pizzaguy December 12, 2012 Author Share December 12, 2012 There was water in it. He said he didn't know it was there. The black is the excess silicone on the bottom of the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf December 12, 2012 Share December 12, 2012 If it was me, I would do what Coral Hind said and add an extra piece of glass on the bottom over the crack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy December 12, 2012 Author Share December 12, 2012 So put a piece in and silicone around the edges? Can I use plexiglass or does it have to be glass? Also, what type of silicone can I use and get locally? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf December 12, 2012 Share December 12, 2012 I would use glass, won't flex like plexi. Lowes sells the clear aquarium safe adhesive/silicone. You can get the glass from them to. I would order some black as well, so you can match the part that you can see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind December 12, 2012 Share December 12, 2012 If you can get thicker glass it would help, not the thin picture frame glass. Lay out a thin bed of silicone and place the glass on it, just like laying tile. You want the added glass piece to firmly support the glass and prevent it from moving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy December 13, 2012 Author Share December 13, 2012 I ordered black silicone from the lfs. It will be in next Wednesday. What size and thickness would you recommend for the repair? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy December 13, 2012 Author Share December 13, 2012 I don't want it so thick you will see it from the front as it will be up against the front glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf December 13, 2012 Share December 13, 2012 How thick is the silicone band? How far does it come up on the glass? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM December 13, 2012 Share December 13, 2012 Did the guy give you any discount for not disclosing that his tank had a big chip out of the front of it? Would have been hard for me not to despair after having driven all that way and seen that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy December 13, 2012 Author Share December 13, 2012 No discount, allthough there should have been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridetheducati December 13, 2012 Share December 13, 2012 This hobby is challenging enough, having to worry about the integrity of a tank is not fun. Personally, I would have returned home broken-hearted but heavy in the wallet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy December 13, 2012 Author Share December 13, 2012 As bad as it seems and as mad as it makes me its really not that bad. And to make matter worse I didn't realize the return pump chamber on the sump is only 4 inches wide. What the heck kind of pump is gonna fit that. I have 3 mag pumps that are not gonna help me at this point. Anyone got a external pump they wanna do some trading on? On a good note other than the pump issue this sump is bada@@#. I've never seem a sump like this. He paid 800 to have it built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 December 13, 2012 Share December 13, 2012 How about more pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S December 13, 2012 Share December 13, 2012 This hobby is challenging enough, having to worry about the integrity of a tank is not fun. Personally, I would have returned home broken-hearted but heavy in the wallet. Same here. What if it does break, like when you're away, flooding the floor and electronics underneath? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omair December 13, 2012 Share December 13, 2012 Instead of glass wouldn't it be better to use a 1" acrylic piece to bond the seam together? I'm sure Adam could get something together for you if that's needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy December 13, 2012 Author Share December 13, 2012 Well, I stand corrected in a good way. Mag pumps are only 3.5" wide. So I can use my 12 for a return and my 9.5 on the manifold for the reactors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Weaver December 13, 2012 Share December 13, 2012 (edited) If it were me, I would do the following: Call a windshield repair company and have them fill or rebond the chip with glass epoxy. This will hopefully stop the chip from cracking more. Don't let them cut into the existing silicone seam. Silicone a 1/4" piece of glass, around 6" X 6" or so over the repaired chip. This will spread out the pressure. Do NOT use acrylic, as silicone will not form a structural bond with acrylic. Since the chip is right at the edge, I would make sure you butt the repair patch as close to the front glass as possible and fill the gap with clear or black silicone. Also, apply silicone under the patch as well as all the way around the perimeter. New silicone will not bond with old silicone, so make sure your bead at least touches the front glass. You can even have the patch chamfered so it can get closer to the front glass while still sitting flat on the bottom. This should set you back less than $100, and it will be well worth the peace of mind in the end. I'm not saying it will work, but if it were me I'd feel better knowing I did everything I could. There are many things you can do to cover the ugliness, such as installing trim to cover the bottom of the tank, or using black automotive vinyl to make a false "strip" around the bottom of the tank. It should