# Cutting a tank down and reseal



## Whatever (Sep 12, 2018)

Hey all I bought a used 60 cube, the tank is very nice except a few of the corners are chipped pretty bad, I hate to just throw it away.

I thought that I could take it apart and cut it down from 24 tall to 22 or 20 and put it back together, problem is I know putting it back together may be beyond my patience.

Does anyone have any experience with that type of work.


----------



## Whatever (Sep 12, 2018)

I might add that I dont mind paying for the work, I know the tank doesn't leak but it does not look great, its drilled and there are very few scratches in it, definitely worth fixing, 

I've always thought that this would be my last set up, I have everything else for the set up except the light and that will be a Radion, that's down the road.


----------



## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

IMO, if it's not leaking it's not worth the effort to rebuild it. What are the chips are you talking about? Broken glass bits?


----------



## kharmaguru (Jan 6, 2013)

In my experience cutting it apart and getting all the silicone adequately removed requires way more patience than putting back it together.


----------



## wtac (Mar 17, 2006)

Dismantling, surface prep, pre-assembly prep and reassembly are the easy things to do. 

If you have never cut 3/8-1/2" glass, the nail biting part is making sure the break is straight along the entire length and not deviate from the score mark if you don't have a pair of glass break pliers/clamp. Then smoothing down the sharp edges.

How bad are the chips? If they do irk you, put a top EuroBrace. Personally not a fan of rimless...love the look but spill overs from scraping the water line drives me batty .


----------



## Whatever (Sep 12, 2018)

Hi all, I welcome your comments, no it doesn't leak and I guess that's why it's still complete, its sitting in my basement ready to be taken apart.

Taking it apart and cleaning up the silicone is easy, cutting it down yup that scares me a bit, taping it off no problems and putting it back together scares me for sure but for someone who's done it before it may be easy.

When I say chips I mean corners that have been smashed or glass surfaces coming off, two of the panels are perfect, I like an open top with a Pendant hanging over it but if I built a canopy over the tank then you wouldn't see those chipped corners. 

I suppose nobody sees its issues more than I do. It does not leak that's important, I'm just afraid that if I try to make it perfect that I may destroy it and even if I do, I could get another 60 cube built for under 500. Your thoughts?


----------



## wtac (Mar 17, 2006)

Upload a few pics of the chips of the top edge. If the chips are severe and near the centre, replace the panel(s).

Sure there isn't alot of pressure at the top but it's the "bowing" that will be an issue, that's why I suggested an Eurobrace (EB) to keep the top edge from bowing.

What are the dimensions of the aquarium? If its a std 2'x2'x2', a 4" wide 1/2" thick glass strips for the EB wont impede access from the top.

Cutting down, if there is a glass shop near you, you can take it to them and have them cut it down for you as they have the skill and equipment to do so.

Reassembling the aquarium, corner clamps make the job that much easier moving onto the next pane.

There are TONS of YT vids.

Say you decide to outsource the glass cutting, buy clamps, GE1200 SCS silicone, masking tape and razor blades, excluding your sweat equity, still cheaper than buying new by $400 and you learned a new skill 

IIRC, for 1/2" glass, the narrowest cut they can make manually is 2" or 3". If the have an edge polishing machine, grind the edge down to the deepest chip and grind down the other pane(s) to the same depth.


----------



## Whatever (Sep 12, 2018)

I took the pane off, pretty easy really, now to get a new pane. Does anyone know if Miracles sells single panes.


----------



## skapila02 (Jun 3, 2021)

Whatever said:


> Hey all I bought a used 60 cube, the tank is very nice except a few of the corners are chipped pretty bad, I hate to just throw it away.
> 
> I thought that I could take it apart and cut it down from 24 tall to 22 or 20 and put it back together, problem is I know putting it back together may be beyond my patience.
> 
> Does anyone have any experience with that type of work.


I have done that a couple times.. If you still needs any tips let me know  I'll be happy to help


----------

