[TheFishGuy]

Ok all, I'm gonna do it, I've got everything ready to go....

Here's the tank, 84"x30"x24"tall:
Front

Back

The plan is to do the repair with a sheet of Hardie Pannel, the same stuff my 800 is made of. There'll be four coats of drylok on it then it'll be siliconed from the inside to cover the whole back pane of glass.....

 

[Mcdaphnia]

One thing we sometimes forget in DIY, is making wise financial choices for our projects. It is true that a glass tank has more resale value than a plywood tank, and "hybrid" tanks such as the plan here have even less resale value. It might be dollar wise to consider the cost of replacing the broken panel back to original condition with glass. compared to the drylok plan.Subtract the resale value from the cost difference and you may find the cheapest approach may be the most expensive one. Granted, big aquariums are poorer investments than real estate, and than rare coins as retirement portfolios.

No criticism of the technique, just the end value and buyer appeal.

 

[maseyferguson05]

Looking forward to seeing it on both sites!

 

[TheFishGuy]

Mcdaphnia, I appreciate what you're saying and I did consider it, but take into consideration that I paid nothing for the tank. Well maybe $30 in gas to go pick it up. The Hardie Pannel was also a donation. So far I've spent less than $30 on a gallon of drylok and two tubes of silicone. I have three tubes of unopened silicone already so if you count those that's another $12.

$42 so far isn't bad... Not to mention there's no real plan to ever sell this tank as I wouldn't want something to happen to a potential buyer. If it eventually fails then so be it... Other than that I've already got the lumber to build the stand (reclaimed from jobs) and I've already got the filtration supplies. I may spend a little on plumbing fittings and pipe but that's about it :thumb: Oh yeah, I forgot that the water bridge has about $100 invested in it... But that will always be used here no matter what :thumb:

Actually, if it does fail then I might just build a bigger tank and just use the glass from this one for the front! The front pane is 84x24 and the two side panes are 24x30.... That could make a nice 12' tank

 

[TheFishGuy]

Ok, I’ve got an Update:

As some of you may know I’ve started threads about this repair on a bunch of forums across the net. I decided to do this for a couple of reasons. The first is to possibly give people another way to repair tanks, large or small. The second reason is to hopefully meet a few more people that live in the fish world! On a lot of sites I’m known as “monsterfishrescueâ€

 

[fishwolfe]

you must have one understanding wife :wink:

 

[DemasoniLover]

Total time invested so far:

1.5 hours

Total money involved: $142.00

Tank: $0.00
Two tubes of silicone and one gallon of Drylok: $30.00
Hardie panel: $0.00
Three tubes of silicone already in stock $12.00
Water bridge (clear pvc and 90* fittings) $100

Questions or comments are always welcome!

I would've been told to just go to the store and stop messing up the house! :lol:

 

[TheFishGuy]

My wife is more than super cool. She's very supportive of MFR. That and if I didn't have fish I'd have a hot rod. And if I had a hot rod again I'd never be home

I would've been told to just go to the store and stop messing up the house!

We agreed that when we bought the house the basement was mine to do with which I please But all the construction goes on in the building next door. I cut her grass so she allows me to use her three car garage

You see, women just flock to me and then let me do what ever I want just to be near me....

If you believe that I'll tell ya another one :lol:

 

[lloyd]

is the hardy panel strong enough to support itself without any bracing? or are you assuming the remaining glass will do that for you? i'm curious how this material, and your post here, might help me move forward with this 72x24x36T:

 

[TheFishGuy]

The hardie is NOT strong enough to support it's self, my hope is that the remaining glass will do the job. It should...

For your situation I'd probably just laminate the drylok to a sheet of finish grade 3/4" plywood then silicone it to the back after removing the rest of the broken glass. Then most importantly you'd have to make a frame around the bottom and top to keep it from blowing out. But to be honest in your situation I'd probably finish taking the tank apart and build something bigger. I'm not too sure I'd trust the back staying in place. That's quite the tall tank...

If mine fails I'll more than likely take the rest of it apart and build something bigger since I won't have a lot of time or money invested... My wife aught to love that :lol:

 

[bell]

how's the project coming along? i expect to see it filled with water when i return from florida on memorial day

 

[TheFishGuy]

It's just a waiting game now. The drylok has to fully cure before submerging it... I'm gonna use the water in our little 1200 gallon (filthy) pool to test fill it :lol:

:lol: So you want me to leave it up and full of water in my driveway until you get here? :lol:

 

[bell]

no, you don't have to do that
if you do though i'll bring my swimming trunks

car is packed, full of fuel (at $4/gal )...resume' is printed, tape measure handy (for measuring available tank space on a few houses we'll be looking at)....

i'll have internet access on my phone and in the condo we rented so keep me entertained with updates of drying drylok when i'm chillin next to the pool drinking dos equis

 

[TheFishGuy]

Nice :thumb:

 

[TheFishGuy]

Ok, I’ve got an Update:

The piece of hardie panel went in well, it fit good! I’m feeling rather confident about this one 

After cleaning the glass with acetone (which I feel is key to a great seal) I cut a bunch of prop sticks to hold the hardie in place.

After that I siliconed the edges with a heavy bead and I also went over every crack in the glass. Beyond that I made circles out of the silicone to hold the hardie in place. Making circles is a trick I learned from mirror installers. It creates a vacuum and you actually hear the silicone “fartâ€

 

[TheeMon]

i bookmarked this thread, this will come in handy for many many years

 

[TheFishGuy]

Cool :thumb:

So far so good!

 

[TheeMon]

hey sorry to derail this thread but i have a side question, after i fix a tank how can i properly test it? like how long a period 24 hours, 2-3 days? another one too, i live in an apt with people below me and no yard/porch so i have to do it in my fish room(a 2nd living room) so how could i possibly lessen(??) the damage if it were to fail? a 29gal

 

[fishwolfe]

put it in a big rubber maid tub???

 

[Mcdaphnia]

Cheap kiddie pool, a pond liner, or a new fish tank big enough to hold the leaker for the test. :dancing: