Scatched glass tank bottom - silicone??

[PintoHawk]

Hey all :rolleyes:

I have a glass 30g with a very scratched bottom, probably from moving rocks & heavy decorations and such around over the years.

I smeared a whole bunch of silicone onto the bottom with a plastic mudding tool, a solid layer over the entire bottom, and I also added strips of silicone to the underneath seals (where the black edging is on the base), the same way you would normally seal a tank on the inside where the glass meets. After I was done, I was confident about my attempt and I figued I had added strength to the overall tank.

I filled it with water outside after it was dry, the test was successful. I now have it sitting on the stand in my living room, with only several inches of water inside, no leaks so far. I am nervous about filling it up and adding decorations & plants & eventually fish.... what if my clever DIY attempt wasn't good enough?

Do you think it will hold? 30g is alot of water to clean out of my carpet. LOL
YOUR experiences with scratched bottoms? How weak could it be? I know the bottom glass is supposed to be thicker, so I am hoping I am just being paranoid and all will be well.

Thanks. :twitcy:

[thegrandpoohbah]

Did you strip the old silicone from the inside of the tank first? If not then that will be the weak point because new silicone does not adhere well to old silicone. Give this article a read: http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Spinelli_Resealing_Aquarium.html.

[PintoHawk]

Yes, I did. :)
I read a bunch of different articles and how-to's before I attemped this with another tank months ago, and that one was a success.

My question was about the BASE, and smearing a layer of silicone to help support the scratched gass. I was wondering if anyone here had any thoughts on that.

Thanks!

[thegrandpoohbah]

How severely scratched was it? If it was just scratches from rocks and stuff I wouldn't be too worried. Unless the scratches were actually score marks from a diamond carbide blade (used to cut glass) it should be fine. Silicone isn't going to make the glass any stronger but it won't hurt anything either.

[PintoHawk]

It was scratched to the point I noticed it and worried. More scratched than my other tanks, which are half brand new and half 10 years old, LOL

Normal wear-n-tear type of scratches. But I was worried. *shrug*

[Pamelajo]

Better safe than sorry.

[PintoHawk]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking.... lol

[OldMan]

I doubt that you have added any strength today to the bottom glass but I expect that you have added strength in the future. Let me explain why I think so. Glass is a very strong but brittle substance that will break before it bends much, so silicone won't add strength because it is too flexible. On the other hand, I believe that you have probably set up a thin layer that will protect the glass from more scratches so, in the future, it will be stronger than it would have been without the silicone.