Bubbles in seam. When to be concerned?

[csd99]

Hello all, about a year ago I bought a used planet 85 gallon tank. I had it up and running that whole year and had no issues, but I noticed early on that the seals were chewed up by crabs and there was a dime sized bubble at the top of one of the seams, as well as an inch long squiggle shaped bubble. Those have not appeared to have changed over the course of the year. The silicone is not cracked and other from what I listed, seems to be in good condition. Does anything I said here ring alarm bells for the more experienced reefers, or does it sound like that tank will probably last a good while longer?

Thanks!

 

[edsbeaker]

Hello all, about a year ago I bought a used planet 85 gallon tank. I had it up and running that whole year and had no issues, but I noticed early on that the seals were chewed up by crabs and there was a dime sized bubble at the top of one of the seams, as well as an inch long squiggle shaped bubble. Those have not appeared to have changed over the course of the year. The silicone is not cracked and other from what I listed, seems to be in good condition. Does anything I said here ring alarm bells for the more experienced reefers, or does it sound like that tank will probably last a good while longer?

Thanks!

Are you able to post some pictures? That would help us to determine if it is something to worry about.
.

 

[csd99]

Hello all, about a year ago I bought a used planet 85 gallon tank. I had it up and running that whole year and had no issues, but I noticed early on that the seals were chewed up by crabs and there was a dime sized bubble at the top of one of the seams, as well as an inch long squiggle shaped bubble. Those have not appeared to have changed over the course of the year. The silicone is not cracked and other from what I listed, seems to be in good condition. Does anything I said here ring alarm bells for the more experienced reefers, or does it sound like that tank will probably last a good while longer?

Thanks!

Are you able to post some pictures? That would help us to determine if it is something to worry about.
.

Lighting is poor but I believe that shows the bubbles and chewed seals well enough. Those are not bubbles in pic 1, just dirty glass

 

[edsbeaker]

That square and squiggly line looks different from what I have seen with seams failing. I think I’m just going to sit back and follow along until someone that knows more than me comes along on this one!

 

[UncommonSense]

That second picture is indeed the seam starting to peel at the top corner!

you can probably shine a flashlight through that silicone seam and see the bubbles illuminated!

This tank appears to be rimless and without a top eurobrace… is that the case? Or am I missing one or the other from the photos?

If it’s eurobraced, check the silicone seams on the braces themselves (both sides of each silicone seam, viewing through the clear glass) for any signs of silicone peeling/air bubbles forming…

If it isn’t a rimless tank, and the eurobrace seams look sound; you’re probably fine! — these tanks are reportedly quite robust!

 

[csd99]

That second picture is indeed the seam starting to peel at the top corner!

you can probably shine a flashlight through that silicone seam and see the bubbles illuminated!

This tank appears to be rimless and without a top eurobrace… is that the case? Or am I missing one or the other from the photos?

If it’s eurobraced, check the silicone seams on the braces themselves (both sides of each silicone seam, viewing through the clear glass) for any signs of silicone peeling/air bubbles forming…

If it isn’t a rimless tank, and the eurobrace seams look sound; you’re probably fine! — these tanks are reportedly quite robust!

It is indeed a rimless tank

 

[UncommonSense]

It is indeed a rimless tank

Hmm… that may change things a bit… in my experience/observations; rimless tanks tend to start peeling the long vertical panes off from the top down over time…

Here’s what you can do to try to get a better scope of the size of the bubble(s) on any of the seams on this tank:

Note how this rimless tank’s front left corner seam looks pristine when viewed standing in front of the tank, as one normally would!

But, if I look at the same seam from the opposite direction; looking through the short side pane at it:

I recommend checking both glass interfaces of every silicone seam that you actually can with the tank filled, then updating us from there if you find any other problem spots, or if the one you have shown is the only spot of concern!

 

[csd99]

Hmm… that may change things a bit… in my experience/observations; rimless tanks tend to start peeling the long vertical panes off from the top down over time…

Here’s what you can do to try to get a better scope of the size of the bubble(s) on any of the seams on this tank:

Note how this rimless tank’s front left corner seam looks pristine when viewed standing in front of the tank, as one normally would!

But, if I look at the same seam from the opposite direction; looking through the short side pane at it:

I recommend checking both glass interfaces of every silicone seam that you actually can with the tank filled, then updating us from there if you find any other problem spots, or if the one you have shown is the only spot of concern!

