Pending disaster!

[imsqueak]

Hey, got home from frag swap and noticed something sticking down from my center brace! Checked it and it is cracked all the way across with a banana shaped pc hanging into the water. OMG!

Art, do you have that glass guys number? I hope he can do something to help QUICK!

[imsqueak]

ok, back from Lowes with heavy duty slide clamp things and have put them on. I just knew Pauline would call while I was gone to say the tank just split apart. Oh, I so dont need this now. Leaving on vacation in 2 wks so even the repair will make me worry the whole time.

[cee]

Man, that is a bummer! The clamps should hold for awhile, just don't over-clamp it (I state the obvious), and put something between the clamp and the glass to cushion it. It should hold like that until you can figure out what to do next. I'd offer you some space if you need to drain the tank, but don't have any room.

Dave

[awcurl]

Sent you a pm with the info.

[gflat65]

Best wishes, Don.

[janasleah]

Yikes! Sorry about that, Don; that would creep me out!:eek:

[fishdoc11]

:eek2:

Good luck.

[Atlantis Aquariums]

This almost happened to me today too! Luckily we got the tank drained in time. A crack formed in the top brace perpendicular to the center brace and another down the middle of the center brace. There was at least 1/2 inch gap!

How old was you tank and who was it made by?

michele

[imsqueak]

Michele,

Dont know, I bought it used ... My center brace is about 1/2" thick glass and about 2' wide. My 400mh are in the center and 250s are on the ends of the tank. I have some salt buildup on the center brace as always. I can only suspect that has something to do with it - however, the banana pc and the crack was not directly below the bulb, maybe 4" forward from the 400w bulb's direct 90* spot. I dont have any burn marks on the plastic trim of the center brace either.

I feel comfortable with the brackets I have on the tank as far as integrity goes but I expect a gouge in the head sometime soon since 24" brackets only expanded 23 3/4" so I had to buy 48".

[TriMax]

Don

You know what I have setup now. I think it is not ready to be of any help. BUT if I can be of any help, let me know.

Eddie

[Runner]

Sorry I missed your call, Don. I was out of town all last week and just got home this morning. Let me know if you need me to do anything to help out with your tank while you are gone.

[EvilMel]

Crap! That's totally crazy! Let us know if we can do anything.

[imsqueak]

Glass guy has been busy but should be here tomorrow night. I wonder if I'm just dreaming but I sure do hope he can somehow cut away the old center brace and install the new one without me draining it. I can handle taking 100g out for the repair process, then raise it so my CL can run and not touch the silicon.

I've always had a fear of a system failure so I've always opened the front door and looked at my water level when I come home. Now my heart races and I squint every time I open the door. And it's my last thought before I go to bed and my first thought when I wake up because I realized I dont have something to distribute the pressure between the brackets. I guess I could buy some angle iron to help if the repair will take a while...

[Freed]

When you stated banana shaped pc, do you mean piece or does pc stand for something else? Wish I could help ya.

[easttn]

Don,

Hope the best comes out of this, leaking and busted tanks are brain freeze. Can you manufacture a brace around the upper lip that wont allow the tank to flex. Wood trim with datos on a couple of cross members maybe

Good luck man.

[imsqueak]

Fred, pc = piece, I thought you were a transportation guy. It's not really banana shaped either. Here's a shot of it (center brace is 2ft wide!) I think the crack in the back is new since Saturday but couldnt swear to it. It's superficial anyhow since the brace was split side to side anyhow but now there is no option of putting another pc over it to fix it - it has to be cut out and replaced.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/35995IMG_0258__Small_.JPG

Charles, thanks for support, I know you know how it feels but I'd describe it as "heart melt". I'll consider support options after the glass guy comes and we discuss options. It WILL have support because I cant handle a phone call while I'm in Miami saying I have a flood.

[cee]

From the pic, it looks like you have lights above the glass. I don't remember the specifics, but what wattage and height above the glass? Is the glass getting hot from the lights and water splashing up onto the underside? That could cause the cracking. Or is the glass submerged under the water (doesn't look like it is)?

Dave

[easttn]

I think you'll need to fab something before the glass guy starts to cut away the brace. It may need compression support once that 2' cross piece is removed. I also agree with Dave, it looks like your bulbs are roasting the top, put a thermoter there for an hour or so. Do you have wood or something between the clamp jaws and the tank so the pressure points are spread out?

[imsqueak]

It was probably a combination of several things but HEAT was the thing that cracked it:
I recently changed over to 2x400W in the center of the tank.
I recently removed the fans that were blowing over the tank.
I recently drilled my overflows to lower the water so I would get less salt creep on the top of the center brace. (DUMBEST IDEA)

Glass guy was just here. He didn't sound very positive about it. Several points we considered:
Cant use solvents to clean the glass spotless because it will have my fish & corals in it and some could drip into the water.
Cutting out the center brace is going to mean some old silicon will get into the tank but I normally run micron bags anyhow.
Cutting out the brace will be risky with it full of water.

