How to disassemble a tank?

[Mugster]

I have a 65 gal long that has a diagonal crack from one end to the other. It's going to cost almost as much as I paid for the tank to have it repaired. Being as I'm turning my 100 gal into a sump for my 180 reef, I thought I would use the glass from the 65 to make partitions in the sump.

My question is what is the best way to disassemble a glass tank? Once I have the tank apart I'm going to take the panels in to have them cut to size and the edges ground. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Kev

[Daniel Schubert]

To cut the silicone joints is a pain in the a**. The only way I know is to use a very sharp blade like an exacto knive or razor blade. It would be easier just to buy new glass. I had baffle cut for my 30 gallon sump for like $30.00 bucks or so (4 in total 1/4" glass). Older glass may not cut nicely

[Mugster]

Originally posted by Daniel Schubert
To cut the silicone joints is a pain in the a**. The only way I know is to use a very sharp blade like an exacto knive or razor blade. It would be easier just to buy new glass. I had baffle cut for my 30 gallon sump for like $30.00 bucks or so (4 in total 1/4" glass). Older glass may not cut nicely


Thanks Daniel. I was hoping there might be a better way to seperate the joints. When I built my bio-tower (only used to cycle new tank) I used a 20 gal tall. I tried unsuccessfully to cut the silicone joints using both a razor blade and an exacto knife. I ended up breaking out the bottom and gently bending each piece enough to cut the silicone. I guess since one of the panels is already broken, it may not be too dificult.

[afss]

you could try a thin piece of wire. I seem to remember hearing about someone cutting silicone using a wire. Make sure the glass isn't tempered. I tryed to cut a tempered piece once, its kinda funny, but it makes on heck of a mess

Scott

[Dman]

I've heard of people using a guitar or piano wire to slice open silicone joints. Never tried it myself, used an exacto knife with decent results. Cutting glass is a whole lot easier than it looks (who am I kidding it even looks easy) all you need is a straght edge and a glass cutter. A flat space to work on and a marker to break it with. email me if you want detailed instructions
Dman
:spin:

[User Name]

I did try the rope its work ( my 108 g leak from silicone joint ) but if the glass is crack , don't lose your time just gentely hamer it till it's all broken , the rest wont be affected , i did it twise on my sub :mad:

[Mugster]

Update:

I ended up saving the 65 long by taking apart a 40 gal I had sitting around. I used the exacto blade method with a little patience and all worked well.

First I started by removing the plastic trim pieces and then using a exacto blade I cut away the bead in the corners. Then carefully I worked the blade between the two panes of glass and slowly and gently worked the blade through the silicone from one end to the other. Once one pane was cut away, the rest were quite simple as bending the panes slightly allowed cutting the adjoining silicone quite easily.

I used one of the larger panes and laminated it over the cracked pane in the 65, followed by applying silicone to the outside of the crack as well.

All is well with no leaks and all glass baffles in my new sump thanks to Dman's advice. Thanks Dman.:clap:

[Dman]

I glad it all worked out.
Dman
:spin: