Is it possible to repair a crank in the bottom of a 150 gallon aquarium? without the water in it of course...?

Well, it is possible, but is it possible to do it yourself is the question. You would have to have access to a glass shop that would cut you the piece and friends that would help because the tank is heavy. I'm not to sure about the two pains of glass, in theory it sounds like it would work. But I would be much more comfortable with a whole new bottom. Tanks are built with silicone that is safe for the fish, they sell it in pet stores, so you would need that. You'd have to cut the old silicone off of the bottom piece of glass so that it is no longer attached to the sides. Remove all remnants of the old silicone, then place the new piece in place and silicone it on. you'll have to silicone inside and out plus the seam where it touches the sides. Make sure to get the same thickness of glass, my 150 has glass that is 3/8 of an inch. This would be a large task and would entail quite a bit of heavy lifting, but this is how you would go about rebuilding a tank, just a matter of if you have the ability and know how to pull it off. Good luck.

This is NOT a good idea! Don't buy the tank unless you plan on using it for a reptile!

Prevailing wisdom is discontinue use of a tank which has been cracked. In this case, the crack is on the bottom of the tank which will be subjected to the weight of the water. Its very possible the tank will leak. I don't recommend using it for fish.

Had the tank been cracked toward the top, you might have been able to get away with using it so long as you kept the water level below the damaged area. It's best to avoid using a cracked tank.

That tank would make a very nice home for many reptile varieties!! Why not offer it for sale with the caveat that the bottom is cracked? Many reptile enthusiasts would love to have than tank!

Hi Jr, I would be adding 2 panes of glass to this, both of the same thickness as the tank. One needs to be siliconed to the inside & the other siliconed to the outside. Consequently they will need to be slightly different dimensions so some careful measuring by yourself & equally some careful cutting by your local hardware/DIY store-especially so for the inner piece.

Apply the silicone to the tank rather than the repair panes. Run a continuous bead of silicone around the outer periphery of the base, also around both sides of the crack as well as along the crack. closely zig-zag the remaining areas. Do this for both inner & outer repair. Once in place run a sealing bead all round the inside pane & smooth to the sides exactly like the original base.

Once cured this will easily have the same strength as before although the tank will weigh significantly more! I would also let it stand full of water for several days just to check the integrity of the rest of it because whatever knock caused the original crack may have weakened one or more of the corners also.

I would add that unless you feel confident in the DIY area or know someone who is then Finatic's suggestion for use as a reptile home is probably your best option!

I feel that it should... the problem is the pressure that the water would cause on the crack, but the solution that you have found seems to pan out. I would even go with something thicker than plexiglass if you can, since plexi tends to dry out and crack itself... but either way, be sure to cut the material to the exact size and shape of the bottom...

If it has a crank in the bottom you can tell them to hop it but if it has a crack I would be very cautious of a 150 gal. tank, water weighs 10lb a gallon, that's a lot of water and some 1000 -1500 lbs.

what do you plan on keeping in this tank? Fish only? Corals? Its not as simple as just filling it with water and throwing some salt in. Do lots of research. Buy a good salt mix, and a hydrometer or refractometer to measure salinity. 1.022-1.025 is the safe range for specific gravity, but it all depends on what you plan to keep. I would buy 300 lbs of live rock, and probably at least 100 lbs of live sand to put in there. If you have live rock and corals, you want to use RO-DI water, with a tank that size you are better off buying the filtration unit to filter your own water as opposed to buying water somewhere. when you initially set up the tank, you can fill it with water, have 4-5 powerheads in there circulating the water, then add salt until you reach proper specific gravity. for water changes after tank is setup, mix water and salt in seperate container with powerhead for 24 hours before adding to tank. Do LOTS of research first. Read alot before you jump in and be patient. There is so much to learn before you get started. You dont want any costly mistakes. Saltwater tanks are expensive!! Good luck

My 185 gallon had a crack in the back of it, and Someone put some sort of cualk on the crack to reseal it. It holds water just fine now.