Chip in Tank I Purchased and Bowed Stand      6/11.5/14
Hi,
<Katherine>
I recently purchased a 20 gallon aquarium from someone for a great deal. I knew about the chip before I bought it and I didn't think it would be that big of a deal.
<Can be... failure may cause a grievous injury, many gallons of water where you don't want it to be>
However, I live in an apartment and, of course, as I get closer to filling it with water I am starting to reconsider how I feel about the chip. I was wondering your thoughts. It seems to be about 1.5 inches long and I have attached some photos. I read through some of the other postings and it doesn't seem to have any baby cracks branching off of it and doesn't seem to be effecting the silicon on the edge. But it does
seem pretty big and is at the midpoint of the aquarium on the back right.
Any thoughts?
<Can't see clearly enough in your small pix... for this reason I am cautious... Even though this is "only" 20 gal.s... Please send along a couple of larger, well-resolved images>
I also just recently purchased an aquarium stand brand new. I bought a level to make sure all is fine and dandy
<Good>
but it appears that the top of the stand is just ever so slightly bowed.
<I see this>
Nothing extreme but enough to make me worried especially with a chip in the aquarium. Is this something that the weight of the aquarium will fix (table will go back to flat since it is such a slight bow) or is this something that will snap my tank in half even if it is slight?
<I would put a spread out two hundred pounds on the top of the stand and see if this "flattens it out"... If not; I'd either screw (every six inches or so) a piece of plywood to the top (and seal this against water); or at least place a half inch piece of foam twixt the tank and non-planar stand>
Thanks,
Katherine
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Chip in 125 gallon aquarium
Hello,
<Neal>
First, I really appreciate all the FAQs to look through on your site - they're extremely helpful in giving me a rough idea of what I just got myself into.
<Welcome>
I just finished building a stand for a used 125 gallon aquarium I had recently purchased when I accidentally bumped something into the tank and chipped the glass on what would have been the front panel (pictures attached). The chip is about 2" from top to bottom at the widest point, and does not go all the way through the seam (but there's only about 3/16" intact at the narrowest point). I've read through the FAQs and have seen your advice on these issues, but I'm not 100% sure if it would be worth the effort to repair or if in your expert opinion it's a lost cause.
<I would try to effect a repair here. Worth the cost, time (to/for me) and the looks not important>
A couple specific points about this set-up: This tank is going to stay outside (I live in FL), and will house a turtle and a few inexpensive fish so a leak isn't quite as catastrophic as it might be if it were indoors.
<I see>
I also plan turn it around so the repair is on the back, so if the glass does blow out it would be against the wooden privacy fence and (I think) greatly reduce the risk of potential injury if that were to happen.
<Yes>
Unfortunately, that would mean I wouldn't be able to keep an eye on the chip to see if any new problems with it arise. Finally, I'm not concerned with aesthetics or losing a little real estate inside the tank if there are additional things I can do to reduce the chance of tank failure.
<Not likely to give way if the repair is done... but partially filling even less likely to fail>
I'm likely to move in the next three years, so if the tank lasts me even that long, I'll be OK with it (although I suspect either the repair will be good and it will last indefinitely, or it's already a lost cause). I plan to cycle the tank for several weeks, so I'm not worried about losing livestock if a repair fails.
Here are my questions:
1) Would applying a two pieces of glass with aquarium silicone) along the corner as a brace give me a reasonable amount of assurance that this chip won't cause a problem?
<Yes>
The glass on this aquarium is 3/8" thick, but I have plenty of spare 1/2" glass from a different 125 gallon tank that I  salvaged.
<Even triple strength plate, nom. 1/4 inch thick will do here>
2) Is it more structurally sound to apply the brace on the inside corner (A in the attached diagram) or on the outside (B or C in the attached diagram - I wasn't 100% clear on which orientation was best)?
<Outside; B or C...>
3) If I apply a brace to the outside, should it go the entire length (height) of the tank between the top and bottom plastic frames, or should I cut parts of the frame away to go the entire height of the glass)?
<Yes; the entire (exposed; outside the frame) is best>
4) In addition to corner bracing, would it help to "wall off" that corner of the tank next to the existing overflow (D in the diagram), so that there is no water pushing directly on that corner - or is that
overkill/structurally useless?
<Not important>
5) I'm pretty sure there are no cracks off the chip, but there are a few tiny, jagged-looking chips along the lower edge (not sure if you can see this clearly enough in the close-up shot). I think they're just secondary clam-shell chips off the "main" chip. Is that anything to be more concerned about?
<Just being careful while doing the repair to not cut yourself>
Thank you so much for all your help and the wonderful website!
Neal
<Ah, welcome. Bob Fenner>