Crack in new tank- please answer ASAP

PygmyPepperJulli said:

JB weld sounds really good- is it fish safe though?
There's another product called JB WaterWeld, which might be better? It IS more expensive, but I would rather pay a bit more than kill all the fish. Also not clear dry, but at this point I'm fine with sacrificing looks for practicality.

@Magnum Man and @Fishyfreeonz, when using JB, would acrylic work as well as glass? Only because we can get acrylic offcuts really cheap. I know glass works better with silicon, but would it be the same with epoxy, or would the crack continue to spread?

Also, how would you remove the alcohol from the repair from the tank before putting water in?

Thanks.

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I don't think water weld would work for that application.
I believe last time I researched it clear weld was NSF certified for food contact which is usually a pretty good indicator that it's fine for aquariums. It's been at least a year since I researched it but that's what I remember.
That handle on the lid in my picture is acrylic on a glass lid. It bonds equally well to both.
The alcohol will evaporate but once it's cured for at least a day or so id rinse the tank out before filling it anyway.

Thanks so much for that

So just to recap-

- Just normal JB Weld will do the job fine and is non-toxic
- It'll bond equally well to acrylic and glass and not let the crack get any bigger
- Alcohol will evaporate but rinse before filling anyways.

PygmyPepperJulli said:

Thanks so much for that

So just to recap-

- Just normal JB Weld will do the job fine and is non-toxic
- It'll bond equally well to acrylic and glass and not let the crack get any bigger
- Alcohol will evaporate but rinse before filling anyways.

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No. I would recommend you use the one in my picture above. It's JB weld brand clear weld.

That's what I meant Sorry if I wasn't clear.

Does the packaging look like this? Just want to make sure I have the right stuff.

PygmyPepperJulli said:

That's what I meant Sorry if I wasn't clear.

Does the packaging look like this? Just want to make sure I have the right stuff.

JB Weld Clearweld, 14ml - 50114

JB Weld Clearweld, 14ml - 50114

www.supercheapauto.com.au

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That's the one.

there's no way in hell I would chance it with a crack near the bottom...if it was near the top. maybe?!?
whether it's these cheap epoxy mixes or "liquid glass" epoxy or crazy glue...
the point is once glass is cracked is cracked is cracked
your best bet of fixing cracked glass is getting a windshield repair kit or just taking the tank to a mechanic
they have special drills for windshields where it just penetrates the surface without actually drilling through the glass shattering it in the process and can just fill the crack
but even then they still offer no guarantees that it won't spread
it sucks that you paid money for a trash tank but in my opinion I wouldn't use it unless it was sitting in a place that can cause no damage to flooring etc...in case it leaks/breaks
and I wouldn't put expensive fish in it

Is it a glass or Perspex aquarium

AJ356 said:

This person has no real idea. Negativity, constant worse case scenario guess work.

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Lol thanks mate nice to meet you too, guess everyone else with the same opinion is chatting rubbish too then.

Lcc86 said:

Lol thanks mate nice to meet you too, guess everyone else with the same opinion is chatting rubbish too then.

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I've noticed a pattern with you. You are a bit sour.

AJ356 said:

I've noticed a pattern with you. You are a bit sour.

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There's an ignore function if you don't like how I write.

@PygmyPepperJulli sorry for this unnecessary hijacking of your thread. When I wrote my initial response to you I was thinking about whether I would risk it myself, I did wonder whether it could be repaired with something like what's been outlined but thought it wouldn't be something I'd try just in case, so didn't go into detail as to why I said I wouldn't do it. Hopefully it can work,

The aquarium’s made of glass.

If it helps, here’s a (very very bad, I’ll try and get a better pic with a proper camera in the morning) pic. The aquarium is currently 1/3 full to see if it would start dripping/beading water, however we didn’t want to fill up completely to prevent crack spreading. Was that much full all day and not a drop leaked. (Also, yes, the bottom of the tank is still pretty skanky, we haven’t finished cleaning it yet).

You can see it goes through the glass, but it is pretty much impossible to feel (I can’t fell it, but someone who knows cracks can just feel it, so there you go). Hairline crack, I’m pretty sure. So IMO that’s good news, because I belive that makes it easier to fix.

