Serious Chip in Top Corner

[dhenning989]

Hi everyone.
I bought a new 32 gallon aquarium setup last July, a couple of months after I bought it, I took a chip out of the top corner while topping up with a glass jug. It has held up nicely since then, and even survived a house move, and me pulling on it to stress test it, but I was wondering if it’d hold up long term, or I need to replace the front glass panel/buy new tank. It goes into the silicone, but is well above the water line. It concerns me quite a bit, since the room I have it in has new carpet.
Thanks in advance.

 

[JachPot]

I don't know the answer to this, so here's a free bump.


You went right past chip and into chunk.

 

[fishguy242]

hi, i "think " you will be ok.
would fill w silicone just as safety/precaution.
if this is back of tank ,might not be bad idea to span top of chunk w small strip of 3/8 glass
wide enough to catch top of both panes.
@Joe Glass Cages ,any thoughts ??

 

[Tamberav]

I don’t think it matters since it is on the top. It looks like a clean break with no cracks or runners.

 

[dhenning989]

hi, i "think " you will be ok.
would fill w silicone just as safety/precaution.
if this is back of tank ,might not be bad idea to span top of chunk w small strip of 3/8 glass
wide enough to catch top of both panes.
@Joe Glass Cages ,any thoughts ??

The crack is on the front left corner. I was thinking of getting some long right-angled pieces of plastic and sticking them to the corners with silicone. Would help to protect the corners at the least.

 

[blaxsun]

The crack is on the front left corner. I was thinking of getting some long right-angled pieces of plastic and sticking them to the corners with silicone. Would help to protect the corners at the least.

And against the next impact from a glass jug...

 

[outhouse]

so in your shoes, doing nothing is fine. that chip does not weaken the tank, due to its location.

what I would do?
I would cut the silicone off the exposed glass with a razor blade.
I would put a piece of tape on glass the goes around the corner masking tape.
I would fill the little gap with clear epoxy, then pull tape off. done

 

[ColoredRock]

my 2 cent you are probably ok.. its at the top which is for what is worth in this situation is good thing. As others have said...

I would watch the silicon seam going down to see if you see anything separating.

hopefully it is just cosmetic and dab some silicon on it so you dont cut yourself.

 

[Koh23]

If it bothers you, always can get strip of colored glass (black/white) and silicone frame around tank, that piece will hold both panels....

 

[Chrisv.]

+1 for this being 97% fine.

 

[Simon_M]

I would clean off any silicone on the broken surface and build up the corner with two part Milliput.

Milliput can be sanded and molded - filling against a piece of plastic. If you think this would be too rigid then clear silicone sealant would disguise the blemish.

Can you turn the tank around - so it's at the back, or do fittings prevent the front becoming the back?

 

[dhenning989]

I would clean off any silicone on the broken surface and build up the corner with two part Milliput.

Milliput can be sanded and molded - filling against a piece of plastic. If you think this would be too rigid then clear silicone sealant would disguise the blemish.

Can you turn the tank around - so it's at the back, or do fittings prevent the front becoming the back?

No, the back part is blacked off, and there’s also an overflow attached to the back corner. But it doesn’t actually bother me aesthetically, I was just concerned about the structural integrity.

 

[Joe Glass Cages]

hi, i "think " you will be ok.
would fill w silicone just as safety/precaution.
if this is back of tank ,might not be bad idea to span top of chunk w small strip of 3/8 glass
wide enough to catch top of both panes.
@Joe Glass Cages ,any thoughts ??

thanks @fishguy242

@dhenning989 ouch, nice chunk there. So frustrating when that happens. Sounds like you have been running that tank for some time now. Not sure how long ago that occurred. I dont see why it would last for many more years to come. it is up at the top. Would consider sanding the sharp edges of the glass so no one gets cut. great suggestions for you on this thread. All of which are great.

 

[G Santana]

If it were me, I would tape the corner to make a dang and fill it with silicone in order to prevent someone getting cut. But that chip should not hamper the tank.
Good luck.

 

[dhenning989]

Thanks for putting my mind at ease and for all the suggestions, everyone. I’ll get some aquarium silicone and fill the chip in, may also get some glass or plastic to make a frame.

 

[Tim'sReef]

That's a serious chip but due to location and the fact that it hold up for a while now I think you will be fine. I had a lot smaller chip on a bottom corner of my sump and I fixed it by using 2 part epoxy to fill in the chipped part and after it dried sanded it flat with the glass. now you can't even see there was a chip apart from some color difference since the glass is a other type of transparent than the epoxy. Hope this helps!