Back panel of tank cracked! Help!

cwk84 · Apr 3, 2019

I bought a used Lee Mar recently and put it in the backyard. To clean the tank I put it on the back so the water could run out. The heat from the sun literally glued the back panel to the stand and as I tried to move it, it somehow cracked ( I think). The guy I bought it from suggested I use epoxy and fiberglass mesh. What do you guys think? How can I get this fixed on a budget? I'm a poor student

andrewkw · Apr 3, 2019

The only way I’d ever trust that tank is if a professional replaced the pane. I do feel your pain as I broke my 180 trying to get it into my new house after it had been outside until I got electrical work done.

Dr. Dendrostein · Apr 3, 2019

cwk84 said:
I bought a used Lee Mar recently and put it in the backyard. To clean the tank I put it on the back so the water could run out. The heat from the sun literally glued the back panel to the stand and as I tried to move it, it somehow cracked ( I think). The guy I bought it from suggested I use epoxy and fiberglass mesh. What do you guys think? How can I get this fixed on a budget? I'm a poor student

Go on Craigslist and get a good used tank, may take awhile, let you save up if it takes a while.

cwk84 · Apr 3, 2019

I figured that. I just don't know where to go. We don't have aquarium builders in my area as far as I know.

cwk84 · Apr 3, 2019

Jomama said:
Go on Craigslist and get a good used tank, may take awhile, let you save up if it takes a while.

I just bought that used for 350 dollars. The guy had it custom made by Lee Mar years back for 1200 dollars. No one wants a cube anymore so I was able to get it cheap. I want to have spent 350 for nothing. A new tank is not an option. I have to get this fixed.

Jon Fishman · Apr 3, 2019

Nope nope nope...... That would be a reptile habitat for me.

Cassian · Apr 3, 2019

being a student myself, I feel for you. I really do. but I honesty wouldn't trust that tank. I know its three hundred dollars wasted, but think of it this way. what if it leaks in your house/apartment and it cost you even more in damage to your living space?? and lost coral/fish? I know this isn't the answer you want to hear, but I believe it is the best choice and will save you a ton of headache in the future. dealing with a leaking tank is the most stressful thing. trust me.... I know from experience

Bryson.bobby · Apr 3, 2019

LukeWolf said:
being a student myself, I feel for you. I really do. but I honesty wouldn't trust that tank. I know its three hundred dollars wasted, but think of it this way. what if it leaks in your house/apartment and it cost you even more in damage to your living space?? and lost coral/fish? I know this isn't the answer you want to hear, but I believe it is the best choice and will save you a ton of headache in the future. dealing with a leaking tank is the most stressful thing. trust me.... I know from experience

I agree

TvanB1 · Apr 3, 2019

LukeWolf said:
being a student myself, I feel for you. I really do. but I honesty wouldn't trust that tank. I know its three hundred dollars wasted, but think of it this way. what if it leaks in your house/apartment and it cost you even more in damage to your living space?? and lost coral/fish? I know this isn't the answer you want to hear, but I believe it is the best choice and will save you a ton of headache in the future. dealing with a leaking tank is the most stressful thing. trust me.... I know from experience

This.
Do not attempt to fix it yourself. Only way I would trust it is if the entire pane was replaced by a professional. I would look around for a new tank as fixing it won’t be very cheap.

Delatedlotus · Apr 3, 2019

I would take a brand new flat razor blade, and try to just see if you can slowly peel back some of the covering. Oh so slow and outward towards the lined area. Slow and easy just 1/2 outside of those lines. Just see what you could see. Be easy on it...! It does look like it is toast.. But I cant really tell.... FOR SURE..! Heat will do weird things to glass when it gets so hot. Hey again peel it oh so SLOWLY... If you do catch any resistance at "all from fractured glass" it is toast. Repair time .. a GOOD glass shop can do that repair for you. Whole back glass needs to be done.. No glues or fiber glass will ever work.. promise... none..! Sorry about it here, nice tank don't can it.. how many gallon tank..?

cwk84 · Apr 3, 2019

It's a 75g cube. Yea I will have to get the panel replaced. No way I'm going to fix this.

cwk84 · Apr 3, 2019

So https://cacustomaquariums.com/ which are in my are just told me that I'm looking at like 1200-1800 bucks for the panel because the whole tank needs to be taken apart and redone. He said I'd be better off looking for a new tank. The question I have now is why does the whole tank need to be taken apart? I've read multiple times that you can just remove one panel.

Dom · Apr 3, 2019

Small steps...

First you need to assess the damage. From the pictures, it appears that it is made of glass? And there is black paint on the back of the tank? Is this correct?

cwk84 · Apr 3, 2019

It’s made out of starfire glass. I believe it’s 3/4 inch think. Yes it was painted. The crack is along the back. I have to get the panel replaced. It’s not just one tiny crack. It goes across the entire panel from top to bottom.

JoshH · Apr 3, 2019

cwk84 said:
So https://cacustomaquariums.com/ which are in my are just told me that I'm looking at like 1200-1800 bucks for the panel because the whole tank needs to be taken apart and redone. He said I'd be better off looking for a new tank. The question I have now is why does the whole tank need to be taken apart? I've read multiple times that you can just remove one panel.

You cannot just remove one panel when fixing glass tanks, the issue isn't the panels themselves it's the silicone. Silicone will not bond to cured silicone. So when you only reseal the one panel it will not bond properly to the other two corners which can lead to pinhole leaks. And no aquarium manufacturer would ever want to deal with that mess so they will refuse to only replace the damaged panel and only offer a complete reseal.

cwk84 · Apr 3, 2019

Can’t you remove the silicone and redo it?

JoshH · Apr 3, 2019

cwk84 said:
Can’t you remove the silicone and redo it?

You can yes, on the entire tank... where the bottom corners meet you will always have old silicone touching new and it just won't bond properly. This is where the total reseal comes into play, they remove the silicone and clean every seam on the tank then essentially rebuild the tank wih fresh silicone in every seam.

cwk84 · Apr 3, 2019

When a tank is assembled it is done panel by panel as far as I know. They have to wait until the silicone has dried to assemble add another panel. Otherwise the whole thing would fall apart. The silicone needs to bind first doesn’t it?

JoshH · Apr 3, 2019

cwk84 said:
When a tank is assembled it is done panel by panel as far as I know. They have to wait until the silicone has dried to assemble add another panel. Otherwise the whole thing would fall apart. The silicone needs to bind first doesn’t it?

Tanks are typically assembled all at once... they use small spacers within the seams themselves to keep the panels separated, these spacers end up becoming part of the seam itself.

Things like Euro bracing can be added later as the seams don't need to be 100% water proof. Anything under the waterline needs to be completed at the same time

Dom · Apr 4, 2019

JoshH said:
You can yes, on the entire tank... where the bottom corners meet you will always have old silicone touching new and it just won't bond properly. This is where the total reseal comes into play, they remove the silicone and clean every seam on the tank then essentially rebuild the tank wih fresh silicone in every seam.

It may not bond properly, but I think the water pressure against the silicone would help make a good seal.