We’ll go through with the JB stuff and scrap acrylic on the weekend, just as an experiment. If it works, awesome, if it doesn’t, nothing to lose, unless it spontaneously breaks in 6 months time (which would suck). I’ll test it beforehand and leave it for a week filled to see if it looks anything out of the ordinary whatsoever. For those that are unsure and safety conscious (@kiko and @Lcc86), I am too, but it’ll be under careful observation and if it does break, it’s in a spot where there won’t be much water damage.

Thanks everyone

PygmyPepperJulli said:

The aquarium’s made of glass.

If it helps, here’s a (very very bad, I’ll try and get a better pic with a proper camera in the morning) pic. The aquarium is currently 1/3 full to see if it would start dripping/beading water, however we didn’t want to fill up completely to prevent crack spreading. Was that much full all day and not a drop leaked. (Also, yes, the bottom of the tank is still pretty skanky, we haven’t finished cleaning it yet).

You can see it goes through the glass, but it is pretty much impossible to feel (I can’t fell it, but someone who knows cracks can just feel it, so there you go). Hairline crack, I’m pretty sure. So IMO that’s good news, because I belive that makes it easier to fix.

We’ll go through with the JB stuff and scrap acrylic on the weekend, just as an experiment. If it works, awesome, if it doesn’t, nothing to lose, unless it spontaneously breaks in 6 months time (which would suck). I’ll test it beforehand and leave it for a week filled to see if it looks anything out of the ordinary whatsoever. For those that are unsure and safety conscious (@kiko and @Lcc86), I am too, but it’ll be under careful observation and if it does break, it’s in a spot where there won’t be much water damage.

Thanks everyone

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Fingers crossed, would be good to see pictures of the stages you do to fix it. I have OCD so i am overly cautious about everything, i even got indoor cameras to monitor my pets recently when i went on holiday so shows you where my head's at!

I am also of the opinion a cracked glass tank will eventually fail. If it were a 15-20 gallon I might do a patch. A 65 is heavy, with fair pressure on it. You can try...

I have fixed longer cracks than that by siliconing a plate of glass over the crack area on the inside. It's an ugly solution, but a larger piece of glass will spread the pressure and may keep the crack from spidering or expanding. If you have a piece of glass of 15cm by 10 cm stuck on the back glass of a tank, you can hide it. My concern is that when I have done this, I have never done it with more than 35 gallons, and have never kept the repaired tank in a living space. In a basement or a garage, with fry being raised in it, okay.

If it does let go low, it will be quite a failure.

The thread is confusing, as you have repair options for a plexi tank mixed with glass repair ideas.

@GaryE, which ones are glass vs plexi repairs? I was understanding that they were all repairs for a glass tank, but with different patch materials (glass or acrylic) and sticking methods (silicon vs epoxy). I don't want to do the wrong thing by accident.

Once the patch is on, and reinforcing the crack, why (scientifically) will the crack spread or the tank let go? I totally get that it might, but I don't actually know why. Is it the continuous pressure over time, or would it require something like a small shock, eg. if I was moving a rock around and dropped it on the bottom by accident, to further expand and spider? If it was continuous over time, wouldn't the crack continue to spread or maybe leak a little rather than instantly shattering the pane, giving me some warning so I can take action before 64gal of water empties all over the floor?

I know it isn't the best solution, and I know a new tank would be much safer, but I don't have $300+ to dish out on another one at the moment, so just making the best of what I have. Once I have the money, I might end up buying a third tank of the same size and putting this one in the shed for if I ever want to keep lizards . We also might end up just filling it 3/4 of the way once patched to reduce some of the stress and make it a riparium/pallidarium (something I've always wanted to do, but that means getting rid of some fishy swimming space). It wouldn't be my favorite option, but would rather do that than an exploding aquarium. Will update on progress once we start.

(I should add, just for full disclosure, that I have absolutely no clue whether my patch idea would actually work. I was just thinking out loud. I would feel terrible if you tried it and your tank ends up exploding)