Broken rear glass panel

[Lost in the Sauce]

I've gotten a few off successfully without breaking them but I have also broke a few. Best way is use a painters multi tool and go along both the inside and outside edges. Then slowly lift in small sections to break the last bit of silicone bonding it to the rim. Just gotta take your time.

The most success I've ever had was a heat gun directly on the rim to soften the silicone. Problem is it also softens the plastic of the rim.

 

[Funston07]

Beast, I broke/bent trying on a ten gallon. A little heat gun on the putty knife can be really helpful against the silicone.

Its definitely tedious.

The most success I've ever had was a heat gun directly on the rim to soften the silicone. Problem is it also softens the plastic of the rim.

Just gotta take your time. It still doesn't come off in one piece every time though lol. I had a 120gal tank where it took me 2 days to get it off cause I didnt wanna break it.

 

[TDEcoral]

Are you going to use the injection method? I did on a 75g I built and I'm very happy with how it turned out. It's nice because you can get all the panels squared up and clamped in place ahead of time.

 

[Funston07]

Are you going to use the injection method? I did on a 75g I built and I'm very happy with how it turned out. It's nice because you can get all the panels squared up and clamped in place ahead of time.

Yes I am. Gonna use 3mm silicone spacers for the gap. Clamp everything so its all squared up and mask all the seams so i get a nice even seam throughout the entire tank.

 

[Kazumi]

3mm is .118", that just seems like quite a large gap to fill between the panes.

 

[TDEcoral]

3mm is .118", that just seems like quite a large gap to fill between the panes.

It'll depend on the shear capacity of whatever adhesive he uses. Also have to account for clamps and the weight of the panels.

 

[Funston07]

3mm is .118", that just seems like quite a large gap to fill between the panes.

Thats under 1/8 of an inch so with the weight of the panes and clamps its going to be a fairly small gap. Cant go much smaller than that to do the silicone injection method

 

[Funston07]

It'll depend on the shear capacity of whatever adhesive he uses. Also have to account for clamps and the weight of the panels.

Im still deciding on silicone. Not sure if im gonna use ASI or Momentive.

 

[jmichaelh7]

Don’t do it

 

[Colton.]

I removed a plastic trim from a 80ish gallon glass hexagon tank
I used very small flathead screwdrivers & razorblades.

 

[PopDBE]

You've got this!

Tips:

90* corner clamps are cheap and Worth it is you don't have them already. I glued wax paper to the clamping face we be able to remove everything easily in case some silicone got on it.

Your old set of feeler gauges from your mechanic world will be your friend when you need to cut the seams. I found the thickest one that would work, and was able to cut apart every seam on a tank in under 30 minutes.

Have fresh razor blades and plenty of them. I went through an absurd amount.

I started with an old 29g tank. Turned it into this frag tank.(currently in use as QT)

It's not hard, people are just scared of work they Don't Know How to do. Don't let their fear dissuade you.

$150 on the tank is a good price. Have you considered replacing that panel with low iron glass and using it as the front now?

Does the glass wall sit on top of the bottom glass or rest on the side of the bottom glass?

If on the side, how do you seal it and prevent it from sticking to the floor. seal it upsidedown?

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Does the glass wall sit on top of the bottom glass or rest on the side of the bottom glass?

If on the side, how do you seal it and prevent it from sticking to the floor. seal it upsidedown?

For a tank this size, the sides sit outside if the bottom.

I glued up on newspaper. Once it's set, a razor blade removes all of the spill out

 

[Celestion]

Aquarium rebuilding , Removing the plastic trim is made much much easier. use a soldering iron to burn through the top plastic all the way around. , than proceed with these other tips , two sharped thin blade putty knifes is good , no razor blades used in removing plastic trim. , Spray vegetable oil on the knife might help if your worried about scratching , note the trim helps strengthen a vintage glass aquarium , acquireing new plates , toe brace the floor and elsewhere