crazing and bowing, risk of rupture?

[Rizzobitz]

Seriously?

Think about what you just said.
Think about what and where the acrylic is glued.
Think about those seams blowing apart and then you will understand what it means to brace. Not adding to the top or bottom....bracing the seams.
Is this for real or are you just being difficult?

I have no idea what to do in this situation. My limited possibly flawed understanding is that the silicone lip extending into the tank prevents adding internal braces at the top and bottom...bc silicone doesnt stick to silicone which means the entire aquarium would have to be taken apart. Internal side braces can only be added if the overflow is removed. The weight of each piece of this tank is phenomenal would require clamps, manpower, tools, etc. I don't have and it would probably cost a fortune for someone else to brace it for me.

 

[Rizzobitz]

In the meantime, I'd probably reduce your water level to be safe; to something manageable, even if that's down to 200 gallons...just a suggestion

Thank you. I really like this idea but my fish wouldn't survive. They depend on the overflow and 100 gallon sump filtering their waste and delivering fresh water 24/7 through a drip system. One fluval fx5 won't keep my fish alive especially since it is not cycled yet.

 

[Rizzobitz]

Whoa...that is a LOT of bowing...I have seen it before, but not that dramatic. Could be the height...or it could be the material used. True cell cast acrylic is quite ridgid when properly sized. For a 480g 1" acrylic should be fine...and like was said earlier, the seams look okay. Keep an eye on it but really, if it fails it will be very spectacular and most likely without warning. Reinforcing the sides and bottom would bea fairly easy job and maybe something to consider down the road.

I would greatly and sincerely appreciate any input you might have please on how to reinforce the sides and bottom as you mentioned it to be a fairly easy job.

Maybe we can do this in the meantime.

 

[Rizzobitz]

I received a response from an acrylic tank maker who also repairs tanks in Cali. He said:

If the face of the tank is bowing, there's nothing to be done about that. The acrylic cannot be straightened.

The main problem with adding reinforcement strips to beef up the joints on these old warping tanks is that the acrylic, having been under so much stress so long, tends to craze (form internal little fissures) on contact with the solvent cement. And that weakens it. Most probably does more harm than good on a tank that is bowing as badly as the one you have.

Wish I could recommend something.

 

[Ihsnshaik]

I guess you got your answer. Sell or or use it and wait to see what may happen. If it was me and from the looks of it I would immediately get rid of it.

 

[aldiaz33]

Based on the pic and the videos you posted in your other threads, the seams (that we were able to see) look clear, which is good. But the tank is underbuilt which is why you have so much deflection. Building tanks to the bare minimum specs to save money seems to be pretty common, but a certain amount of deflection over time is not out of the ordinary.
I've seen 4' tall tanks built out of 1" that have been up and running for decades without issue.
For what it's worth, I have a 10'L x 3'W x 4'H Tenecor tank made of 1.25" acrylic and it also bows quite a bit in the middle of the 10' panels. It's been setup for 4 years. When I first set it up, I did the same thing as your husband; I placed a level on the front panel and if I recall correctly, there was a 3/4" gap between the level at the top and bottom of the tank. I wouldn't be surprised if it's increased since then (I'll have to measure tonight when I get home). My tank also probably should have been made out of thicker material, but so far the seams are holding up and all is good.
A panel completely being blown off is really rare and would more likely be from a manufacturing defect (i.e.- poorly welded seams); from what I've seen, seams splitting (although not common) is much more common than a complete blowout. I think the biggest concern would be if you are in earthquake country...if it starts shaking, get away from that tank.
Disclaimer: I am not a materials engineer, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

 

[Frank Castle]

I would just build a cross brace out of 2x4s, drain it down until it's flush and place the pre-cut, pre-measured brace on the top of the middle of the tank, then tighten the screws down until it's secure. To give you an Idea picture a piece of 2x4 the exact same length as your tank is WIDE - then 2 more pieces pre-drilled to prevent splitting attached perpendicular to each end of the 1st 2x4. The 2nd and 3rd pieces for the end will be attached so that the tops are all level, but the 1st piece will lay FLAT across the tank like a plank, while the other 2 will be upright like a pair of joists, so figure you'll have about another 1.5" extending downward to hug the top of the tank snug and prevent it from flexing.

The idea behind it is to fit it while tank isn't full, with the screws only partially in, then once you have it fit snuggly on top, finish screwing them in but GENTLY without squeezing the tank inward or counter-sinking the screws.

In short, the brace should look like "T", but with a top on BOTH ends.

Side note: 2x4s are not actually 2" x 4", but rather 1.5" x 3.5", as are all similarly labelled lumber

 

[boldtogether]

Ok. Lets see what you got.
The bowing isn't going away. The crazing may be a weakening in the acrylic but a catastrophic failure may be just may be worth bracing.

I'm thinking "ell" shaped brackets. Acrylic "L" shaped brackets glued around the corners. Not pretty but effective.
By corners I mean all corners, top bottom and sides.
I once fixed a tank with acrylic angle stock welded to the inside corners bottom front, back, top-front, back and front, back ends.
barely noticeable.
If you can source the angle stock acrylic, bracing the inside seams is a viable fix.
Doing the outside is also effective but much more ugly.

Just my $.02

 

[jsodwi]

Ok. Lets see what you got.
The bowing isn't going away. The crazing may be a weakening in the acrylic but a catastrophic failure may be just may be worth bracing.

I'm thinking "ell" shaped brackets. Acrylic "L" shaped brackets glued around the corners. Not pretty but effective.
By corners I mean all corners, top bottom and sides.
I once fixed a tank with acrylic angle stock welded to the inside corners bottom front, back, top-front, back and front, back ends.
barely noticeable.
If you can source the angle stock acrylic, bracing the inside seams is a viable fix.
Doing the outside is also effective but much more ugly.

Just my $.02

X2 on gluing acrylic strips into the inside corners.
Drain the tank clean all the inside corners good. Get some 1/2x1/2 square stock and glue them all in with weld on 40

 

[pops]

I would cut my losses and junk it, I would not trust it. and would not sell to some one because I do not trust it unless you state its issues and sell as a reptile tank, not fit for a fish aquarium.