Help! Center support on 240 gallon aquariium

[Armando]

Hello every body out there!! I'm fairly new here on Simply Discus. I have a 240 gallon tank and the center support just gave way and collapsed into the water. It took along with it four sets of lights and the glass tops. Luckily I caught it right away and the lights did not short out in the water(Whew!!!). I am draining the water out of it right now. My question is that the tank was bowing approx.
1-1.5 inches in the middle. Hopefully there is somebody out there that builds tanks or is familiar with construction of them. Can the aquarium give way without the center support? What would cause this? Would the tank be safe by simply resiliconing? The tank was only about 10-11 months old and I am very surprised that it did this. I am currently firing up some more tanks and draining the water from 240 into those tanks and I am going to use the filters and sponge filters out of 240 so I can keep the bio. Going to be a late night............

[RandalB]

I've never dealt with that large of a tank, but I did the same thing with a 40 gallon, fortunately while doing a w/c. The center support is necessary unless you want 240 gallons of water on the floor. It will bow everytime you w/c until the silicone gives way and the tank breaks.

You have a couple of options:

1) order a new top for the tank from the manufacturer. They are real cheap and fairly easy to replace.

2) improvise a center brace out of Plexiglass, plastic or wood. (I used a piece of wood on mine) I know people that have used plastic rulers as patches

3) Use the tank for a reptile habitat.

I personally would go for #1 you can do a lot of damage to your house with that much water.

HTH,
RandalB

[limige]

i agree wtih randall, contact the company or the store you purchased it from for a replacement peice. they are easy to put on and save a ton, or silicone something else in place if for some reason you can't get a replacement plastic frame. i've used glass before but it came off, that's what i get for laying the tank sideways when i siliconed it....


or just bring it to my house, i'd love to have it ;D ok had to throw that in...my biggest is a 190 ;)

[Richman]

Since it is a large tank, I would assume that the center brace is made of glass and not a piece of a plastic frame.
If this is the case, then it can easily be replaced once the tank is empty.
I have done it by stacking books, magazines, and sheets of paper in the bottom of the empty tank and laying the brace on top of them precisely in place. Make sure you have enough space on each end to get a bead of silicone between the glass surfaces. Let it begin to set up and then run another bead all the way around the edges. I would not be stingy with the silicone. Just make sure you don't make a mess where it shows below the frame. Let it set up for about 72 hours and you are done.
BTW, how wide is the center brace? I would think you should need one at least 2 feet wide on a tank that size. If it is not, go buy another piece of glass. Just make sure that it is about 1/8 inch shorter than the distance across the tank so you have a space for the silicone.

[Mr. Limpet]

I am confused. I have never seen a 240 that was not plexiglass. But this sounds like glass. Although I can't imagine a glass tank bowing 1 to 1.5 inches. So, which is it, and what are the dimensions? Standard plexi 240's are 24 x 24 x 96 and have a solid top piece with cutouts. Also, how thick is the material? Paul.

[Armando]

Whew, that was scary. I've never seen a tank bow that much either. The tank is glass 96x24x24. The center support is made out of glass, 2 ft. x 22 in. x .5 in. thick. All the glass on the tank is .5 in thick.
Richman hit the nail right on the head. The silicon gave way on one side and the glass fell into the water along with all the lights and glass top. :P Is there anything I can do to reinforce it after I resilicone so this doesn't happen again? Randal's right, 240 gallons can do alot of damage to the house and I certainly don't want to experience it!
I have all the discus in two 75's and they are a little stressed right now. They are wondering where all their space is. ;D Some of them have a few scratches from the move and when the glass caved in. I put some salt into the tanks to help them out. They look bigger in the 75's. He-He-He.
Thanks for the the advice, I appreciate it. I was freakin' :o :scared:

Armando

[Richman]

It is surprising how much glass will flex before it breaks.

Yes, you can add additional support. The key is to add as much surface as possible on each end of the brace. Get a couple of pieces of 3/8 glass the same length as the brace and about 2 inches wide. Attach them at a right angle to each side of the brace with silicone. Then attach this whole assembly as a brace. It will provide more glass surface on which to place more sealant. The more silicone, the better.

[Mr. Limpet]

Wow! A glass 240! Is it tempered glass? I'm just amazed if it is not, because the weight has to be incredible. Does it have a plastic frame like a standard glass tank? Depending on your top, and how much it hides, you could build a center support out of metal channeling that captures the front and back and threaded steel rod that holds them together. these can be hidden and rust proofed, and they are relatively cheap. Good luck! I still can't believe it a glass 240! Who makes it? Paul.

[Mr. Limpet]

Just another note, My neighbor from years gone by, was a Glazier. He tought me how to cut glass. He used to install windows in high rise buildings in SF. The glass didn't fit in the frames without bowing it first and then slipping it in to place. All the other construction workers made sure that they were not any where close when they did their installs. Paul.

[RAWesolowski]

Armando,

You may want to talk directly to the manufacturer about your tank. They appear to be very supportive of hobbyists and will stand firmly behind their products.

I know that All-Glass has gone out of its way to replace units.

[Smokey]

I had a 230 gallon tank 1/2 " thick glass - 72" long x 24" wide x 30" tall. Wonderful tank , losts of swimming room.

However - I expierenced exactly the same porblem. The top center glass support, seperated from the silicone! AND THE FRONT GLASS CRACKED - FROM THE TOP DOWN - DIRECTLY IN THE CENTRE.

Funny thing - as the water seeped out the crack cloesd and sealed the tank. This prevented the water from empting and the fish being left high and dry !!! 6 inches
of water remained in the tank.

As was suggested - instal a new top glass center brace.
Suggestion - go as thick as you can - double or even triple the glass thickness / glue pieces of glass together. YOU need surface area to get a good tough bound.

And yes - glass does "bow" - flex - to a point.

HTH
Smokey

[Armando]

Wow guys, thanks for all th advice!! :) :) :) I have my local lfs where I purchased tank getting ahold of the manufacture. They are going to see if they will replace tank. I think it is still in the warranty period for this type of occurance ;D If they do not replace it I will resilicone it and add extra support, it's too much water to take a chance!!
I forget the manufactures name at this time, Cal something...they are a company out of So. California. They were helpful when I puchased it, let's see how they are after the sale. Hopefully they will stand behind their product. LFS said they hadn't encountered this problem before. If lfs doesn't have any luck, I will contact the manufacture myself.
I don't know if it is made out of tempered glass or not. I have a large bow front made by All-Glass and know that it is made out of tempered glass. Yes, the 240 is heavy. It must weigh somewhere between 275-350 pounds. I had a custom stand made for it that stands 44 inches tall and it weighs even more!! Come to think about it, it might be a lot easier to just repair it.......

Thanks, Armando

[Mr. Limpet]

Armando, I didn't realize that you were a local. What store did you get it from?

Smokey, I have been dying for a 30" tall large tank. Even in Plexi, the costs shoots way up past 24".

Paul.

[Armando]

Paul, I got the aquarium at Exotic Aquarium here in Sacramento. They gave me a great deal. I refer alot of people to them. I'm going down there later on today. I'll get the name of the manufacture for you then.


Armando

[Smokey]

The glass on your tank is not tempered!
The bow front tank is.

Tempering glass means firing the glass to a high temperture, and letting cool slowly. This is how they shape glass.
Tempertured glass fragments, when broken; tiny pieces ... rather than large shards.

Tempered glass is actually " MORE BRITTLE '!!! Less ductile.

And the cost is higher.

Smokey