Silicone and bracing failure

[Backfromthedead]

I think I'm getting where you're coming from with the aesthetics though...most people are gonna look and be all like why would you do that? I'm not most people and personally if I came upon it and you explained why you did ot I would actually admire the ingenuity and attention to detail in effectively remediating what was a poor design in the first place. But yeah, I get it. I had a 150g 72x18x27 in 1/2" tempered that I ended up trading for an air pump just because I wanted it's substandard, shabby ass out of my fish room.

 

[Backfromthedead]

Another idea--You say you're a welder right?

 

[jjohnwm]

I think I'm getting where you're coming from with the aesthetics though...most people are gonna look and be all like why would you do that? I'm not most people and personally if I came upon it and you explained why you did ot I would actually admire the ingenuity and attention to detail in effectively remediating what was a poor design in the first place. But yeah, I get it. I had a 150g 72x18x27 in 1/2" tempered that I ended up trading for an air pump just because I wanted it's substandard, shabby ass out of my fish room.

This ^ exactly. There's a fine line between a jury-rigged cobbled-together DIY job that works beautifully and is a monument to ingenuity...and a mess that just screams "I didn't know what I was doing but I just kept doing more of it!"

I have no display tanks; most of my fish are in my basement fishroom that sees almost no visitors. My plywood tanks have unfinished exteriors; this saves me the effort of finishing them, and makes any potential leak stick out like a cockroach on a wedding cake. So obviously I'm not that concerned with aesthetics, but I cannot stand looking at a mistake I made in the past and then tried to correct by just adding more stuff to it.

Not taking a shot at you here 8 805hd ...in this case I think your only major mistake was buying that tank in the first place. That whole thing has that vibe of "I cut it twice and it's still too short!"

 

[805hd]

jjohnwm I totally get the metal rod example that’s why it seemed logical that closing that middle gap down to 8” would suffice to be honest. So I jumped the gun and ordered the glass. Should have ordered a full length at 71” for the front. . Also yes, you are seeing things correctly with how the silicone let loose. It was definitely CLEAN but I don’t think I took as much care as it sounds like I should have. I didn’t wipe it down immediately prior to gluing.

Backfromthedead If it’s metal I can weld it! I work in the aerospace industry! There’s about a dozen different ways I can think of to fabricate a brace using metal. But like I said, this was going to be my “show tank” so I’m holding onto that like a MF. I’ll eventually come to terms with the reality that the risk is too great. I’m just being stubborn about it. Lol

 

[FINWIN]

I...can't say anything for certain, man. Yeah it'd probably be fine. I personally think the black plastic brace would look nicer with just an air gap at the top. Would support the tank better as it is a one piece brace that braces from all sides at once at every point on the rim, and would provide better access to the tank. All I can say.

Your tank would be partially eurobraced, not rimless. THIS is a rimless tank:

Miracles Aquariums Custom 72" x 38" Rimless Tank & Stand. | Custom Aquarium Builder

Miracles Aquariums Custom 72" x 38" Rimless Tank & Stand. Beautiful custom reef aquarium setup.

www.miraclesaquariums.com

I saw a rimless tank similar to that in person. Glass was thick asf maybe 3/4" to 1 inch all around with a 1 1/2?" base. Don't have a clue what the thing weighed.

 

[805hd]

FINWIN Well if there's anything I've learned from this thread is a tank like that would have to be thicker than an Alabama trailer park queen to withstand forces at that depth and width without any bracing. I'm sure the only thing heavier than that tank is its price tag!

 

[FINWIN]

FINWIN Well if there's anything I've learned from this thread is a tank like that would have to be thicker than an Alabama trailer park queen to withstand forces at that depth and width without any bracing. I'm sure the only thing heavier than that tank is its price tag!

Crazy as it sounds I think it was listed on Amazon last year, Something like a 220 glass? Completely open at the top. Paying freight for that thing would be a nightmare. Don't know if it sold or they pulled the listing.

 

[Backfromthedead]

jjohnwm I totally get the metal rod example that’s why it seemed logical that closing that middle gap down to 8” would suffice to be honest. So I jumped the gun and ordered the glass. Should have ordered a full length at 71” for the front. . Also yes, you are seeing things correctly with how the silicone let loose. It was definitely CLEAN but I don’t think I took as much care as it sounds like I should have. I didn’t wipe it down immediately prior to gluing.

Backfromthedead If it’s metal I can weld it! I work in the aerospace industry! There’s about a dozen different ways I can think of to fabricate a brace using metal. But like I said, this was going to be my “show tank” so I’m holding onto that like a MF. I’ll eventually come to terms with the reality that the risk is too great. I’m just being stubborn about it. Lol

Well there ya go man. You have the abilities to design and weld any kind of brace you want. I would probably just use something like 1.5x1.5 angle iron, but you're gonna want to coat it in epoxy or similar to protect from corrosion. Obviously you're gonna have to account for the epoxy layer and thin silicone mounting layer when you are formulating the inner dimensions. Paludariums can be just as impressive as aquariums!

But yeah, still gonna be a little pricy to do perfect and pretty, but the possibilities are awesome here imo. You can design it to incorporate hanging lights into that 6" gap or even small planter boxes for emergent plants or something. I'm gonna get me a welder at the house one of these days...

And cool, we've got a lot the same background, I used to machine aerospace components.

 

[805hd]

Not to beat a dead horse, but let's say I did a full true euro brace all the way around the inside perimeter of the tank with the option of a couple center cross braces if determined necessary. Obviously, this would mandate a revision of the weir to allow for access by either or both A. shortening it or B. making it stand off the back glass further to get out from under the brace enough for maintenance. Between that and the glass from the euro bracing my guess is I would be a lot closer to that 24" mark that we have been talking about. I haven't worked out the numbers yet but probably somewhere around a 26" water line is my guess. In your opinion would or should this fix my issues allowing me to confidently enjoy this tank or am I just clutching to dreams while wasting time and money?

 

[805hd]

Paludariums can be just as impressive as aquariums!

Thats definitely true. I wasn't really thinking about anything like that. Could actually turn out really sweet if done right.