How to take apart a silicone lid/glass pane

[Aylmayo]

New to the forum, hello!

So I've got a Fluval 47 Liter and I'm doing a little bit of aquascaping
I've just spent some money on a nice big bit of root like wood and it's going to look great!


And then I realised, as my expensive piece of wood was half way through delivery, that I don't have an open lid, I have a really small hole



How the hell am I going to fit the wood in there I thought, well, what if I just remove the top piece of glass with the small cut out and then place the wood inside the tank and slightly glue on the lid as it does not have to be water tight at all.

The lid would have just had a line of silicone ran around the bottom edges and plonked onto the top of the fishtank.

But I am wondering how I would take it off without breaking the glass or anything?
I've just ordered myself some "Fishtank grade" silicone that will do the job of putting it back on top securely, but I have no idea how to remove it, any ideas??

Thanks guys

[Big Den]

Would it not be better to buy another tank? It's my understanding that these tanks are designed to be filled right to the brim. The silicon can be cut away using a sharp blade and a lot of patience but it's a gamble, one slip and you end up breaking the glass.

[Graeme]

Hello Aylmayo. Welcome to the forum.

Would it be possible to cut the wood into hole sized pieces and lay them together in the tank when you do your aquascaping. I'm with Den, I wouldn't start messing about with the construction of the tank. You would need to cut the lid off and re-silicon it every time if you needed to get the wood out again to give it a scrub.

Regards

Graeme

[malakye]

You can use a sharp blade to cut away the top but I know one that it worked for and another that cracked the tank doing it, so it is a big gamble and I would be tempted to get a better tank as those do not leave much space for oxygen exchange etc.