crack, but I'll tell you right now that that would be a very bad idea if the crack is near the bottom of the tank.


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## rbcxpeter (Feb 19, 2006)

i'm sorry it's not AT a corner. the crack is on the bottom glass panel but it's near a corner. But I don't want to take the whole tank apart. I'm going to look into the tank repairmen and see how much they charge.

thanks for that link that was very helpful.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Oh, well in that case you can just put a new piece of glass over the old one. Cut out the sealer bead along the bottom so the new glass will lay flat, and reseal around the new edge.


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## rbcxpeter (Feb 19, 2006)

i had another question. does it matter which side the new glass piece goes on? is it okay for it to be inside the water? and can i just glob a buncha silicone on the corner where it's leaking? will that fix the problem? thanks in advance.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

You WANT it inside where it gets wet, so yes, that's perfectly okay.

No, you can't just put a glob of sealer on the leaky spot, because the pressure from the water weight will make the crack bigger & bigger until practically the whole bottom falls out; a 4-inch crack is a very serious problem.


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