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CRISIS!!!!

krazypara3165

krazypara3165

Member
Joined
23 Aug 2012
Messages
591
Location
Warrington, Cheshire
As some of you are aware im in the process of setting up a 4 ft 200l aquarium. now during the testing stage where i am testing spraybar configurations and heating equipment i have come home to find the central brace has collapsed. the tank has only been full for 48 hours.

The glass is 6mm thick and the gap now between the brace and the front glass is 10mm

now, can this be repaired, and how?

and will it happen again? is the front glass in danger of breaking?

tank is currently being drained as i type!

cheers, craig.
 
Firstly dont panic!

Brace bars can be replaced.

I am not a tank builder but i would think that 6mm glass is too thin for a 200ltr 4ft tank. There is a lot of pressure on the front and back pannels across 4ft.

I would sugest 3 braces minimum. As you can see in your pic there is only a small surface area of silicone holding the brace in place, this needs to be addressed! Normally the braces are secured to glass strips running the length of the tank.
 
cheers, well for the time being, as there is no livestock or plants in the tank it has been drained. the tank has three brace bars, one at either end and the mentioned one in the middle. because it has sagged i have removed it completly and stripped all silicon of the bar and side of the aquarium. now if i silicone it up again and duct tape the aquarium together whilst it sets will it be ok or will silicone alone not be enough? also would it just be clear bathroom silicone or would i have to get aquarium grade?
 
Are the three braces at even distances across the length of the tank?

You need to use aquatic safe silicone, check your local LFS

I would sugest a couple of F-clamps instead of duct tape, or even a box clamp.

You will also need to put some cross braces in aswell

Is the tank new? if so send it back.
 
Yeah, they are even distances. And I didnt think they made f clamps big enough but I shall check b&q during the week. What do you mean by cross braces? Are they the ones running along the full length of the front and rear glass? The tank is a second hand job that I purchased off ebay for 40 quid, its very scratched and looks to be hand built. Im now starting to think it may be easier buying a new one?
 
as long as its not much deeper than 12" then 6mm glass should be fine wouldn't want to risk anything taller than that in 6mm though no real safety margin if the brace has come off its probably because the front panel bowed so much under load. thats a worry!
 
Forty quid might sound like a bargain, but if it were me I would quit while you are ahead, i.e. the tank has not burst open and flooded the place. I know we can't all afford to splash out and buy expensive new stuff but we can't afford to spend all our time worrying about the tank bursting either, its just not worth it mate.

Steve
 
point noted, ive spent that much on equipment so far i may as well go the whole hog and whip out the credit card for a new tank. want one pretty fast so ill hit my local fs's tomorrow. at the the end of the day it not worth me sitting in bed or at work wondering how long the brace/front glass will hold.
 
get a custom made jobbie it'll be alot cheaper than an off the shelf (assuming you have a stand etc already)

have a chat with Jez at posidons palace he has some good prices and does good stuffs
 
krazypara3165 said:
point noted, ive spent that much on equipment so far i may as well go the whole hog and whip out the credit card for a new tank. want one pretty fast so ill hit my local fs's tomorrow. at the the end of the day it not worth me sitting in bed or at work wondering how long the brace/front glass will hold.
Click to expand...
I second that. 4ft (especially in 6mm glass) should have full length braces whith the cross braces then siliconed to them separately. Sounds like a botch job from an unscrupulous seller and its just not worth the risk. I'd say you've already had some good fortune in that it didn't crack and spill water all over :jawdrop
Good luck
 
krazypara3165 said:
point noted, ive spent that much on equipment so far i may as well go the whole hog and whip out the credit card for a new tank. want one pretty fast so ill hit my local fs's tomorrow. at the the end of the day it not worth me sitting in bed or at work wondering how long the brace/front glass will hold.
Click to expand...

Absolutely right!! Been there got the T-Shirt, never again.

Good luck with your project and lets see some pictures of how you get on.

Cheers,

Steve
 
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