replacing aquarium glass panel

[boostedvq]

Alright, so I had to replace the front panel on my 36/30/18 aquarium after my brother in law dropped it on the corner. I've done some research, and before I spring for a new tank, I decided to try and repair this one first. Thus far, I've removed the front panel, and removed all the silicone associated with the panel. I've also removed all the silicone along the inner seams so I can apply new ones once the front pane is put in place.

My question: is it better to apply the panel with the new pane facing UP, so gravity is assisting in holding the pane in place, or with the aquarium bottom...well, down...and tilt the pane into place?

[Lsufan]

I would apply it with the bottom facing down so u can clamp it correctly which is very important. If u have the new panel facing up u won’t be able to clamp it correctly & u don’t want to rely solely on gravity to hold it until the silicone cures. U want it clamped so it is impossible to have any movement at all.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

To further emphasize that point. There are basically two styles of glass aquarium. The most common, in terms of mass manufactured tanks, is floating bottom. The bottom is held captive by the sides and it "floats" up above the supporting surface the tank is resting on. These style of tanks almost always have a plastic trim around the bottom.

If your tank fits that description, the trim needs to be replaced once you're done with the repair. The tank will likely have a top trim too, which should also be replaced. Even if it's not structural (on most tanks it is), it will hide the top edges of the glass panels, which usually aren't finished well and are probably very sharp.

The critical alignment factor is getting the bottom of the pane even with the other sides, since the tank' weight is supported by the bottom edges of the 4 sides. If there's even a minor difference in alignment, you'll be putting significant stress on one or more of the seams and the tank will likely fail.

The second style of tank is sometimes called rimless, but it doesn't inherently lack a rim. The defining factor is that the sides rest on top of the bottom pane instead of capturing it. This style is more common with custom tanks but there are a handful of mass-manufactured brands built like this. Alignment is slightly less critical here, your goal is basically to have even-thickness seams all the way around.

Align the tank in whichever manner gives you the most confidence in terms of getting the panel positioned correctly. Some people clamp panels, it's possible to just tape it depending on the orientation. Whatever you choose, do a dry run (or several) to make sure you can quickly position and secure the panel without any stress or misalignment.

Use high quality silicone - either stuff sold specifically for aquariums or GE/momentive 100 series.

Make sure every trace of the old silicone is gone and the glass is completely clean.

Good luck. To be honest, for a tank this small, personally, I'd just replace it. It's not worth my time and effort to repair. But of course that's a personal decision.

[boostedvq]

Originally Posted by der_wille_zur_macht

To further emphasize that point. There are basically two styles of glass aquarium. The most common, in terms of mass manufactured tanks, is floating bottom. The bottom is held captive by the sides and it "floats" up above the supporting surface the tank is resting on. These style of tanks almost always have a plastic trim around the bottom.

If your tank fits that description, the trim needs to be replaced once you're done with the repair. The tank will likely have a top trim too, which should also be replaced. Even if it's not structural (on most tanks it is), it will hide the top edges of the glass panels, which usually aren't finished well and are probably very sharp.

The critical alignment factor is getting the bottom of the pane even with the other sides, since the tank' weight is supported by the bottom edges of the 4 sides. If there's even a minor difference in alignment, you'll be putting significant stress on one or more of the seams and the tank will likely fail.

The second style of tank is sometimes called rimless, but it doesn't inherently lack a rim. The defining factor is that the sides rest on top of the bottom pane instead of capturing it. This style is more common with custom tanks but there are a handful of mass-manufactured brands built like this. Alignment is slightly less critical here, your goal is basically to have even-thickness seams all the way around.

Align the tank in whichever manner gives you the most confidence in terms of getting the panel positioned correctly. Some people clamp panels, it's possible to just tape it depending on the orientation. Whatever you choose, do a dry run (or several) to make sure you can quickly position and secure the panel without any stress or misalignment.

Use high quality silicone - either stuff sold specifically for aquariums or GE/momentive 100 series.

Make sure every trace of the old silicone is gone and the glass is completely clean.

Good luck. To be honest, for a tank this small, personally, I'd just replace it. It's not worth my time and effort to repair. But of course that's a personal decision.

Thank you for the reply. At this time, I’ve already removed nearly all the silicone. I’m just doing a second and third cleansing with alcohol to ensure I’ve removed the residue. I also ordered some silicone meant for aquariums from Aquarium Specialty.

I already have a second tank incoming, but since I already have this at home, and the replacement pane was $50, I figured it was worth the effort.


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[boostedvq]

Fingers crossed

As a backup, I also put a deposit on an acrylic tank with similar dimensions


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