Today I picked up my new 55 gallon tank. It is 36" long and over 2' tall. On one edge there are two good chips taken out of it. I filled it with water for a test run and it held water fine. I was thinking about getting some silicone and gooping the outer edge around the chips and inside the same area to reinforce everything.. Here is a crappy picture of the deepest one for you to judge by. If this tank is no longer sound, I do not want to bring it inside. Please give me your opinions!
I was so excited about finally getting a tank big enough to house the O, but I fear it may not work out. Thanks again guys and gals.
PS.. If you need more or better pictures, let me know.

This is a difficult one because we may leave you totally confused on what to do in your situation. 55 gallons holds around half ton of water. Any flaws in the glass could weaken the whole structure. However, I could be wrong here, we really need to get the opinion of someone who really knows what they're talking about. The last thing you want is the tank giving way, that will cause a heck of a lot of damage.

Yeah... Its not going in until I know weather its safe or not... The good news is that none of the chips are cracked or look like they would crack or spiderweb. I guess the other question is this... My stand(tv stand) is about 34" wide.. the tank will hang over about 1" on both sides... Is that a big NO NO? I was told that it will be fine but thought I would ask to be safe.

You are putting the tank on a TV stand? Is that going to be strong enough? I don't think I would be risking it, especially if the tank is bigger than the top of the stand.

Its a sturdy stand... Its made for an old CRT style TV I had a 300lb tv on it before.. I have a 35 gallon on it now and I (@240lbs)can still stand on it no problem... I'm more concerned about the tank being ok hanging off the edge about 1 inch on each side...I just talked to my local LFS and he said that I should dry the tank out and silicone it really heavy around the chips. Then after it cures, fill it with water and leave it on the porch for a week full of water. That way if something happens, its not going to ruin the house..

That chip is a tough one to call. It is more than a little chip and it is across the join. I would guess that it will be ok but I agree with OFL and get a proffesional to check it out


Tv cabinets are designed to have a load of a TV. Fish tanks are a lot heavier so make sure the cabinet can take the weight before you use.

The thing that concerns me is that your tank will overhang your cabinet buy 1 inch either side. This is not recommended, you need your tank to be evenly supported. You need all the base of your tank sitting on a cabinet. Dont forget to clean and sweep the cabinet top and put some polystyrene on top of it before putting the tank on.

If you look at any aquarium stand combination, they all fit together perfectly. Unless you are absolutely certain that that TV stand can withstand 500LB then I certainly wouldn't be using it for my aquarium. But hey, don't take my word for it, try and get some professional advice, maybe from a company who make aquariums. Sorry, but I'm not going to say it's all right because I really don't know

If you are carrying out repairs than I think it's probably a good idea to leave for a week just to make sure that everything is okay. Water can cause a lot of damage

I have a big chip on the corner of my 180 gallon but it's only halfway through. I've not had a problem in the 7 or 8 months that we've had it but each one is different. I had a tank before with a tiny chip and it leaked constantly. Your lfs has a good idea, fill it up outside and test it well before bringing it in. If you bought it new take it back, I'm sure they're replace it without a hassle.

Yeah, I agree with both of you.. I am going to clean the tank out then silicone the seams and chunks of missing glass. I know that the tv stand will hold at least 500 lbs but I may just end up building a better stand. Ill go see what kind of 2x4's I can find in the garage.. I was also thinking about cutting a piece of 1/2"plywood to fit the bottom of the tank. That would support the overhang enough I would think. I have sent pictures to 3 different aquarium shops and have received the same answer from all. glue it up and test it in the back yard for at least a week.

Yeah... Its way used.. lol.
But, the glass is thicker on this tank then any I have seen on any 55 gallon... So thats a plus. But we will see

Adding the plywood sounds like it would work, it would solve the overhanging problem, assuming the TV stand can take the weight of the tank

Yeah... Im going to get three other guys to stand on it with me.. That will get it up to around 800-1000lbs... if it holds that... It should hold the tank