Should I be Worried About This?

[MossyFroggyLove]

Heyoo guys! So one of the seams on one of the glass bars on my tank has come lose. This seam specifically

Here is a video

. Its shaking like crazy with minimal pressure. Should I be worried?

Edit: Tank's volume is 20 gallons.

 

[Kiwi reefer]

Its not great as it looks its a brace, are you able to clean the surface and put some silicon on it?

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

Its not great as it looks its a brace, are you able to clean the surface and put some silicon on it?

Hmm, not sure. I think it is possible. I just need to make sure no silicone drips into the water as the water surface is rather close. I do have some silicone.

 

[vlangel]

Hmm, not sure. I think it is possible. I just need to make sure no silicone drips into the water as the water surface is rather close. I do have some silicone.

Also silicon wont adhere to a wet surface. Its best to drain the tank down some and then fix the brace.

 

[MadreeferNJ]

Doesn't the water in the tank put pressure on the glass and cause it to move farther away now that its broke? Years ago when I had fresh water tanks the plastic brace would break and didn't reach all the way afterwards. I would glue another piece of plastic on top and bottom of the brace.

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

Doesn't the water in the tank put pressure on the glass and cause it to move farther away now that its broke? Years ago when I had fresh water tanks the plastic brace would break and didn't reach all the way afterwards. I would glue another piece of plastic on top and bottom of the brace.

Doesnt seem to be moving farther yet. But it'll probably start doing so if I dont take action quickly.

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

Also silicon wont adhere to a wet surface. Its best to drain the tank down some and then fix the brace.

Yeah, I think I would be able to drain the tank a little, probably an inch or 2 less. And then I would have to cleanly wipe it to make sure there isnt any moisture or salt stains. Luckily this whole week is a holiday for me.

 

[Fish Fan]

If the center brace is glass and the rim of the tank is plastic, then silicon is not going to provide a strong bond between the two. I suspect that's why it failed to begin with, but certainly you can try to repair it with silicon. Maybe GENTLY squeeze the front and back glass closer to each other with some bar clamps, then re adhering the silicon and the center brace.

Definitely clean off all the old silicon, and clean the surfaces with isopropyl alcohol before applying the new silicon.

Good luck!

 

[DJF]

Interesting that a 20g would have a center brace. What are the tank dimensions?

 

[Fish Fan]

I didn't see that this was a 20 gallon tank, I thought it was much larger

A 20 gallon shouldn't need a center brace, someone may have added those glass strips to support lighting or something, but I don't think they are structural.

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

Interesting that a 20g would have a center brace. What are the tank dimensions?

L×w×h, 60×30×45 cm.

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

If the center brace is glass and the rim of the tank is plastic, then silicon is not going to provide a strong bond between the two. I suspect that's why it failed to begin with, but certainly you can try to repair it with silicon.

The tank is fully glass

 

[Fish Fan]

The tank is fully glass

With a plastic rim around the top and bottom?

I've never known a 20 gallon like that to need a center brace, so I'm pretty sure the glass pieces were added afterwards. Again, the manufacturer would have known not otherwise use silicon with glass and plastic

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

Also, I forgot to mention, the front glass pane and the sides are all on piece of glass the is curved at the edges as you can see in these pics.

The tank's lights havent switched on yet.
Does this curve, one pane glass make any difference to the structural strenght pf the tank

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

With a plastic rim around the top and bottom?

I've never known a 20 gallon like that to need a center brace, so I'm pretty sure the glass pieces were added afterwards. Again, the manufacturer would have known not otherwise use silicon with glass and plastic

No plastic rims.

 

[Dom]

It is a 20 gallon tank. Were it my tank, I wouldn't worry. Water pressure at the top is minimal.

 

[Fish Fan]

That's not exactly what I was expecting to see, but I agree, I think you'll be fine with a smaller tank like yours.

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

That's not exactly what I was expecting to see

What do you mean? I dont really understand.

 

[Fish Fan]

What do you mean? I dont really understand.

I assumed you had something like these standard, plastic-rimmed tanks:

None of the black around the top of your tank is plastic?

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

I assumed you had something like these standard, plastic-rimmed tanks

None of the black around the top of your tank is plastic?

Oh. No, the black is just a tape only on the outer part of the tank to hide the water surface. There isnt any plastic rim on the inside or anything.