# has anyone replaced a glass panel on a tank?



## Skelley (Mar 4, 2006)

i have a friend who has had a tank sitting in their basement collecting dust for years, i would love to breathe a little life into it. problem is one of the side panels is broken. i have googled some ways to replace the panel (glass), but i figured i would ask you folks and see if you have any tried and true methods. i am a little nervous about it, even if it does hold water when i repair it, i am afraid i will come home one day to fish all over the floor.

am i worrying for nothing or have any of you had a repaired panel blown out on you?


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

How big is the tank?

If you're dealing with an average quality tank it probably isn't worth the trouble for anything smaller than a 75g. The tank itself is usually one of the least expensive part of the setup. Risking a blown seam if your repair doesn't go well just isn't worth the risk in my book unless your tank is in your garage or outside.

If you want to go ahead, you first need to remove the broken panel. This may require removing the upper and/or lower frames. Scrape ALL the old silicone off, get a new piece of glass cut to fit perfectly, and re-silicone it back together. If you do a search on APC you should find some pretty detailed descriptions of how to do it.


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

Skelley,

The panel can safely be replaced on any size tank, however wether or not it will be cost effective you will have to decide yourself. This is the process I use to rebuild tanks, or build from scratch. I have never had a joint that I have made fail in 20+ years.

Removing a cracked panel from an aquarium can be a little tricky, but if you take your time it’s not too hard. First you have to remove the trim from the tank, I use a combination of razor blades and long razor knifes to cut the silicone that holds the trim on, being careful to not put to much pressure on the trim as it can break fairly easily.

This next section needs a lot of care to protect yourself from the sharp glass; some heavy gloves are a good idea.

Once the trim is off I use a glass cutter and score the already broken panel about 2” from the edges. Fill the aquarium with rags or something to protect the other sides from falling glass. Break out the cracked panel so you only have a 2” strip around the edges and a 2” square in each corner to deal with. Now you can use a razor blade to cut from the inside of the tank while applying some outward pressure on the 2” strip, make several passes and the strip should come off. Repeat for the remaining strips, sometimes I cut the 2” square in the corner diagonally to make it easier to remove. Now you need to scrape all of the existing silicone off of the glass you are saving and clean it thoroughly, (see resealing section).

To install the new panel, make sure the panel fits properly before starting. Once you are happy with the fit, apply a bead of silicone to the edges that are being glued, use plenty so it will squeeze out of the joint, place the panel in place and apply pressure to set it into the silicone being careful to not let it slide out of alignment. Look over the joints to make sure there are no voids or bubbles. When you are satisfied that the joints are solid use Duct tape to tape the panel down, stick one end of the tape to the panel being glued then press down on the panel while pulling the tape around the corner and sticking it to the side. Repeat this procedure on each side until the glass is aligned properly, then place a piece of tape about every 4” using the same technique. The next day you can remove the tape and use a razor blade to remove the excess silicone from the inside and outside and you are ready for resealing.

Resealing a tank is no big deal. The secret is removing the old silicone fillet and get the glass really clean. I use razor blade scrapers to cut out the old fillet and clean all of the residue from the glass, then I use acetone to clean the glass and remove any residue you couldn't get off with the razor blade. When you are ready to reseal the tank clean the glass again with Isopropyl Alcohol several times to remove any last contaminants and let dry. To redo the fillets I place a strip of masking tape about 1/4" out on both sides of the joint to be sealed to catch the excess silicone, run a bead of silicone in the joint then run your finger over the corner to smooth out the fillet, use a fair amount of pressure to push the silicone into the corner and any voids. you can run your finger over it several times to get it smooth, don’t remove to much silicone, then take the tape off and make one more light pass to lay the edges down smooth.

I would advise doing all the joints not just the bottom, and do them continuously so the silicone doesn’t have time to set between segments as I have found that silicone doesn’t stick to itself very well after it has cured. Also do the bottom first so you have some practice before you do the visible joints on the front.

To reinstall the trim tape the top onto the tank and use the same technique to put a fillet on the bottom edge of the trim inside the tank, this will be plenty strong to hold it in place and prevent siphoning over the edge, and it makes it easier to remove in the future if needed, to do the bottom just put a small bead on the trim where it contacts the bottom of the tank, place it on the tank and let the weight of the tank hold it in place while it cures.


I just finished doing the back on a 90 Gal tank.

and I keep eyeing a 500 Gal. tank with a broken panel that keeps showing up on craigslist for $300.00, I just don't know what I'd do with a 10' long tank.

Good luck,
Brian


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