Disaster

[raddogz]

Hey, no worries - we're just talking that's all. Don't be sorry either, we're all trying to learn and figure this out.

I guess my concern is I don't know if that's possible to pull the trim out and glue a replacement sheet (spanning the length and width of the tank) of glass above or below it, and still work okay.

We need a pic so we figure out what the heck we are talking about. lol

 

[H20ENG]

I have a 180g starphire from Interamerican with a cracked bottom. It was on its original shipping pallet on top of two sawhorses (storage).

Well, one leg sank in the ground, twisting the tank and the bottom (3/4" glass!) cracked almost from corner to corner. Needless to say I was sick.

As the glass is not separated, I chose to patch over the top of it. I got a piece of 1/2" thick glass cut just undersized than the I.D. of the tank. I cut out the silicone fillets so it will fit down in there with about a 1/16" gap all around. If you dont cut the fillets, this would be a pressure point.

Thats as far as I have gotten so far, but my plan is to completely coat the bottom glass with silicone, using a toothed mortar spreader to achieve a uniform thickness and coverage. The overall coverage of the silicone will hold the old glass from moving, or allowing any pressure points to occur. I will be in effect, laminating a new piece into the tank.

I'll set the glass, seal some heavy poly sheeting over the top of it and vacuum clamp that sucker! Then I'll re-fillet all the seams with a bit extra in the bottom.

I'm betting my carpet that it'll be just fine

 

[H20ENG]

PS: Do I get the six pack?

 

[raddogz]

You get the six pack and then some!

This is a good thread just because these things do happen and can happen to anyone.

 

[Gordonious]

Thats awsome H20ENG. Sounds like a great plan. Good luck with it all.

 

[H20ENG]

GoslugGo had a good point in a PM: A triangle toothed spreader would probably get a more even spread of the silicone, versus a square toothed one. The one I have always used has triangular teeth.
FWIW....

 

[Solitaryensis]

Hey guys,
Thanks for all the responses. I am out of town now and cant get any pictures up but the cracks are pretty bad. I would say there are about 4-5 cracks, half of which go all the way to the edge and/or the bulkhead. I had a bit of water in it and it held it. My plan was to put a entire piece on top of the old one. I would silicone the side and i i would think that it would act like an entirely new bottom. In theory this seems ok, but in reality i think this MIGHT pose some structural problems. I will get pics up when i get back, but what do you guys think? I have a friend that offered up his 120 truvu if i dont end up fixing the tank. Obviously i would like to keep the starfire but if i get opinions thinking it would be a better idea to use the acrylic, i will.

 

[Gordonious]

I wish someone more would comment and say exactly why this would or would not work. Sounds like a good plan and it's what I would be looking at doing.
Situation sucks. It's hard to just give up on something you planned and saved for just to settle for something else. I hope you get the starfire fixed and get years of enjoyment out of it. I'd really like to hear some kind of happy ending to this.

Best of luck,
Jon

 

[Mr. Ugly]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7482072#post7482072 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gordonious
I wish someone more would comment and say exactly why this would or would not work.

Like I wrote before, I would not try to set another thick piece of glass on top of the existing one. It would be very awkward and even dangerous to do. You will have a hard time trying not to bang the new glass into the sides, and it won't take much pressure to crack the sides when this happens. I especially would not use RTV on the entire bottom surface. It will be difficult to get even pressure to squeeze down on the RTV, you'll get a ton of air bubbles, and the trapped RTV will take forever to cure, and it'll leach acetic acid into your tank for a long long time while it's curing.

If you are a handy type guy, you could set up a vacuum press arrangement to lay down the bottom, but I still don't think it's necessary to adhere the new bottom to the old bottom.

When your tank is filled with water, the forces are not trying to lift the bottom up. They are pushing the sides of the tank out. You do need to adhere the side panels to the bottom one, and you can do that by leaving about a 1/8" gap between the sides and the insert, and filling that gap with RTV. Then lay down a fillet of RTV on top of all that.

Don't leave a big gap. When working with RTV, it is not meant to be a big gap filler. Using it that way will create a weak joint. In fact, glass supplies companies sell gap filler material so that you can apply a thinner layer of RTV for greater strength.

I still would use a piece of plywood for a bottom insert. It's cheap, it's easy to work with, and will be water proof if you apply several coats of 2 part epoxy paint. Plus once you do the fix, the tank is all ready for you to set up as a bare bottom tank. No goofing around with warpy Starboard. You can be the god of SPS bare bottom tanks with your custom modded Starphire tank

 

[Mr. Ugly]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7377846#post7377846 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Solitaryensis

2) Someone buy the tank from me and do it themself

Eeesh... how much do you want for the tank? I'd buy it from you to replace my 72 bow front. I'll trade you tanks even. Mine's in excellent condition with zero scratches.