Need advice!! Bowed glass

[Kallen]

Hey all. This forum has a TON of stuff, and lots of info I could use. I've been into aquariums for years, but am pretty much self taught on what I know. However, I have an issue that is kinda scarin' me and I need advice!!

I have a 90 gallon glass aquarium (fresh). The tank is about 12 years old, and I've had it 6 years. A few months ago, it started leaking severely (lets just say it was raining in my basement below the tanks location). The silicon had deteriorated, but was a bottom seam below the plastic frame. So rather than just patch it in places, I completely removed the silicon on the bottom and sides. Turned out beautifully..looks like a brand new tank.

However, when I had it outside giving it a final rinse before bringing it in, in a moment of carelessness, I broke off the center support bar across the top. After getting the tank inside and checking for stress cracks, I used superglue to reattach the bar. I let it cure for about 48 hours. As far as i knew, that was that.

Tonight (2 weeks later) however, I noticed the bar has come off in the back along the glue line, and that it's pull away from the back frame about 1/4" or maybe slightly more. Sighting down the side, I can see some slight but noticeable bowing!! I am terrified that the glass is gonna give and pop like a balloon. To make it worse, I has a 6yr old and 15 mo. old who love this talk, and are always touching it and pointing at fish or other tank critters...I'm afraid they might give it that little extra boost needed to break...

So, how much stress can the glass take? Do I need to drain it immediately? Is there anyway I can glue the plastic frame (obviously something besides superglue)? I don't have any clue what brand this tank is, so I don't know if I can get a new top frame. I DO know it's not a "normal" sized (dimension) 90 gallon. I needed new glass last years, but the folks at Jack's Aquarium argued with me that I measured wrong because the size of the top openings weren't in their books, and the glass they stocked was too small... until I brought in one of the old glass tops and let them measure it...they were at a loss.

So what do i need to do????

Thanks!

 

[OrangeCones]

If it were me, I'd replace the tank. It is just a matter of time before the stress will cause it to break. Especially with small children around, can you imagine the trauma if the tank burst on them?

 

[homebunnyj]

I would go ahead and move my fish into some big rubbermaid containers, or kiddie pools, or something, and shop for a new tank. 90 gallons is a lot of water... and glass. As long as you provide good filtration the fish should be fine.

If a new tank isn't in the budget right now, you might find a good deal on Craigslist or in your local classifieds.

 

[MissFishy]

I second that, those center supports are there for a reason, if they break and the glass is visibly bowing, I would immediately drain the tank and put the critters in rubbermaid containers until you get a new tank. A shame after all that work, but better than 90 gallons of water on the ground.

 

[bmoraski]

As was stated above, I would not take a chance. ive seen tanks break from not having proper support brackets etc. .
90 gal at 8.34 lbs per gallon is a lot of weight 750 lbs.
that would be a big mess.
good luck

 

[Kallen]

So, I called around and the only local pet shop who can get a replacement top frame is Jack's aquarium. At $34, this is much better than over $200 for a new tank. So for now I am going to drain down at least half.... My penguin filter probably won't work, but I know my Magnum 350 has enough power to still draw water as low as 4 inches from the bottom... Thanks for the advice...

 

[beckyd]

Kallen,
I replied to your PM, but wanted to comment here for others with this problem.

I had success with replacing the top trim. If you can find the right size, go for it. As many above have commented, you have no choice. You may as well proceed with moving your fish to a plastic tub as you cannot replace the trim with any water in the tank.

My trim came from glasscages.com and came within a few days.

My tank has had no problems and we even moved it across town since then. MUCH cheaper than replacement

Compared to replacing silicon and successfully stopping a leak, this is a piece of cake!

 

[Kallen]

Thanks for replying Becky!! I saw your post from back in March that you had ordered.... Any tips I should know? Like, did it take a lot of effort to remove the original frame? Replacing the seal was a breeze...so your comparison makes me a bit more confident!

I went to Jacks and ordered the frame. And get this...when I called, the manager I spoke with told me $34. When I get there, and he puts the order in the computer, the computer says the price is now $60! But he said since he told me $34, that's all I had to pay. According to their computer, the warehouse has one in stock, so should be here in a few days. If it's not there, could be 2 -3 weeks...

Not knowing yet how long I'll need to wait, I only drained out 6 inches of water (about 22.5 gallons)...enough to allow the glass to relax. The bowing effect is now gone. I've done some research and seen where SOME people have done the replacement with fish and water still in tank...doesn't seem like a good idea..

 

[Kallen]

UPDATE:

My top frame came in last Friday. This week I started the job. I decided against my better judgement to leave the fish in the tank...seemed a lot of the info I found online people were saying they left the fish in. I did take out a few more inches of water, however...this relaxed the glass slightly more. The only plastic was pretty weak and brittle and broke off in small and VERY sharp pieces. After getting the plastic and silicon off, I very carefully use alcohol to remove residue of the top glass edge.

The new frame I noticed was a little different. The plastic was almost 2x thicker than the original. The center bar was 2x wider and sturdier than the original. I test fitted the new frame and it fit like a glove. So I siliconed it in place, let it cure over night, and got every set back up today! It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected, but I was very worried that the new frame would be just a little different in size than my glass and that I'd be screwed since the old frame was broken off....