150 gallon tank repair

[JakeLindsay]

I recently bought a 150 gallon tank of a guy that bought it from another guy who said it all holds water. Whenever I fill up a large tank I go defcon 1 ultra silent in my garage so I can hear what the tank and stand is doing. I sat quiet for about five minutes before I thought “well I haven’t heard anything must be good” as I am shuffling over to turn the other pumps and filters and such I hear….a crack. And then another crack. And then another crack. At this point I’m standing in front of this 150 gallon dam that is probably seconds away from sweeping my feet from under me and it all goes silent again. Thinking it’s okay I get closer and with one knuckle give the front glass a tap and POP!! The two cross brace on the rim at the top of the tank snapped. Both of them at the front, glass is okay but is clearly bowing at the top. I let it hold water like this for about 15 minutes trying to decide if I want to risk it and leave it over night but decided it’s not worth it. So where to from here? I think if I got some 1x1 Spurs I could build a reenforced rim with more cross support. Do you all agree? Also what would cause this to happen? The tank is 72in long and 28in tall so I can understand the water pressure is pretty high but it should have popped at the bottom where all the weight is. Here are some pictures…look closely at the rim of the tank to see the bow. Any ideas are appreciated and my apologies for the story I may have been a little spooked by the POP!

 

[M1A1]

Personally I would remove the top trim and add glass braces along the length and redo the existing front-to-back glass brace.

What's the glass thickness on the front and back? Thinner glass would bow more and increase the odds of something like this happening.

 

[JakeLindsay]

It’s half inch thick. The tank is mostly leveled if anything it leans back very slightly. I’d love to do a glass rim but where do I get that glass

 

[Catrepair]

It looks like you bought a reptile enclosure.

 

[Backfromthedead]

I had a tank like this, 72x18x28 with 1/2" front and back. Imo, these tanks simply are not built to last. When those plastic trim braces inevitably weaken and break, the substandard glass flexes and bows, eventually opening the seams around the tank. The best you can hope for is that the leaks start slow so you can catch them before a catastrophe. Those thin pieces of glass are inadequate for top bracing this tank imo. Sorta like M1 said, I would suggest removing the current top brace and installing a full perimeter eurobrace, or at least several stout (1/2" thick) glass crossbraces. Drain the tank fully when you do this and make sure to allow the silicone to fully cure before refilling the tank.

another option is to purchase another plastic brace, hope it holds up better this time. You should be able to find a 72x18 online.

 

[JakeLindsay]

So I am making a 2x3 brace ha slips over the outside of the tank. It is a little bulky but for now it will allow me to fill and use the tank. Eventually I will buy glass to do a euro style brace just to clean it up.

 

[Backfromthedead]

So I am making a 2x3 brace ha slips over the outside of the tank. It is a little bulky but for now it will allow me to fill and use the tank. Eventually I will buy glass to do a euro style brace just to clean it up.

I have used lumber braces like this only for very short term solutions. Unless you thoroughly seal the brace with something like pondarmor or flex seal the wood will quickly expand, rot, warp, or bow when subjected to all that humidity. The problem here is that you most likely won't even see that the brace fails all at once, but gradually weakens until its providing no support.

 

[JakeLindsay]

I will keep that in mind will I have this brace in place. The tank is filled and everything looks good the separation on the remaining top brace is minimal and the wood brace seems to be able to hold the pressure well. Now I just have to leave for work and hope I don’t come home to a mess