Top Frame Splitting - Cause for Concern ?

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vanillarum

vanillarum

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I have a 46 gallon bowfront tank that has been set up for at least 4 or 5 years, and it is starting to develop a crack in the top frame near the brace. I'm wondering if I need to be concerned about this ? I really don't want 46 gallons of water on my family room wall to wall carpet. Any comments or ideas ? Thanx.



 
Joseph Huntley

Joseph Huntley

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well what I would be most concerned about is what is causing it. is

it just the plastic dry rotting or something from the heat and lights being on it for so long?

or is there some unknown pressure inside the tank all the sudden rearing its nasty head and pushing against the frame?

it looks like the crack is in the middle of the tank from the pics so I would definitely be bracing it.

I know how I would do it but for the avg person they prob dont have access. I would get me some 1" angle iron and weld together a frame and shape it for the bow on front. but not everyone has a tig or arc welder handy.

the other way would be to make a wood frame and cut the bow in one of the boards. after you get the bow cut and sanded I would take a router and route a recess in the wood so it slides tightly over the existing frame and then silicone it all in place and then watch the glass for a few days.
 
Rbishop

Rbishop

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Plastic aging from lights, original or stepped up would be a concern. Bur in any case, whether the plastic aged or not, the pressure has to be there to make it split. If the glass moved enough to force weak plastic to split, I'd bust down the whole tank, do an interior re-seal, re-frame the tank and set it all back up.
 
FishFanMan

FishFanMan

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I have a 12 gallon bowfront in which I purposely removed my center brace. By doing that the bow moved outwards about 1/8th inch. I would not want to speculate what might happen to a 46 gallon! I would get a new tank.
 
FreshyFresh

FreshyFresh

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Does the crack get smaller if you pull out a bunch of water?

Like Bob suggested, frame replacement is an option, or if you've got fab skills and resources, make a center brace out of rust-proof metal that hooks over the front and back.

FWIW, my newer 20 long bows a good 1/8" easy. My 29 did too.
 
Ranger

Ranger

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YES, that is a problem. Those center braces keep the glass panes from bowing past their safe flexibilityrange. It’s the back panel that will be affected on a bow front more than the front if that center brace fails. I have known of people removing them on different sizes of tanks but it is always a risk in my opinion.
If you can first determine the cause of the damage, than maybe you can repair the brace by using marine epoxy to bond flat plastic doubler pieces on both faces that cover the crack (a sandwich repair). Use a strong plastic similar to the brace,try and overlap the doublers at least an inch past the crack on each side. Use sand paper to rough up the surfaces of the parts so you get a better bond with the epoxy.
 
Glabe

Glabe

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viboy

viboy

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I had this on my regular 72 gallon and it spilled half the water in the middle of the night. I would tear it down.
 
FreshyFresh

FreshyFresh

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Yeah, it seems tanks w/out center braces can tolerate some bowing. I've never seen a braceless one not bow some. If it was designed with a brace, I wouldn't want any visible bowage.
 
verbal

verbal

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Is there a crack in the front, in addition to the one on the brace itself.

If it is more than just the brace, I personally would probably get a new tank.

I would at least look into getting a new frame and check the bottom frame also.
 
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