Broken tank bottom….

[SteveMM62Reef]

If you are using non-tempered glass, I would think the thickness will have to go up. If you are going to replace the glass bottom, might as well get it Drilled and install an Overflow. Have you checked Facebook Market Place or Craigslist for a used aquarium?

 

[Jekyl]

@Joe Glass Cages any other tips for OP on his first tank rebuild?

 

[Bolen2]

Believe me when I say I am taking every precaution and I am researching the entire process as thoroughly as possible before breaking ground on it. I will have a couple extra sets of hands throughout the process. I will update you guys as it progresses. If it fails it fails. I will be putting it in a room that has a concrete floor that sits below the rest of my home and I can just sweep the water outside so if it fails In my house it’s not going to hurt anything but my soul.

 

[InactiveAcct]

I think I’m going to order a new pane of glass and see what I can do. I can’t afford to buy another tank so I’m just going to take my chances at glass replacement. I’ll do some tests outside with it to be sure that it doesn’t burst when I get it all set up before bringing it inside. Thanks for the feedback everyone

Good luck let us know how it goes. Just weigh the costs one more time, if bottom of tank fails it’ll be total loss of your pets and a quick exit from the hobby

 

[InactiveAcct]

Side note, maybe try disassembling a cheap 10g tank first as a warm up. If you can’t get that water tight then it’s probably not worth attempting the 120

 

[Dom]

I think I’m going to order a new pane of glass and see what I can do. I can’t afford to buy another tank so I’m just going to take my chances at glass replacement. I’ll do some tests outside with it to be sure that it doesn’t burst when I get it all set up before bringing it inside. Thanks for the feedback everyone

This looks worse than it really is. I replace broken panes on rimmed tanks all the time. I can give you some help if you're in the NYC area.

 

[Joe Glass Cages]

@Joe Glass Cages any other tips for OP on his first tank rebuild?

thanks for the reach out @Jekyl much appreciated.

@Bolen2, I love to see people take on these challenges. Nothing more satisfying than fixing your tank yourself. tons of satisfaction and a huge feeling of accomplishment. (if it is fixable)

with that said, this is a labor of love. Sure, it can be done. Take your time and don't rush any of the steps of rebuilding your tank. Lots of clean up and prep for this project, but it can be done.

I agree with @DanTheReefer about trying to rebuild a smaller tank to get a feel of you are getting in to.

Appreciate @Dom sharing he can extend some help. Love this forum and all the support available here!

if you want to talk through this give me a call, 404-434-3444. always available to talk.

 

[Bolen2]

I sincerely appreciate all the feedback in a positive or negative outlook toward whether or not this is repairable. I just got everything taken apart and was able to preserve the rim on top and bottom. The new pane of glass will be here next week so fingers crossed. I have an old 20 gallon I was thinking on dumping that I will certainly use to try my hand at before getting into rebuilding the 125. If it fails it will be a learning experience and if it works it will be thrilling. The tank itself was a gift so all that will be truly lost in the beginning would be the new pane I just purchased. Thanks again for all the feedback and I will keep everyone updated on whether or not it works out.

 

[All_talk]

Will you be rebuilding with a tempered pane of the same thickness as the original, or a thicker un-tempered piece?

 

[Bolen2]

Will you be rebuilding with a tempered pane of the same thickness as the original, or a thicker un-tempered piece?

I ordered a tempered pane of the exact dimensions of the original.

 

[Bolen2]

Update: I took apart and reassembled the old 20 gallon as recommended for practice. I let it sit for a couple days full of water with no issues. I’ve got all the panels completely stripped of silicone so I’m going to begin reassembling the 125 tomorrow. Fingers crossed it works out.

 

[Jekyl]

Update: I took apart and reassembled the old 20 gallon as recommended for practice. I let it sit for a couple days full of water with no issues. I’ve got all the panels completely stripped of silicone so I’m going to begin reassembling the 125 tomorrow. Fingers crossed it works out.

Just make sure to let the silicone cure for a lot longer than a few days with the big tank. I think glass Cages does 6 weeks if I'm not mistaken

 

[Bolen2]

Update: I reassembled the 125 and let it sit for 10 days. The silicone I got said it cures in 2 days but I let it sit for longer. I filled it with water and put 300lbs worth of sand bags in to simulate the added weight of sand and live rock. It is holding with no leaks so far but I’m going to let it sit for about a week before moving it. Fingers crossed

 

[MoshJosh]

Glad to hear it is working out so far. Good on ya for taking on such a project. . . but gotta post pictures or it didn't happen!

 

[Bolen2]

Glad to hear it is working out so far. Good on ya for taking on such a project. . . but gotta post pictures or it didn't happen!

I’ll get a picture up as quick as I can lol

 

[dedragon]

I’ll get a picture up as quick as I can lol

Did you get anything to support the bottom or top edges, these rimmed tanks usually have very thin glass and can bow and then break with water in them.

Nothing will be more costly then trying to clean and repair floors if the tank does break, just wanted to put in the extra precaution

 

[Bolen2]

Did you get anything to support the bottom or top edges, these rimmed tanks usually have very thin glass and can bow and then break with water in them.

Nothing will be more costly then trying to clean and repair floors if the tank does break, just wanted to put in the extra precaution

I got an aluminum rim with bracing made for it. I was able to salvage the original rim but decided it would be safer to get a new one. Since I wasn’t taking any chances I decided aluminum would be better than the original plastic anyway as it’s only 1/8” thick. I wrapped the new rim with wood I spray painted and sealed to make it look nicer but the wood has nothing to do with structural integrity, it’s just glued onto the aluminum for looks.

 

[MoshJosh]

Wait a second. . . you said " I can’t afford to buy another tank". . . but ordered a new pane of glass, new CUSTOM aluminum rim, wood, paint. . . ? starting to sound a little fishy (forgive the pun).

Haha I kid, I kid. . .

 

[Bolen2]

Wait a second. . . you said " I can’t afford to buy another tank". . . but ordered a new pane of glass, new CUSTOM aluminum rim, wood, paint. . . ? starting to sound a little fishy (forgive the pun).

Haha I kid, I kid. . .

Tanks are extremely expensive where I live lol. I live in a pretty underdeveloped part of the U.S. so everything automatically comes with a higher price tag. I spent about $350 to fix this one. The only LFS around that sells tanks is a considerable drive and they want $1,200 for a bare 100 gallon. I pretty much have to order all of my reefing supplies on the internet and have it delivered to me. As far as the rim goes…I know a guy. He only charged me for material and he has done multiple rims for aquariums larger than this. I checked it this morning before heading out for work and it’s still holding so fingers crossed. I’m pretty confident it will hold up for years but I’m still letting it sit for a while. Thanks for the pun though lol

 

[MoshJosh]

Tanks are extremely expensive where I live lol. I live in a pretty underdeveloped part of the U.S. so everything automatically comes with a higher price tag. I spent about $350 to fix this one. The only LFS around that sells tanks is a considerable drive and they want $1,200 for a bare 100 gallon. I pretty much have to order all of my reefing supplies on the internet and have it delivered to me. As far as the rim goes…I know a guy. He only charged me for material and he has done multiple rims for aquariums larger than this. I checked it this morning before heading out for work and it’s still holding so fingers crossed. I’m pretty confident it will hold up for years but I’m still letting it sit for a while. Thanks for the pun though lol

It always helps to "know a guy" haha. I am curious to see the aluminum rim, sounds pretty cool and I haven't really seen that done before. I made a light mount out of aluminum but looks super DIY haha.