Glass chip
 

Looking for some advice on a couple of glass chips on a tank I just acquired.

The first chip is on the bottom pane of glass.
http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a.../photo3-13.jpg

It doesn't seem too bad, just rough.

The other one is one the back pane of glass towards the bottom corner.
http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/photo4-6.jpg
http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/photo5-2.jpg

Neither chip penetrates the glass completely and the silicone is not compromised.
It's a 120 gallon tank.

IMO the last chip looks the worst. i would keep an eye on that one as it almost looks slightly cracked there. the others are fine, I have a chip in my cube on the back corner, no problems however. wait for others to chime in before filling though :)

Thanks, the last two pics are of the same chip, and it's not like chipped as in missing glass, more like it gt bumped a bit.

I may for piece of mind add extra silicone in the corner and use some epoxy on the outside.

Bump to see if anyone else has experience with this?

I would go get some ultra thin rock chip resin to try and get that last one filled under the shell and then get some clear vinyl to put on that panel so if it ever does let go the vinyl will hold the water till you can drain it. The shell isnt reaching beyond the silicone there isnt direct pressure on it but being a glazier I know glass has a tendence to be a chance when theres damage threw more then half its thickness

Thanks, I wonder if I took it to apple auto glass if they'd fix it?

I personally would not fill that tank that second crack/chip looks badass and not in a goodway lol and for the record my advice is to be takin with a grain of salt iv never had a big tank so i dont know what kind of stress 120g of water will do to it

I've been told, by my aquarium builder, that it's not the shells that are an issue, but the nasty jagged chips. If it is really jagged see if you can have is sanded/ smoothed a bit to make it less likely I crack.

For like 4-600 bux for brand new tank why risk thousands of dollars in livestock and potentially 10s of thousands in repairs from water damage?

Depends how much of a gambling man you are

The location and nasty look of that second chip would be enough for me to retire the tank. Not based on any professional reason but as mentioned above, for the price of the worst case scenario... I just wouldn't risk it.

I had a big chip in the front corner of my last tank (97g) and you could actually see into the tank through the gouge. We stripped all the inner seams, installed an inner cleat along the front bottom and redid all the seams. I'm sure the same could work for you.

I would just go to glass shop and get a peice of SALVAGE 10-12mm and replace the panel. Its a easy fix IF you know how to properly rebuild a tank, other wise it will just cause more issues with leaks and other stuff
OR
If that panel is against the wall and not seen you could double glaze it with another peice of glass if your afraid of rebuilding the tank. I have done that a few times on larger tanks, infact I did it on my uncles 260g turtle tank
But I would replace the side.... Just cuz I know what it feels like to come home and find a tank flooding your place

I really appreciate all the advice guys. I think I'm going to fix it one way or the other by having it filled or just replacing that pane of glass. Not sure how much that'll set me back but it's more than likely worth it, as long as I don't tell my wife how much I spent :mrgreen:

Get salvage glass if you arnt to bothered by scratchs or other imperfections that make it unsuitable for things like shelves and table tops. I usually sell it for 1/2 price

Where do you get salvage glass? Is that what it's called if I call around? I'm not worried about looks since I'll probably paint it black or add a black backing.

Call around to glass shops and just ask if they have any scrap, scratched up 10 or 12 mm glass. Most larger operations do or even call a place that makes aquariums they might be able to cut you one for cheaper then a glass shop