I have a 20 galon fish tank with a crack on the fron't 6-8'' long, not all the way threw the glass

Question

would it be eiser to get a new one or is there a cheap way to repair it?

Answer 1

20 gallons of water is almost 200 pounds of pressure. You can't fill this tank up again, even if you try to silicone it. It might just explode under the pressure. I'm sure you could sell it to somebody for a reptile or small mammal.

Answer 2

Get yourself a piece of glass or plexiglass 8-9 inches square. Get some aquarium silicone. Put a bead of silicone along the full length of the crack and then all around the edges of the square piece of glass. Press the glass against the cracked area and push it firmly against the side of the tank so the silicone will flatten out and seal all around the edges.

Press from both sides of the glass so you don't push too hard and extend the crack.

Now that you have the square of glass stuck to the side of the tank, put a bead of silicone all around the sharp edges of the piece of glass. You are done! The silicone must set for at least 24 to 36 hours so that it will cure and the toxic fumes are not leached into the water.

It won't be pretty, but you can always put that side to the wall. I would get some black construction paper and tape it to the back of the tank (on the outside...) to kind of hide the repairs.

I have tanks full of water right now that I have repaired in this manner. As long as the tank is not higher than 14-16 inches, the pressure is not enough to cause problems when repairs are done this way. Deeper water causes more pressure at the bottom of the tank than at the top. I have tanks with small cracks at the top that I have fixed with nothing more than a bead of silicone on them, no reinforcing glass over the crack.

Good luck! Of course you will fill the tank and let it set for a couple days to check for leaks. There should be none.

Answer 3

That would scare me and I wouldn't chance it myself, but, if you want to try to fix it, I think 8 In The Corner has a workable suggestion, but I would just add this. If you do this, I would apply the plexiglass to the inside of the tank so that the pressure is on the full sheet of plexiglass and not on the cracked glass. The pressure is pushing outward and if the plexiglass is on the outside, it is in the position of last defense. It will do no good if it is not in a position of first defense, which would be on the inside. Thanks and good luck!

Answer 4

Well, you could fix it with the silicon they use to seal the seams, but it would be much easier to buy a new one. You could use it for a terrarium, but to fill it up with water would most likely cause it to break more after a while, and/or leak. The water pressure on a crack that long would cause problems.

Answer 5

I would recommend getting a new tank. If it breaks it is gonna soak your carpet...your pad...and your sub-floor.......a twenty gallon tank w/o the hood or any accessories is not that expensive......

Answer 6

Save yourself a lot of grief and throw it in the garbage.

Answer 7

so go to the pet store ask if they have silicone glue and patch that **** up