brighamthatcher Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 (edited) 50 gallon bow front Edited December 14, 2020 by brighamthatcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 It could fail causeing one of your panels of glass to blow out 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Pearl Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 I'm not sure of the size of your tank, but if it is big enough to have a center support I'd say it's a good size. I had a 72g bow front crack in exactly the same manner and shortly thereafter it broke entirely. Nothing catastrophic happened, but I did replace the tank within the week. That center support is in there for a reason. It's not just there to support a top or light. I would replace the tank as absolutely as soon as you are able. The longer you wait the more you risk a major failure. I have not heard of anyone successfully repairing something like this. Well, anything that is worth looking at. If you drill it for an added support brace, you create a stress concentration where it will fail. You could epoxy a piece of plastic over each crack with at least an inch over lap on each side of the crack. You will of course need to clean the area extremely well to ensure good adhesion. The problem is your lids will no longer fit unless you do this repair from the under side. It should go with out saying, but I'm going to say it any way, This type of repair will be horrible for fish if you perform it with fish in the tank. If you think soap is bad, how about fumes from epoxy xxxx for fish!!! That's why I'd simply go with a new tank. Less risk of death or other catastrophe. I wish you luck with your situation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brighamthatcher Posted December 16, 2020 Author Share Posted December 16, 2020 Thanks for the reply. I ended up wiping the area with an alcohol wipe and put some aquarium silicone on the entire area of the brace with any cracks and a bit on the underside. I have no idea how strong aquarium silicone is. If you were me, would you still buy another aquarium? its 50 gallons On 12/14/2020 at 8:15 PM, Dandy Pearl said: I'm not sure of the size of your tank, but if it is big enough to have a center support I'd say it's a good size. I had a 72g bow front crack in exactly the same manner and shortly thereafter it broke entirely. Nothing catastrophic happened, but I did replace the tank within the week. That center support is in there for a reason. It's not just there to support a top or light. I would replace the tank as absolutely as soon as you are able. The longer you wait the more you risk a major failure. I have not heard of anyone successfully repairing something like this. Well, anything that is worth looking at. If you drill it for an added support brace, you create a stress concentration where it will fail. You could epoxy a piece of plastic over each crack with at least an inch over lap on each side of the crack. You will of course need to clean the area extremely well to ensure good adhesion. The problem is your lids will no longer fit unless you do this repair from the under side. It should go with out saying, but I'm going to say it any way, This type of repair will be horrible for fish if you perform it with fish in the tank. If you think soap is bad, how about fumes from epoxy xxxx for fish!!! That's why I'd simply go with a new tank. Less risk of death or other catastrophe. I wish you luck with your situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schwack Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 A quick google says that aquarium silicon uses a different chemical to begin the curing process vs. other household silicon sealants. I don't have experience with aquarium silicon specifically, but my experience with household sealants says that it will not function as much of a glue, especially with several hundred pounds of water pushing the brace further apart. If it were me, I'd be going crazy trying to replace the tank within a week, even if it meant downsizing temporarily. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quikv6 Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 I don't believe silicone would add any significant tensile strength to resist the pressure from the water on the glass. I do believe JB Weld makes a plastic epoxy which may (keyword: may) be a very temporary solution, but then you are dealing with epoxy and any consequences from it. While JB Weld is a great product and has its merits and uses, I would really be hesitant to say an aquarium is one of them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Pearl Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 @Schwack and @quikv6 are correct. Aquarium silicone is only good mechanically for long flat wide surfaces like joining the faces of the glass. It is not good for short, narrow plastic. Even if you use epoxy, I would not use it alone, I would use a reinforcement patch over the crack to give it extra mechanical strength. This could be a temp fix until you can afford a new tank. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brighamthatcher Posted December 18, 2020 Author Share Posted December 18, 2020 great advice. I definitely can't afford a new aquarium because I am only 14 and I don't have that kind of cash. maybe ill just wait a few months for a dollar per gallon sale and buy a 40 breeder 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 I would lower water level so there is not as much pressure on the brace 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d23perry Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 Couple of years ago I accidentally damaged the center support brace on my 55g. Didn’t realize how important that was until I noticed the significant bowing days later. Even worse, I was going away for a week and didn’t feel comfortable with leaving the tank for days knowing that a catastrophic fail was imminent. I ran to home depot and bought a clamp to provide the needed support. It worked perfectly! On the way home, I picked up a new 55g tank, which thankfully was conveniently timed with Petco’s dollar for gallon sale. But I swear that the clamp could have held the tank indefinitely. If you are in a pinch for cash, that will hold you for a good while https://www.homedepot.com/p/BESSEY-24-in-Clutch-Style-Bar-Clamp-with-Wood-Handle-and-2-1-2-in-Throat-Depth-GSCC2-524/204986197 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schwack Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 59 minutes ago, d23perry said: Couple of years ago I accidentally damaged the center support brace on my 55g. Didn’t realize how important that was until I noticed the significant bowing days later. Even worse, I was going away for a week and didn’t feel comfortable with leaving the tank for days knowing that a catastrophic fail was imminent. I ran to home depot and bought a clamp to provide the needed support. It worked perfectly! On the way home, I picked up a new 55g tank, which thankfully was conveniently timed with Petco’s dollar for gallon sale. But I swear that the clamp could have held the tank indefinitely. If you are in a pinch for cash, that will hold you for a good while https://www.homedepot.com/p/BESSEY-24-in-Clutch-Style-Bar-Clamp-with-Wood-Handle-and-2-1-2-in-Throat-Depth-GSCC2-524/204986197 Aesthetics aside, this seems like it might be a cheap solution for a while. So long as you don't go nuts tightening it up! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevesFishTanks Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 (edited) You could silicone in a piece of glass directly under the brace to both sides before it gets worse and the tank bows. once it dries it will be rock solid and the plastic will still hold up your lids. I reinforced one of my tanks this way. It had some damage to the brace from a really hot light melting it. this can be done leaving the fish in the tank as long as the brace hasn't cracked fully and the glass is still being held where it's supposed to be. you can just drop the water level and glue it the nice thing is you can put a really thick layer of silicone on top of the glass and squish it all the way up to underneath the brace and tie all of it together as one big blob Edited December 18, 2020 by s1_ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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