$120 CL 210 tank chip repair or leave there?

[CWO4GUNNER]

For those of you that have seen my earlier post on my recent 210 CL tank purchase, besides the normal re-seal here is the one other problem. What you are looing at head on in the photo is a penny sitting on the bottom tank trim of the long 85" panel where it intersects with the 25" end panel. At that intersection you see a chipped out section of the long panel end only that involves the end panel only in so much that it affects the end joint which has been compromised and narrowed down in a small area to 1/8" vice 1/2 inch.

The owner who bought it 6 months ago for $250 (Newbie first aquarium) never got round to resealing the inside of the tank for use said he had it filled the tank for a week and it never leaked. So here is the rub, the glass is intact withing the chip with no cracks but a bottom tank chip like this is asking for a serious pressure leak as opposed to the same crack at the top.

So there are 6 possible solutions here, which would you chose from easy to hard.
1. Don't use it, buy a new tank
2. Just do the inside re-seal and trust the stable chip and 1/8" remaining spot seal.
3. Silicone in place a 1/4" X 1" X 1" patch of window glass inside the tank and over the chip area where the long panel butts up to the end panel effectively strengthening and sealing the spot.
4. Cut & silicone in place a 1/2" X 1" X 1" patch of remnant aquarium glass left over from my last 244 tank project, to the inside the tank and over the chip area where the long panel butts up to the end panel effectively strengthening and sealing the spot.
5. Tilt the tank to the affected corner and pour in a big blob of glass resin effectively sealing and strengthening the entire catty-corner with glass.
6. Cut loose the un-chipped end panel and slide it inward past the long panel chip to the penny where there is stable glass and reseal the end in place losing 1" of length with a funny end.
7. Cut out the long 85" panel and flip it up-side-down so that the chip is at the top of the tank where pressure is 0 and where silicone and the top rim alone can prevent any top leak.

 

[excuzzzeme]

Since the actual contact point is recessed away from the chip I don't see it as being overly disconcerting. I think that simply adding a piece of glass equal in thickness to the distance from outer edge to inner panel. Silicone in place, effectively strengthening that edge. The point of contact looks to be intact. I would think carefully about it though if there is any possibility of it being compromised. I would definitely try a water test of a full tank before making any decision.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

2 things I should mention, what you are not seeing is a photo from the end panel view becasue I don't want to move the tank away from the back truck bed-liner. What you would see is that where the chip dives in is between the two pannel contact points like a cave where someone tried to use a fork (spouse maybe) to crack the bottom of the tank by striking at the joint seam. So the photos below actually only show the thin wall of the cave that comprises most of the 1/2" long panel and almost none of the end panel but rest assured what looks like gouge out is in fact a cave etching out a portion of joint seal as seen with only 1/8" remaining just forward of the gouge.

This servery is anonymous so don't be shy voting as I would like a honest blind consensus.

 

[RodInCALIFORNIA]

your a very good DIYer Gunner for me i would have passed on this tank since i dont have the experience to even begin repairing that tank. that chip looks pretty nasty.
hope it works out if it can be done you are the one to attempt it

 

[excuzzzeme]

In that case I think the only sane answer would be to replace the afflicted panel. Better to be safe than to have an expensive flood.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

Its a penny size chip not crack, The chips on my 244 tank were fare worse and I simply flipped the small end panel and chip vertical. But this chip is not on the small end panel but on the 85" long panel and half the size, cutting and flipping this 87 pound panel is the sure cure but not the only option. A much easier sure cure is to cut the end panel and move it inset past the long panel chip reestablishing the 1/2" full butt seal.

Another easier possibility would be to use an 1800 PSI resin glass filler on the outside filling the cave of lost glass back flush again without the need for a glass overlay brace, something I have never tried before. Then replacing the old decorative bottom trim with 1" PVC angle iron to mold the putty resin in place, cover the dark fill area, and further increase outside panel joint strength like I did on my 244 tank (was not for a chip repair though).

But I think your right before I proceed I need to get the tank on a level stand outside and do a fill test for a few hours to determine if there is a bad leak or no leak. No leak means glass epoxy strengthening and an inside reseal should do the trick. However any kind of a leak in that damaged corner would mean the absolute need for panel manipulation (flip or inset). The problem with using 1800 PSI glass epoxy is that it will effectively weld the two panels together making it almost impossible to separate them later without more glass damage at the weld spot. Id have to use a drummel tool to cut the epoxy weld.

Time to build another simple stand from overlapping 2"x3" like the one below only 2.5 times longer and 10" wider, using about twelve $1.25 white pine 2"X3"X8's, requiring no screws only wood glue and finisher nails, tape measure and a saw. Each stud is the same size for a given tank length and height, each overlapping stud interlocking for super rigid stand.

 

[excuzzzeme]

Wow Nice stand! Very well made. Is that your design? By many commercial stands that is over-built. I would certainly feel better about an over-built stand than one that will "do OK". Given the choice, I would personally go for the better built one without question, not even caring if it was twice the weight.

 

[cichlidcichlid]

Would it be too much trouble to have an inch or so cut off? It would be slightly shorter but it would be hard to notice it.

At least from the pic I would guess it would hold water but I am unfamiliar with the water pressures associated with a tank that size. It could be that over time it would blow out.

I would say if it was a smaller tank go for it but with something of this size at the very least trim it off. Having a glass shop cut it with their tools might give you better results.

I think you will most likely need to disassemble the entire tank first. That way you will be able to get a cleaner cut as well as being able to re-silicone the entire tank.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

That is why I use 2X3's (actually 1.5" X 2.5") instead of 2X4's. They are white pine kiln dried and 1/3 the wight of standard construction stud lumber. But becasue they are salvaged cut from other lumber 2x3's are much cheaper. The stand you see above was for my 80 tall tank and is so light you can pick it up with one arm and toss it across the room, incredibly light wight.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

Would it be too much trouble to have an inch or so cut off? It would be slightly shorter but it would be hard to notice it.

At least from the pic I would guess it would hold water but I am unfamiliar with the water pressures associated with a tank that size. It could be that over time it would blow out.

I would say if it was a smaller tank go for it but with something of this size at the very least trim it off. Having a glass shop cut it with their tools might give you better results.

I think you will most likely need to disassemble the entire tank first. That way you will be able to get a cleaner cut as well as being able to re-silicone the entire tank.

In this case the easiest way to re-arrange the panels to avoid the chip would be to take the short end panel out which was not affected and slide it in 1 inch toward the middle of the tank and then re-glue it with silicone, that way you only affect and disturb 1 panel. The more panels you disturb the greater the change of more damage or an accidental drop and crash. The protruding ends would just have to be left alone as cutting them so short being 1/2" glass would more likely result in a new crack then a clean brake even by an expert.

This is way you try and do the minimal amount disturbance with the maximum amount of affect. Why you do the leak test first to determine if drastic or minimal repairs can be done. If the tank holds water "as is" I suspect and am hoping I can get away with an exterior glass epoxy fill patch and reinforcing PVC angle-iron border, followed up by a new interior silicone re-seal. If I can do that, the fix should last a decade at least. If not its on to the next harder but effective plan "end panel inset".

Got all my 1-1/2 X 2-1/2 studs ready and stacked in the front room as temps outside are in the 100's. All I need are my tarp, saw horses, air compressor, nail-gun, finisher nails, Elmer carpenter-glue and a vacuum at the ready.