Except the bigger tanks in the G2 line have aluminum support in the stands as well as aluminum under the front panel of the “floating glass”. The S series is all euro braced and full aluminum stands.Couple reasons… for one if the glass is to thin it helps with deflection and strength of the original silicone joint.. The second reason would be more surface area for the silicone to bond to, in essence it strengthens the original silicone joint again! Also protects it from people and there scrapers gouging it… In theory anyways haha! I don’t know if it’s bad silicone, to thin of glass “which I doubt, water box and others use the same thickness” or just bad stands which are a known problem..
While it wouldn’t surprise me, logic of the construction of the newer G2 models won’t have “5 fails in one store” as that claim (hyperbole) states. I haven’t seen anything related to seems on the G2 yet. I have seen one person have a leak not related to the seams (believe it was a crack).
In any event - if I were in the market for a new tank, those new IM EXT models are hard to beat for price, build, aesthetics, and features (aside from a **** looking logo on some sumps ).