195 gallon Split at Seam

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
TankBuster;2134222; said:
Sorry, I misunderstood your first post. I was thinking you did have styrofoam under it. Alot of people do use it but myself and a few other do not agree with the benefits from it. I use a very sturdy and level tank. If its not level, then I fix it by redoing the wood to level it. Styrofoam will compress just so much before it become just another rigid peice under the glass so you are back to square 1. Sorry if I derailed here from the original problem and the plastic tote is great advice like Knowdafish said. Or even a cheap kiddie pool.
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its ok, i thought it was good to put styrofoam under there though you make a good point of it becomeing a nu sense over time..just throwing out a guess would thinner styrofoam help? kiddie pool is a good idea i seen that in the DIY ghetto topic i thought i could never do that lol, i like to view them from front, but when disaster stricks its a damn good idea. same with totes as knowdafish said.

TankBuster;2134222; said:
When you shim the stand on the floor, remember that wood shims will slightly compress as more wood shims are added so keep that in mind. Maybe you could find a used stand somewhere and that would give you more support than cinder blocks.
Man, you got so lucky being right there near the tank when it let go. It might help to put a brace on the bottom of the tank also, just another peice of glas in the middle going from front to back and siliconed in. I have seen that done before on a 225 g. tank.
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good point out about the shims..used stand would be nice but i have been looking and nothing stand, so far hard to find stand that big it seems like, that why i will just go with some garf.org plans and others in the DIY sections have built very nice stands. i would say i'm decent in the DIY area and have confendece building a sturdy nice stand i have about $250 to spend on wood hopefully that will get me some nice supplies if not i could throw in some more money, i can borrow a router from my g/fs dad he has various bits and a router tool with stand. yea i got real lucky everyone just went on vacation a week ago we were gone and checked in time to time to feed and water change during the week it could have been so much worse. also another good idea on adding a piece of glass there, if i can't get my hands on some glass would a biger piece of plexi help or would that eventully lose its stength?
 
If I add another piece of glass to the bottom and the bottom is tempered i'm assuming cause knowndafish had good point about the flex of the tempered. if i add another piece of glass will it defeat the purpose of tempered? and i am back and forth on the right silicone to use lots of people us ge silicone 1 and lots that use dc 732 i have read the specs on both and it seems that dc732 is alot better? is it really going to make that big of differnce? also i'm back and forth on if i want to reseal the whole thing or just maybe reseal to about 2 inchs off each corner on the split seam because the tank is only 110 days old from purchase, i'm not sure what silicone was used before to make the tank but will ge silicone 1 stick to whatever was on there before same with dc 732..for some reason i feel more confendent in resealing the whole thing, but am i waisting my time and creating more problems?
 
I got a 65 gal that had split its side and only sealed it 2" from the corner. I used it as a mbuna tank and its now used as a sump on a 150gal. It has lasted about 6 months now.
 
if you have a table vice give your shims a good squeeze... think of it as precompressing them
 
mikeandannie;2135832; said:
the tank is only 110 days old from purchase
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Return it or get the manufacturer info from the retailer, most tank are guaranteed to last a certain amount of time.

hth
 
Fiaman;2136228; said:
I got a 65 gal that had split its side and only sealed it 2" from the corner. I used it as a mbuna tank and its now used as a sump on a 150gal. It has lasted about 6 months now.
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good to know, i'm just worried with it being a bigger tank if it will still hold the same.

if you have a table vice give your shims a good squeeze... think of it as precompressing them
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that is a good idea yes i do have one..

o sorry to hear about this :(

what were the dimensions of a 195?

and who manufactured the tank, if you don't mind?
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its all good and thank you, the dimensions are 72x24x26 it was made by R.J. Ray (Custom Aquariums) Distributing 1556 N. Telegraph Pontiac, Mi 48340

Well, new silicone wont stick to old/dry silicone so you should redo all around the bottom.
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thats where i am back and forth on what to do, i think i just read that chompers did a test where if properly cleaned old will stick to new..but like i say i almost feel more confident redoing whole thing.. thx for all reply so far..

Return it or get the manufacturer info from the retailer, most tank are guaranteed to last a certain amount of time.
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yea that's the real kicker i have the warranty right in front of me its 90 day seam leakage repair, and the tank split at seem 10 days after the warranty, we emailed the guy we got it from telling him our situation and to see if there was anything he could do for us. but no respone back yet..
 
I should hope he gets back to you and at the very least offers to fix it at a discounted price. Good luck.

I'm glad you were able to save your fish.
 
Something seems off to me that the seam is still open with no water and no weight in the tank. Glass doesn't bend much, so unless more than one of your seams has ruptured, the seam should have closed itself after the weight was removed.

As for the whole foam discussion... it's a whole other thread, but it sounds like it might have helped you out here. It won't fix a tilted stand, but it takes all the stress off the seams in a suspended bottom tank.
 
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