I have broken tank nightmare in NYC.
I need to get this fixed replaced ASAP, but I have extremely limited funds. Does anyone know of a place to get replacement glass cheap in NYC (approximately 30” x 22” x 1/4”)? Actually the glass looks slightly under 1/4” thick –does anyone know the actual glass thickness that All Glass uses?
Other option is a cheap replacement 37-gallon tank?
Here’s the background:
I have a male RES approximately 7 years old, about 5-6” shell, named Mr. T. I adopted him when he was the size of a half dollar due to a roommate not properly caring for him.
I’m in an NYC apartment so have limited space: Mr. T has been living in a ALL GLASS 37 Gallon Tank [30 1/4 (L) x 12 1/2 (W) x 22 3/4 (H)] placed on the kitchen window sill with a built in base I made to extend the window sill and contain the filter. The tank’s a little small for Mr. T. but it’s the best I can do at present. When he was small I got him one of the (zoo-med?) hollow logs to bask on, but as he grew I wanted to fill the tank to the brim to give him more water/swim space, so I spent a lot of time building an nice above tank basking area [ATBA] from some old Plexiglas I had. Unfortunately, when I was almost done fabricating, due to the age or storage, the backing paper wouldn’t peel off the plexi. Hugely demoralizing. I don’t have time, funds, or motivation to redo this right now, so I’ve just been using it as the tank’s vertical extension (without a base for the turtle to bask on) so as to allow me to fill the tank to the brim and prevent Mr. T from escaping. I keep the log in the tank suspended from zip ties. Mr. T. likes to wedge himself between tank and log and vigorously and energetically wiggle to scratch his shell…sometimes rocking the log and banging it against the glass, which became worrisome. Due to the tank’s extended height, I cannot reach inside it easily now: in the past Mr. T would climb up on the log and I’d scratch his shell and he would wiggle like crazy under my fingernails and that would relieve his some of his ‘itching’.
Yesterday, I came home in the evening to find a huge ‘s’ shaped diagonal crack running the full span of the tank’s back, from corner to corner. Water all over the hardwood wood kitchen floor (and probably apartment below). My landlord is one of the most troublesome individuals I’ve ever crossed paths with and will be in the apartment this week, so I'd like to get this resolved NOW!!
I’m in a tight bind. I need to either replace the tank with one of the same dimension (this one was free on Craigslist and this size isn’t at all easy to find and/or is pricey) or replace the glass piece in the back. I’m handy and can probably do the glass replacement, though I do not look forward to it. Maybe I can just put silicone along the inside and outside of the crack temporarily (I do have a little tube of aquarium silicone)? I'e read some posts on the web about repairs. Anyone know of resources, inexpensive glass suppliers, etc, in NYC?
The other option which I dread, is to release Mr. T into the wild, which I don’t want to do, but maybe he would be happier living and laying outside instead of in a glass box?
Thanks a bunch for any ideas.
