Help Replacing Glass Pannel

[bUcky]

just a few questions about fixing a glass pannel on my tank.

i have already started taking the silicone and glass off but have failed because the cover on the top of the aquarim wont come off. its the peice of plastic stuck on there. how do i get them off?

next is where do i get glass from? would it be cheap at home depot or at a window place?

last is how thick is the the glass supost to be? is it liek 1/4 inch? i hope someone knows.

i have experiance with silicone (plumbing) but not with aquariums.

so hopefully i can pull this off.

thanks

 

[wendywc]

I would leave the top plastic lip alone. If you're really replacing the panel, go ahead and bust it up and take it out in pieces. Tape brown paper on all the other glass (inside and out) to protect them before you break out the bad one. Remove all the exposed silicone for that panel. You need tempered glass and should just get the same thickness you are removing. Be sure to get the right size; it needs to slide into that top plastic lip. Then silicone away.

I did this one when my tank had a crack. I bought another tank in the mean time for my fish since it was my only tank. So the repaired tank went to a friend, but I never heard any complaints.

 

[bUcky]

so ur saying the best way to get the glass out of the top lip(the bottom i slipped off i guess the silicone was old.) is to just bust up the glass? well let me go try it im bored and i cant sleep. i hope it works.

 

[wendywc]

so ur saying the best way to get the glass out of the top lip(the bottom i slipped off i guess the silicone was old.) is to just bust up the glass? well let me go try it im bored and i cant sleep. i hope it works.

LOL, I'm not saying it's the best way... it's the way I did it a decade ago (when I was a single crazy girl). But yes, I still know the person who has the tank; it's fiine.

Remove all the silicone you can around that panel first. The top lip of mine had some silicone in it, so I couldn't remove the glass from the lip and couldn't pop the lip off. So I left it. Maybe try taking a box cutter or blade and run it along under the top lip inside and out to see if it'll come out. If not, remember, I'm the one crazy enough to bust it up. Don't hurt yourself. I'm older now, a mom now, so I care now; please be careful. Wear gloves or something.

EDIT: I thought about it... Hopefully, you should be able to break the silicone of the top lip by running a thin blade under the lip. I really hope you don't have to break the glass out.

 

[bUcky]

well i went a it last night! ahaha it was horrible but after a few hours i got all the glass/silicone out. i only ended up bleeding 3 times. small little slices on my knuckels. nothing to bad. but its all out. is there something i need to clean the glass with b4 i re silicone?
and im still looking for a place to buy the glass.

 

[wendywc]

Ooo, sorry you cut yourself; I feel guilty.

I think as long as all the old silicone is off, you're good to go for the new piece.

 

[bUcky]

no dont worrie im a big boy. acctually i gt a worse cut at wrok today. tomorow i set off to find glass. ill let u know if it works tomorow night! i hope it does.

 

[bUcky]

wow went to a glass place and they want 30 bucks for a peice of glass! wow! it will be here in 10 days also. man i need a friend in the glass busness.! ahah