Replacing shattered bottom glass pane with acrylic

[Deschutes541]

Hi everyone - I was curious if it would be possible to replace a shattered bottom glass pane with an acrylic sheet. This is for my 110 gallon tall aquarium (30"H x 48"L x 18"D).

My main motivation for using acrylic over glass is due to price. Its hard for me to justify spending so much repairing a tank with dimensions I'm honestly not thrilled with.

I bought the tank used so I have no idea how old the silicone seals are. While I never observed them leaking, I'd like to completely reseal the tank for my peace of mind. My plan was to completely disassemble the tank and then reassemble with the new, hopefully acrylic, bottom pane.

Thanks for the help.

 

[vetteguy53081]

The problem you may have here is Silicone rarely adheres well to acrylic as acrylic tanks are generally fused together.
May start out well, but not end well.

 

[TheHarold]

That doesn’t work.... acrylic gets WELDED, not siliconed.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Vetteguy nailed it. Acrylic and glass dont adhere together like glass on glass does. I wouldnt trust it at all. Definitely go with glass or replace the tank.

 

[Jon Fishman]

Replacement tank is the answer

 

[Deschutes541]

The problem you may have here is Silicone rarely adheres well to acrylic as acrylic tanks are generally fused together.
May start out well, but not end well.

I wasn't aware of that although it does seem fairly obvious now. Thank you for your help.

Replacement tank is the answer

Yeah, it's starting to look that way.

 

[nereefpat]

Go buy a standard 90 gallon as a replacement. Same footprint, and you can reach the bottom.

 

[Roosterjack]

Even if it held for a while, the biblical level of catastrophe when it gave way is difficult to comprehend.

 

[Jon Fishman]

Go buy a standard 90 gallon as a replacement. Same footprint, and you can reach the bottom.

I say upgrade! Starfire/rimless

 

[Deschutes541]

Well it seems my question has been answered with a unanimous no lol.

I sincerely appreciate the help guys. I probably will be going with a new tank eventually although I'd like to do a significant amount of time researching.

At least now I can honestly tell my wife I can't "just use the tank I already have"

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Hi everyone - I was curious if it would be possible to replace a shattered bottom glass pane with an acrylic sheet. This is for my 110 gallon tall aquarium (30"H x 48"L x 18"D).

My main motivation for using acrylic over glass is due to price. Its hard for me to justify spending so much repairing a tank with dimensions I'm honestly not thrilled with.

I bought the tank used so I have no idea how old the silicone seals are. While I never observed them leaking, I'd like to completely reseal the tank for my peace of mind. My plan was to completely disassemble the tank and then reassemble with the new, hopefully acrylic, bottom pane.

Thanks for the help.

I only buy used tanks, on Craigslist, offerup, comparable. 100-200 gallon tanks $100.
At times I've pick up the really expensive tanks from $50-$150. 90gallon+ in size.

If a good tank is 300 mile away to buy. Just check out what tanks cost new. You'll save more than what people make in two weeks.

 

[TheHarold]

I only buy used tanks, on Craigslist, offerup, comparable. 100-200 gallon tanks $100.
At times I've pick up the really expensive tanks from $50-$150. 90gallon+ in size.

If a good tank is 300 mile away to buy. Just check out what tanks cost new. You'll save more than what people make in two weeks.

Agreed re buying used. On Craigslist I MADE money when buying my mint condition reefer 350, and broke even on my 300g by reselling the premium equipment and keeping the basics.
facebook marketplace is also gaining popularity. This week I almost picked up a setup just to resell.

 

[Deschutes541]

I'm very open to buying used tanks. My only hang up is that I want to have every aspect of my next build planned out before I spend a penny. It seems easier to do that when you have an exact tank in mind.