Impending seam failure? Or safe?

[inktomi]

Not sure if [EMERGENCY] is right, but I hope not so I'll leave it off... I have a several years old AGE tank with half inch low-iron glass. Today while doing some cleaning, I noticed this seam, and how far back the silicone has receded due to algae and whatever else it encounters in the tank.

You can see in the photo the damage. About 3/16" worth of seam has let loose for maybe 25-50% of the total height of the panel. The photo is the worst spot. You can see that the loose silicone is almost to where the other panel of glass would be, but not quite.

What should I do? Is it time to plan on a replacement tank, given the lead time on tanks like ReefSavy/etc? I know you can't really repair seams without removing the panel of glass and entirely reworking the silicone seam. I seriously doubt it'd be worth it to repair, though maybe.

I was juuuustt about to start getting coral back into my tank after a crash!

 

[Hydrored]

@Joe Glass Cages for input and to help on the ordering timelines

 

[Supa]

If you can use this excuse to go ahead and order a new reef savvy tank I would. Will the seam fail on the current tank?Im not sure but seams failing is a horrible thing so I would get a new tank if I could swing it

 

[ColoredRock]

other panel of glass would be

Me personally having gone thru this it that there is a "decorative" bead for lack of a better word.. and then there is the silicon that "bonds" the 2 panels together.. here is a picture that I took before making the decision to switch tanks.

at the end all be all it is about your comfort level.

 

[dvgyfresh]

It’s not worth the stress , I would get a new tank, I mean now you got an awesome reptile tank!

 

[inktomi]

I agree - I don't _think_ it's to the silicone that's actually bonding the glass panels. I think (emphasis on the think) that it's only gone as far as the curved "decretive" edge of the bead that forms as it's pushed into the corner.

 

[inktomi]

Do we think this would spread from where it is currently? Or do these failures happen all at once? I'm not sure how long it's been like this, but it doesn't seem like it was overnight.

I would make sense that the seam is least strong where these incursions are into the silicone - probably causing locally higher stress on the remaining seam and increasing the chance of it spreading - or am I overthinking things?

 

[ColoredRock]

Do we think this would spread from where it is currently? Or do these failures happen all at once? I'm not sure how long it's been like this, but it doesn't seem like it was overnight.

I would make sense that the seam is least strong where these incursions are into the silicone - probably causing locally higher stress on the remaining seam and increasing the chance of it spreading - or am I overthinking things?

Mark it on the glass like I did on the old tank.. I used a "Wipe board marker".. but even a permanent marker on glass will wipe off. (test it first).

 

[ColoredRock]

Mark it on the glass like I did on the old tank.. I used a "Wipe board marker".. but even a permanent marker on glass will wipe off. (test it first).

For me I took a couple weeks to make the decision after watching it grow... but again it is about your comfort level.

 

[inktomi]

Mark it on the glass like I did on the old tank.. I used a "Wipe board marker".. but even a permanent marker on glass will wipe off. (test it first).

;Facepalm I looked at the red lines and thought "huh, somehow they got in there between the glass panels and marked it". It makes soooo much more sense now. That's a great idea, I'll mark it for sure.

 

[Joe Glass Cages]

@Joe Glass Cages for input and to help on the ordering timelines

thank @Hydrored ... we can rush build in a 4 week timeline. normal build time is about 5 to 9 weeks right now.

@inktomi, you have some great feed back and suggestions already. Totally agree with marking the tank. will allow you to measure movement and how serious this is or if it is even serious. a couple more pictures could be helpful. Do you see bubbles in the seams? bubbles like the ones in the picture shared by @ColoredRock. Those are signs of separation.

so... what do you do, what can you do if the tank is separating on the vertical seams? to buy time, you can wrap the tank with a strap and tighten the strap to pull the tank back together. you can use a large C-clamp to do the same thing. many on the forum have used these techniques successfully to by some time. In the end, if the tank is really failing, it needs to be dealt with.

@ColoredRock also shared, what's your comfort level. So true. sometimes its more about how you feel than what anyone can share. And then you will to what @dvgyfresh shared regarding the stress of all this.

you have a ton of support on this forum. Lots of help here and many here to support you.

 

[inktomi]

Thank you @Joe Glass Cages! There are bubbles and even some algae and stuff like that in the separated areas, so it's for sure got water access into the seam. There are not bubbles past where my photo shows though, so in that regard it seems like the seperation isn't complete. I marked the tank, if it is growing then I'll have to replace it. This is a very large tank (270ish gallons) and I sit in front of it to work each day. I don't want a horrible surprise one day! Here are some closer photos as well.

 

[inktomi]

I’m thinking that this damage was probably done with zealous algae scraping, rather than the seam letting go itself. There’s been no change overnight, but I didn’t really think there would be. I’ll keep watching it.

Honestly, if there is a chance of failure I’ll place an order for a new tank today. It’s just not worth the risk. However, if the damage is cosmetic and not enough to hurt the overall integrity of the joint then I’d like to save the many thousands of dollars a new tank will cost.

The overall seam is about 5/8” thick on a half inch piece of glass. About 30% of the width of the seam is no longer intact. Is that cosmetic? Structural?

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

Also check that the tank is dead level. good luck.

 

[inktomi]

The tank is level on its stand, so that at least isn’t an issue. The whole stand is unfortunatly not level, with the tank leaning to the side with the silicone issue a few degrees from level.

 

[Skep18]

Long shot but any update on this tank @inktomi ? Is it still up and running or did you replace it?

 

[inktomi]

It is still going. I do want to replace it with a smaller tank. I have not noticed any progression of the edge.

 

[Skep18]

It is still going. I do want to replace it with a smaller tank. I have not noticed any progression of the edge.

That's awesome to hear! Good to have long term feedback on items like this. The subject is obviously a sensitive one, of which many would err on the side of caution. But looking at the loads involved, I saw a thread suggesting the actual peel strength of most silicone edges/joints far exceeds the loads induced from water pressure. Knowing that, it would seem if you have a significant portion of contiguous edge sealed, they should hold the loads. I think the real concern comes into play when the delamination occurs on a bottom horizontal joint on the front panel from the glass deflection, not just the water pressure.

Only reason I even looked here, I, like many others I'm sure, am always paranoid about scraping glass next to silicone edges. Any time I even get close to the glue fillet, I wince. lol. Even though its supposed to be ornamental/non-structural. But testimonies such as yours are always a good reassurance to us paranoid type. I appreciate your response!