Please help me with cracking tank

[Kellbri]

Someone please help! I have a 20 gallon long that i have converted up right. This is my second tank now that has cracked. The first one cracked because the heat lamp was hanging suspended above the tank and it fell and cracked the tank, so i went out bought another 20 long. I have been spending the last 2 months or so converting the back with the grteat stuff and i just set it up last night. I put my White tree frog in late last night. Now this was only the uvb light not heat. It cracked again. What am doing wrong.

[steampunk]

So the UV light was suspended above the tank and it fell?

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[Kellbri]

No the first tank had a heat lamp that was suspended above the tank and it fell and cracked the tank so i am not using a lamp for heat with this tank. This tank i had the uvb light no heat just light sitting on top in a mini deep dome and it cracked again.

[Heatheranne]

It may be that the light is too close to the glass. When you mist with the cool water it can hit the hot glass and it may crack due to too quick of a temperature change for the glass. You'd be surprised how much heat a uvb can give off. Try elevated the light higher so the glass doesn't get too hot. I am guess it cracked at the top?

[Kellbri]

Has anyone ever heard of some how making the top into a screen? Some how cutting the glass out of the top and putting in a screen?

[Heatheranne]

Hmmm, I'm not sure. The exo Terra's and Zilla cages come that way. Perhaps someone here will know?

[steampunk]

All I can think of is a glass cutting holesaw, which is possible but might require some research on how to do it. Then putting fly wire over the hole

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[Kellbri]

Heather i know about the exo-Terra tanks i have one and it has my new baby Australian Blue in it, but i converted a 20 gallon long into an up right and when the baby is biger they were going to both go into the 20. check out my pictures i am going to put new pictures of the finished tank on.

[Heatheranne]

I'll take a peek . Australian blues are so cute.

[Kellbri]

I just got him yesterday at sewer fest, so he hasn't gotten used to his suroundings yet. He isn't really blue, but he is very active.

[Heatheranne]

Is he minty green?

[Kellbri]

He is a tourcousblueish green. Sorry i don't know how to spell. If you look at Bella she is green and he is more blue than she is. He is so pretty blue I saw his dad yesterday.

[deranged chipmunk]

can you post pics of the tank exactly the way it was when it cracked? also, a pic of the 3 other side from the outside? drilling won't work if it is cracked. it will most likely shatter if you try. it is feasible to remove just the top and replace it with some sort of screen, but it is FAR from easy. how are you misting the tank?
btw, heather is correct, even though it is a uvb light, it will still give off heat. it does not take much of a quick temperature swing to crack non-tempered glass. all you need is a small hotspot and some cool water and voila! instant crack. the pictures should help solve what happened though.

[Kellbri]

Here is the tank with the cracks.

[deranged chipmunk]

Judging from all the condensation on the top, i would definitely agree with heather, heat from the lamp combined with cool condensation cracked the tank. Hopefully you can find a replacement on craigslist cheap.

[UncleChester]

Ugh, that looks like a nasty. I think the only way to salvage this tank without making it look like a complete mess would be to remove the top piece of glass if you can. Silicone comes off fairly easy with a razor. The tricky part would be removing it from the frame without damaging the frame. Replace with window screening or if you need it to be really sturdy use perforated stainless steel (more expensive and commonly found at custom auto shops, I use this as I have cats who like to sit on my tanks).

I have had success in stopping cracks like this from spreading by smearing silicone along the crack on both sides. I've done this for glass on cold frames out in the garden and they've held together since. It looks really ugly though, and is no guarantee against further breakage. You could also get a piece of glass cut, smear it with silicone and apply the whole thing to the top of your tank like a big bandaid. This would be even uglier, but sturdier.

Was your light sitting directly on the tank or was there some airflow between it and the glass? What wattage was it?

[deranged chipmunk]

You could use a high temp soldering iron to melt the plastic frame flush so that you can remove the glass. If you still have the old tank that cracked, you could do the same and use the good pane of glass as a replacement. Another option would be removing the good pane from the old tank and siliconing it on top as brian suggested. Ugly, but effective. Home depot also sells those diy screen fame kits. All you need is a hacksaw, time and determination. I have used those kits in my house several times. They work really well.

[Kellbri]

My husband is thinking that we could use a dremel tool and cut the glass out and put a screen on the top. As far as the screen strength i'm not to worried about that my cat doesn't care about the frogs and my shorthair gaurds the tanks, he loves the frog. It's really funny cause he sits in front of the tank and wines when she is active until i bring her out for him to look at.

[Kellbri]

As far as the condensation it probably was, i just didn't think the uvb balb was hot enough to crack it.

[UncleChester]

I'd be wary of cutting it with a dremel. While I believe they do have a diamond cutting wheel that should do the trick, it will send tiny glass dust everywhere and would be impossible to clean out of your vivarium without gutting it, and if you're going to gut it you might as well just take the broken glass clean off.