120 gallon tank glass questions.

[rlf_racing]

I found a 120 gallon glass tank a few days ago in someones trash. I did notice a small amount of damage to one pane of glass and a damage to a corner of the decorative frame along the bottom. I did fill the tank all the way up with water while it was outside to see if it would hold water. It held water for 8 hrs with no issue.

My questions are. With the one pane of glass that has a chip in it, would it be safe to leave it as is or take the time to repair it? And as for the decorative frame work on the bottom of the tank. How hard would it be to pull it off and replace it with real wood?

[bamf25]

Repair it. You never want to find out after the fact. Unless you like water everywhere.

[rlf_racing]

How hard would it be to repair it? As I have never done that before.

[thegrun]

Where are the chips (near the top, middle or bottom)? I would not be worried if they are in within the top 3-4", but any lower than that and they are a concern. Also I believe the bottom frame does give structural support. If you remove it, you need to be sure that what you replace it with helps hold the tank together. I am not aware of an adequate repair for the chips if they are low other than replacing the entire panel. That can be done, but it involves a lot of labor and some skill (well, knowledge of how to work with glass, silicone and aquariums). In general, if the chips are more than 4" down, I would only use the tank as a reptile tank (no water). The other great unknown is if the tank was used as a fresh water tank, then it likely was subjected to copper treatments which is absorbed into the silicone, a big no if you plan on keeping any type of corals.

[rlf_racing]

The chip is about half way down the left side corner. It's not alway thru the glass. Yes it does bother me for where it is. I posted a cpl pictures of the chip from both sides of it. I believe this tank was used for saltwater since there is a lot of residual coraline algea on the sides of the tank.

[rlf_racing]

Still need more insight and help on this tank.

[rlf_racing]

Could use more help in regards to how I would repair a pane of glass on a tank like this.

[Virtuoso]

I would see if maybe a mod could move this to the DIY forum, or just repost in the DIY forum. I think you would get some more answers there.

[Liquid Hobby]

I'd be suspect all around... Not sure how a joined wood frame adds strength. The corner is only as strong as the nails, screws, glue holding it. Modern tanks have continuous top and bottom rims.

What a nightmare to set up a 120 and have it fail 3 months down the road. The money you think you are saving maybe just the opposite. You can pick up a new 120 RR for about $450-500. Might sound like a lot of money but realize the total investment of the entire tank/system, corals and fish and you will quickly realize the DT is not a big expense, at least it wasn't on my 120...

[James77]

I would look for a used tank on your local forums, you could get one for less than $200.

The bottom brace is structural, and you could replace it....Im sure you could order a brace form Aqueon. But there is money towards a new/used tank. PLus you will spend a good amount of time battling that and risking further damage.

Chips are always a risk, depending on their size depth and location. I have had 2 90 gallons with chips, neither ever gave a proble. My current 90 has 3 or 4 chips I think. I turned the panel to the back...out of sight out of mind :). Its been up for a year plus with no problems. Any problem would likely have that chip as the starting point of a rack, as it is a weak point. I know of no real way to repair a chip, structurally wise?