He's thinking of making a glass bracket that will fit over the tank and over the trim 1.5". Like l_____________l Using 1/2" tempered for top and regular 1/2" for edges. I'm not sure I like that idea. How detrimental would it be if I just razor blade the heck out of it and maybe even get some fine wet sandpaper to avoid using solvents?

One thing's for sure, it wont be fixed before I go on vacation so I'll leave the sitter Serve-Pro's number to come fix the mess if I have one.

[cee]

Structurally, I don't think the U shape will be as strong. The forces will be at at the points where the pieces join, and the force will place a twisting motion or torque on the silicone at that point. Two C-clamps will hold indefinately, just place them at the two edges of the existing center brace. Put your fan back on to cool the center brace so you don't have any more cracking. With those two "backup" measures, you'll be fine until you decide on a permanent fix.

Dave

[EvilMel]

Hey Don, just so you don't lose your whole tank at some point and all, have you thought about draining it completely and just keeping your stuff in those big containers like Charles used? Kinda like the ones Art has out in his garage. Aren't they pretty cheap at like Tractor Supply? You could keep your rock wet and cycled and everything. Art had fish down in there and everything.

Anyways, just a thought so you have some time to get the job done right.

Whatever you decide to do, unfortunately, I think you might need to get a longer pole to hang your lights on so you can spread them out a bit.

[awcurl]

Don, you should be able to clean it without dripping into the tank.
You just need to clean the glass with a Lacquer thinner or toluene. You just dampen a clean cotton cloth and clean the glass after removing all the silicone. You don't saturate the cloth to the point of dripping, only dampen it. The most you may have to do is lower the level 4" to 6" to give the guy room to work. I'm sure the glass guy is thinking of the liability in a worst case scenario, but really it's not that big of a risk.

[Runner]

Perhaps the painted angle iron idea squeezed together with all-thread(mentioned in the DIY forum) would work. I am trying to picture how it would go together, though. At least you wouldn't have the glass to clean anymore. And you wouldn't have to try to attach a honker piece of glass over your living tank.

[SmartWrasse]

Sounds like some good input above. I am not sure what to do, but let us know if we can help. Do you have a call list of ETRC members for the tank sitter?

[imsqueak]

I kinda like the angle iron bracket(s) myself but they would be unsightly and unless designed right they will not distribute the pressure as well as a glass brace.

On my way to work this morning I was thinking about the glass used in ovens and I happen to import for a company that makes oven doors. By chance, they/she called for a quote this morning and I explained my situation. So she says "just give me the exact dims and I'll have one cut for you". I told her I'd need at least 1/2" glass and about 24x24 and she said "ok, tempered, right?". COOL! Next best part is it's FREE.

[cee]

Awesome, Don, and you can't beat the price! That should solve all your problems. If that can't take the heat, we're all in trouble.

Dave

[awcurl]

How about an update!! Have you gotten it repaired?

[imsqueak]

Well, thankfully it held together for my vacation. Dennis is tied up on a job till Tues or Wed. We decided to go with a bracket type fix. Angle iron welded, sand blasted, primed and epoxied. It will wrap over the tank and be siliconed in place. Probably not the prettiest fix but I like the idea better than another glass brace because the light will not have anything blocking it's penetration.

He gave a reasonable price for it too, considering he will have made two house calls, remove the old glass, and install the custom bracket. It's still not guaranteed though.

[cee]

An idea which you might want to consider, but may not be possible. Before applying the silicone between the glass and the metal frame, leave a slight gap between the two. Then, with the clamps still on, apply the silicone in the gaps (front and back) and leave the clamps on until the silicone drys. This will act as a "cushion" between the glass and the steel. BTW, this solution of yours seems like a very good one!

Dave

[imsqueak]

It's fixed. Dennis had a bracket welded out of angle iron and flat iron. Siliconed it to the top of the tank. The task was getting the broken brace out. Took about 1.5 hrs with the right tools. Would have taken me 2-3 times that plus a trip to the hospital to get stiches. I'm liking the bracket. Less to block the light. However, I woke up this morning to find $50 on the floor. To bad it was in the form of a dead purple tang!

[Angela Short]

:eek2:

[EvilMel]

Dang that sucks. I have had a rash of fish jumping out of both my tanks. I had one of Matt's clownfish jump out a month or so ago and also had my practically brand-new red banded goby jump out of the little tank. I have had more fish jump out of the tank on me in the last year than I have ever had. It stinks!

[reefstyle]

Don, If you still need I have a extra brace from a oc 200 gl you are welcome to. I also have silicon (aquarium grade) aga. I fixed the last tank like this. The biggest key is to clean the glass with a razor blade and support the glass from the underside. I used pvc pipe to support it while it dried(use the clamps but just as dave said don't clamp to hard. Do not worry about excess silicon you can always remove extra with a blade. If you need anything just call the store they can get in touch with me. Dennis

[imsqueak]

Thanks Dennis, I think it's all set and actually improved without a glass brace. The glass brace was always partially submerged which was an eyesore, heat transfer, and algae/salt creep trap. When I dropped the water so it wasnt submerged the heat and water splash likely caused it to crack.

[reefstyle]

No problem! dennis