# Seal or replace cracked bottom of 200+ aquarium



## cichlidcichlidcichlid (Feb 17, 2012)

I have a very large aquarium for a few years and while moving my brothers managed to crack the bottom of it. The aquarium is 200+ gallons and i don't remember how many gallons exactly it is. It's all glass with oak trim.

I still want to keep the tank, but my question is, should i do a DIY and seal the crack and will this permanently hold (i was thinking of using silicon) or should i just replace the entire bottom? The aquarium is about 8ft long and i'm assuming it will cost me an arm and/or a leg to replace it.

If i intend to sell this aquarium in the future, will it be better financially if i just patch it up or replace it?


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## Steveboos (Dec 23, 2011)

Well Tempered class SHOULDN'T crack, it should just shatter, so i would get that whole bottom glass replaced. It shouldn't be more than $100 to get it replaced and that tank is totally worth it as long as everything else is in great shape.

I'm guessing it was either a cheap tank or you had to hit it in a very odd way to get it to crack!

But i wouldn't trust holding over 2000 lbs of water ALONE with a cracked bottom. With rocks and substrate you will have at least 2500 lbs resting on that bottom glass, so i wouldn't risk that!!


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

I think a piece of glass that large / thick will cost more than $100.


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## Steveboos (Dec 23, 2011)

Depends on the local market and availability of the glass in your area. I live in an area with LOTS of commercial businesses and if one company doesn't have it, another one down the street will.

Just personally it sounds to risky to fill with water regardless.


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## cichlidcichlidcichlid (Feb 17, 2012)

Where should i go to get this repaired? At a glass company, hardware, or large scale pet shop? Plus i would need the installation of the large onto the tank itself. I'm not very handy.


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## Steveboos (Dec 23, 2011)

This is a glass company call, pet stores wont do it and a hardware store probably wont have glass thick enough.

Installation can also be handled by the glass company, but that will come at more cost to you unfortunately.


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

Don't trust it to the silicone patch... replacement is the only way... You are flurting with disaster.
If it were mine, I would pull the bottom trim and see if the sides rest on the bottom or if the bottom is recessed into the sides.
If it has the sides resting on the bottom I would do it myself. If the sides extend down over the bottom I'd have the local glass co. do it for me. They should be able to get a tight fit and not fill any gaps with silicone.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

People have repaired tanks by siliconing a piece of glass as thick as the bottom over the crack, extending a ways past the crack. The reason is the crack makes the bottom weaker - the crack will get bigger over time, untill possibly it breaks apart. Silicone alone won't be enough to stop it, and a glass patch might not permanently fix it either. You wouldn't get good resale out of such a patch either - you'd get the cracked price regardless of the patch.

I use glass cages . com as my benchmark for glass prices. 1/2" thick glass, assuming its a 8x2 footprint, should run you about $144 tops. If its 3/4" thick, glasscages is selling it for $336 - I've heard about better deals from glass shops but you gotta do the legwork.

TBH, if you're not handy to attempt the repair yourself, it might be worthwhile to cut your losses now and see what someone would be willing to give you for the tank. Only bringing this up since you mentioned selling it in the future. The difference between the repaired market value and the cracked market value should be less than paying someone to make the repair for you I would think. It would only be financially worthwhile having it repaired if the cost of the repair could be made up for by the increase in the market value of the tank.

Of course, IMO I'd be less concerned about resale value, and more concerned about what value I place on having an 8' tank set up and sleeping easily knowing it won't leak a couple hundred gallons out at any moment :fish:


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