There is an identically shaped square bubble in every top corner of the tank. It is visible on both sides of the seam on the corner pictured, but only on one side of the other corners

 

[UncommonSense]

There is an identically shaped square bubble in every top corner of the tank. It is visible on both sides of the seam on the corner pictured, but only on one side of the other corners

Hmm… this isn’t ideal… it sounds like the tank has started the process of slowly, but surely peeling the long viewing panes off itself…

I’d reference mark the glass at the bottom of each bubble with a sharpie so you can monitor them for any progressive growth…

It could be time to start hunting for a good deal on a replacement tank, in the long run!

Alternatively, you can likely get some 3” wide strips of 1/2” (12mm) glass cut by a local glass cutter to make your own euro brace for the top interior of the tank!

 

[csd99]

Hmm… this isn’t ideal… it sounds like the tank has started the process of slowly, but surely peeling the long viewing panes off itself…

I’d reference mark the glass at the bottom of each bubble with a sharpie so you can monitor them for any progressive growth…

It could be time to start hunting for a good deal on a replacement tank, in the long run!

Alternatively, you can likely get some 3” wide strips of 1/2” (12mm) glass cut by a local glass cutter to make your own euro brace for the top interior of the tank!

How long would a euro brace possibly extend the lifespan?

 

[Troylee]

Tank looks fine! That little squiggly line was prolly there from production and not hurting anything.. the others are just cosmetic I wouldn’t sweat it.

 

[UncommonSense]

How long would a euro brace possibly extend the lifespan?

It’s hard to put a number on it; but likely until the factory silicone started failing due to age!

That little squiggly line was prolly there from production and not hurting anything.. the others are just cosmetic I wouldn’t sweat it.

I agree that one top corner bubble could definitely be a factory defect, but why are all four top corners?

 

[Troylee]

It’s hard to put a number on it; but likely until the factory silicone started failing due to age!


I agree that one top corner bubble could definitely be a factory defect, but why are all four top corners?

The one you posted is trash.. the op’s tank is fine if you ask me and I’d run it..

 

[UncommonSense]

The one you posted is trash.. the op’s tank is fine if you ask me and I’d run it..

Agreed on trash… I’m just curious what specifically makes or breaks a tank being usable/structurally sound in your eyes!

 

[Troylee]

Agreed on trash… I’m just curious what specifically makes or breaks a tank being usable/structurally sound in your eyes!

little bubbles in the center is a manufacturer defect.. those are tiny and not a problem. The tank you posted you can see delamination which looks chrome that’s all bad! That’s a structual issue and should be tossed or rebuilt not just a quick “reseal” of silicone around the inside.

 

[UncommonSense]

There is an identically shaped square bubble in every top corner of the tank. It is visible on both sides of the seam on the corner pictured, but only on one side of the other corners

little bubbles in the center is a manufacturer defect.. those are tiny and not a problem.

The aforementioned bubbles in the three other top corners though?

 

[Troylee]

The aforementioned bubbles in the three other top corners though?

I’m confused.. he shows one corner or possibly 2? I don’t see the other ones. From the pictures of the op post I’m good with what I see.

 

[UncommonSense]

I’m confused.. he shows one corner or possibly 2? I don’t see the other ones. From the pictures of the op post I’m good with what I see.

Ah, for context; OP only posted pics of the one top corner of this rimless ~ 9yr old Planet Aquariums tank.

I posted pics of my known bad tank to show OP what to look for/how to look for it in all other visible seams.

OP responded with the above quote, saying all four vertical seams showed a bubble in the top corners, but didn’t follow up with photos…

This is when I became concerned about the structural integrity of the tank… you would know better than me; given the numerous years of experience, of course!

— what’s your take? Photos of the other three top corner bubbles needed?

 

[Troylee]

Ah, for context; OP only posted pics of the one top corner of this rimless ~ 9yr old Planet Aquariums tank.

I posted pics of my known bad tank to show OP what to look for/how to look for it for it in all other visible seams.

OP responded with the above quote, saying all four vertical seams showed a bubble in the top corners, but didn’t follow up with photos…

This is when I became concerned about the structural integrity of the tank… you would know better than me; given the numerous years of experience, of course!

— what’s your take? Photos of the other three top corner bubbles needed?

Gotcha! Yeah I’d have to see the others. I can’t comment on them lol..

 

[csd99]

Gotcha! Yeah I’d have to see the others. I can’t comment on them lol..

They are all identical to the one pictured. Same size, shape, and location. Other than those, the silicone does seem to be in good shape. Figure a DIY euro brace is not a bad option for either my sanity or my wallet. Thanks for the help!