not be that noticeable, especially if you are using sand. Edited December 13, 2012 by Marc Weaver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf December 13, 2012 Share December 13, 2012 That's a good idea Mark about the windshield repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind December 13, 2012 Share December 13, 2012 This would be cheaper then calling a windshield repairer. http://www.etrailer.com/Tools/Loctite/LT37613.html?feed=npn&gclid=CJW2paCll7QCFQhyQgodmSIAAw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gadgets December 13, 2012 Share December 13, 2012 This hobby is challenging enough, having to worry about the integrity of a tank is not fun. Personally, I would have returned home broken-hearted but heavy in the wallet. +1000 Not worth the risk of it cracking later and killing all your livestock and water damaging your house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami December 13, 2012 Share December 13, 2012 Eric, is the chip actually missing from the pane or is it one of those "bullseye" or "moon" chips where the glass is still there, but fractured? Windshield repair depends on the latter being the case. It cannot replace missing chunks glass, but injects a clear adhesive into the thin void between the pieces. Many repair devices depend on being able to pull a vacuum over the entire damaged area before injecting the cement. The vacuum then draws the cement into the crack. If a vacuum can't be drawn because the crack extends beyond the reach of the suction device, then they can try to inject the crack, displacing the air with the cement. Sometimes a little pressure beneath the crack can also open it up enough to draw the cement in by capillary action. This doesn't always work, though, with impact "bullseye" damage, and can leave trapped air in the void if not successful. I've used the Loctite system only once. Read the directions and follow them exactly. Use a timer. There are also videos online. I had less success than I had hoped for, but found out later that I'd messed up a little on the directions. Also, be aware that the Loctite stuff sets up quickly upon exposure to UV. You don't have to be in the direct sunlight either - indirect sunlight is enough to start the stuff curing and if the injector is exposed to sunlight during the initial stages of the repair (pulling the vacuum), it can ruin the repair effort and can make it impossible to get a second shot at it (because the crack begins to partially fill). A final note, I have no idea of if the cement restores structural integrity. However, if this crack reaches the outside and is a possible source of a small leak, then it will probably provide a good seal. This damage is on the bottom pane, is that right? So it's not really visible from any of the viewing panes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der ABT December 13, 2012 Share December 13, 2012 WOW..i wouldnt sleep at night (sounds like you dont do much sleeping anyways though)..not sure why you gave him full price, there is no way i woulda paid fulll for a damaged tank....i hope it turns out to be a non issue for you.... when you say there was water are we talking 10g or it was filled??? i think id follow the above suggestions and make it structurally sound as you can....if you can see it on the front glass put a piece of trim up to cover it....id rather loose and inch or to of viewing vs loose 150g of water/corals/fish etc..... id also be posting up some feed back on the guy you got it from (im guessing RC or something) unless the pic is making it look bigger than it is ........but you can definately say you know what the weak point of your tank is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy December 13, 2012 Author Share December 13, 2012 It was 3/4 full the day before I got it. The chip is only on the bottom pane. It's not as big as it looks in the pick. Probably the size of a dime maybe a nickel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S December 13, 2012 Share December 13, 2012 It was 3/4 full the day before I got it. The chip is only on the bottom pane. It's not as big as it looks in the pick. Probably the size of a dime maybe a nickel. I don't think size really matters man. 1/4", 1/2", 1", a crack is a weak point in the glass. If not properly addressed, 1100# of water sitting on it, will, eventually, cause the crack to break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami December 13, 2012 Share December 13, 2012 I don't think size really matters man. 1/4", 1/2", 1", a crack is a weak point in the glass. If not properly addressed, 1100# of water sitting on it, will, eventually, cause the crack to break. I guess that the engineer in me is reluctant to come to that conclusion without seeing this up close and personal. I just don't see enough angles on the defect to know enough to come to that kind of conclusion. In any case, there's not 1100# of water on top of this crack or that it's even a crack per se (more a chip that may or may not reach the outside). It's distributed across the entire pane of glass which is also resting flat on top of a stand that provides a lot of support. Remember, there's probably less than 1 PSI of water directly above this defect. My desire would be to understand whether or not this defect reaches outside the tank and to do what could be done to ensure that it remains both constrained (non-spreading) and water tight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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