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Crack in 9 gal Fluval Flex


Stef
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So I discovered a small crack in a side panel of glass in my Fluval Flex. I’ve been finding small puddles on the counter thinking I was being messy in my water changes. Then finding another puddle the next day, and another. Literally thought the roof was leaking because we had so much rain the last few days. Then I found the crack. Don’t know how I did it. The tank is less than 2 years old and was bought new. 
 

Anyway, since the crack is so high up and if I keep the water line below the crack, no leaks. But I have plans to move all the fish (3 total) into my new 20 gal Long that’s not set up yet. My question is being that the tank is frameless and the crack high up, is it a lost cause?  Keep for spare parts?  I don’t want to risk the hard wood floors, the granite counter or other future occupants of the tank. How fragile is this already fragile tank?

6CAEBC73-81DA-4739-B188-E53D540526CF.jpeg

01D00803-83F2-47D9-A9E8-565C3AB5218E.jpeg

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I have a cracked 15 g Flex. I keep the water level below the crack and it stopped spreading. It is an African Dwarf Frog tank. They don’t like to go too far so it works well. 

Personally I’d keep the water below that crack down below pixelated black area at the top of the tank or a bit lower. 

Killifish are notorious jumpers and would do well as a breeding setup for them as you keep the top of the water level low enough for them not to jump out (Etsy has a 3d printed hole cover for the front feeding port). 
I love my frogs African Dwarf Frogs are pretty funny, super derpy.

You could make some islands and put vampire crabs in there with some terrestrial/semi aquatic or tropical species. 

Have fun with it as it’s a real gut punch when this happens but make the most of it - You’re a Nerm!

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You could potentially get one of those windshield repair kits to help stabilize it and reduce the risk of the crack running, but I would keep the water level well below the end of the crack.  Remove the occupants if you try this, of course.  It won’t eliminate the risk of the crack extending, but you might be able to stabilize it for a while.  If that pane of glass gets tapped, it could split right down the middle, so make sure you always have a back up tank or tote.

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On 4/1/2022 at 10:46 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Anyone know- would using aquarium safe silicone work to help keep the crack from leaking/spreading? Wouldn't be pretty but it's something I've thought about before. 

I’ve seen people make repairs by layering with another piece of glass sealed into place with silicone, but that’s not the most cosmetic since the repair piece has to extend well beyond the crack in length and width to have any hope of stopping the crack from spreading.

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On 4/1/2022 at 7:15 PM, Patrick_G said:

I think it's probably a good candidate for a riparium with maybe five gallons of water and plants above. 

Here's a pic from the net

19F353D1-DB49-45E9-8348-6EB4C0351C5D.jpeg.ca08559096f7a69b679d2d27e37d692c.jpeg

Would look nice with a colorful betta!

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On 4/1/2022 at 8:46 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Anyone know- would using aquarium safe silicone work to help keep the crack from leaking/spreading? Wouldn't be pretty but it's something I've thought about before. 

They do that on Ohio fish rescue and there is a legit method to "patch it"Screenshot_20220402-010525.png.fb9e528f51125b551f561d5bc915b5f5.png

As long as it's not tempered you could try to cut the crack out or just add a support and fill the crack using the method mentioned above by Odd duck and then trying to seal it using a piece of spare glass as shown in the screenshot. This is the repair they did on their 450G tank for a spot where there was some holes drilled for the sump and no longer were required.

Here's a vid on method

@Odd Duck

Edited by nabokovfan87
please excuse the weird tags and text. mobile website bugs?
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