Crack in glass, can I put some silicone on it and call it good?

[RiverChad]

Hey when I was drilling a 5 gallon tank I noticed 2 cracks after I started to sand. They are near the top of the tank if that makes a differences. I was thinking since it's only a 5 gallon I would silicone both sides then wrap a couple layers of duct tape around the entirety of the tank and spray paint them so it blends in a bit better. Would anyone trust this? The tank is a 5 gallon aqueon so the glass is pretty thin and it was only $13 so wouldn't be a problem to buy another one, but I've already painted and added baffles for my filter socks. So I would like to avoid doing the work all over again if possible.

 

[stoney7713]

Nope I wouldn't, it might only be 5 gallons but that's very thin glass.

Better safe with twice the work then finding your floors flooded one morning.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

I don't think it's that big of a deal, but I still wouldn't risk it. 5 gallons is still alot of water and can do a lot of damage. As well as severely injuring or killing your livestock. I know it's annoying but it's cheap to repair, you just have to do it again. Just think a few days in the future when you come home to water on the floor, wishing you could have just gone back and done it again. Just my opinion.

 

[Tamberav]

Buy another, crack can spread, especially on thin glass.

They are hard to drill because they are so thin, use LOTS of water and only the weight of the drill, maybe even less.

If you MUST try and save it, silicone glass over it but for $13, that is just as much work.

Also... since they are so thin, any sort of pressure at all from pipes will crack it too or even the slightest bump... maybe rethink if you want it drilled at all..

 

[RiverChad]

Nope I wouldn't, it might only be 5 gallons but that's very thin glass.

Better safe with twice the work then finding your floors flooded one morning.

True enough, thanks for the advice. idk why I even posted this, pretty sure picture frame glass is thicker than this.

 

[Reefer Matt]

I wouldn’t fill it with water, but maybe use it for practice drilling for the next try on another tank. I practiced on a 10 gallon before drilling my 75.

 

[PharmrJohn]

I wouldn't risk it either. Five gallons doesn't seem like a lot until it's all over your floor!

 

[RiverChad]

I wouldn’t fill it with water, but maybe use it for practice drilling for the next try on another tank. I practiced on a 10 gallon before drilling my 75.

Wow, I really wish I would have read this before drilling another hole on my new tank I just picked up. I feel my brain getting smoother by the minute. I just cracked the new tank literally as the bit just got through. I went extra slow and added water every few seconds. Good advice though, at least now I have 2 tanks to practice on

 

[PK_reef]

Hey when I was drilling a 5 gallon tank I noticed 2 cracks after I started to sand. They are near the top of the tank if that makes a differences. I was thinking since it's only a 5 gallon I would silicone both sides then wrap a couple layers of duct tape around the entirety of the tank and spray paint them so it blends in a bit better. Would anyone trust this? The tank is a 5 gallon aqueon so the glass is pretty thin and it was only $13 so wouldn't be a problem to buy another one, but I've already painted and added baffles for my filter socks. So I would like to avoid doing the work all over again if possible.

The crack will continue. It's better to get a new tank fast.