120 gallon with split corner.

[Vicfortier]

I recently bought a true 120 gallon tank off craigslist for CHEAP. got heaters, filters, lights, gravel, stand, all for 185 bucks. only problem, the plastic bracing around the top of the tank splint at a joint in the corner, the silicone inside that corner separated also leaving me with a 120 gallon tank that i have no idea what to do with. Im looking to fix this as myself and have no idea how to go about it. i bought some aquarium silicone but dont know what to do with the brace. Also i noticed that the silicone around all of the edges seems to be separating from the glass. There are little bubbles of water inside of the silicone. If anyone could give me a link to a good website or just lay it out for me what exactly to buy and do, that would be spectacular. Thanks!

[Vicfortier]

*split at the joint, not splint. Any help would be awesome!

[Jhhnn]

I had a similar problem with a used 75. It's a lot of work, but here's what I did.

Pried the top frame off and repaired it. They really don't add strength except at the center brace. Mine was pvc, so I clamped & glued it with pvc solvent glue from the home center. Test the glue on an unexposed area, as pvc glue won't work on other plastic.

I scraped out all the sealant with razor blades (bought a 100 pack), pried the split corner apart a little so i could get an xacto knife blade into the joint to clean out all the sealant. I further cleaned all the surfaces to be sealed with mineral spirits & superfine steel wool, worked that down into the split corner seam too. The final step before sealing with Dap 100% food grade silicone was rinsing twice with acetone & paper towels. I used a wedge at the top of the split seam to hold it open a little while i filled it first, then removed the wedge. I then sealed the rest of the seams, & sealed the top back on... It was a lot of work, definitely not worth it except on larger tanks. Silicone seal doesn't stick to the dried product, unfortunately, so it needs to be done in a single session. Let dry for a week, and it hasn't leaked in 18 months...

I'm now wiser wrt used tanks...

[Vicfortier]

Thanks jhhnn. I'm may try that, I'm kinda thinking about just buying a frame off the web too though, not sure if I wanna chance a mistake and end up with 120 gallons on my floor, the one I have dosnt even have a center brace either and I think it probably should. Lol I'm in no rush though.

[Jhhnn]

A new top brace wouldn't hurt a thing. Classcages & others sell them. The issue with resealing is to have the surfaces absolutely spotless and oil-free, also to use fish-safe sealant.

[BobB]

Who ever manufactured the tank would have replament brace for it.

[Vicfortier]

I dont know manufacturer. no tag on tank and i bought it from previous owner. i might try and give the person i bought it from a call and see if they can tell me. I'll probably just buy a whole top frame. will that come with a center brace?

[BobB]

I would think a tank that size would have a center brace. BTW All Gllass and Oceanic are run by a company in Wisconsin.