Eurobracing break

Jason McK · #1 10-02-2010, 06:24 PM

OK so of course while I'm away in Ontario, I receive a frantic call from my wife who tells me a large chunk of the eurobracing has just broken off my tank.
It's a 3 inch triangle and then a large crack runs from the outer edge along the center of the bracing for about 3 feet.
I'm home now and have checked everything.
the tank is not bowing out at all. and I don't really understand what has happened. This is actually the second crack. The first one was on the back of the tanks eurobrace and has gone unrepaired for about 1 1/2 years now. But that one had no glass removed.
My eurobrace is about 3 inches wide and 5/8 thick. I put a level on all 4 sides of the tank and all sides are level. Also the bracing on either side of the missing triangle of glass remains in line.
The manufacture says it might be heat related but I just don't feel any heat of the bracing even after the the MH have been on for hours.

I need some suggestions, a 400G tank is not something I can pull down while I get a new tank.
the manufacture has suggested siliconing a 1/2 piece of glass over the crack. that would work great but all the glass shops I've called said cutting a 1/2 inch think piece of glass is very difficult and will be very expensive.

Any thoughts would be great

Thanks
J

Delphinus · #2 10-02-2010, 09:18 PM

Yikes man.

Good luck!!

Are there any tank builders in the Lower Mainland? I'd start with someone like that since they know what a Eurobrace is and all that, and have ready access to scrap glass and so on..

Tom R · #3 10-02-2010, 09:57 PM

Hi Jason

A picture would help us visualize the problem.

For glass I have always used Delta Glass on 80th Ave., they are very good.

Tom R

dsaundry · #4 10-02-2010, 10:00 PM

HTML Code:

Hi Jason

A picture would help us visualize the problem.

For glass I have always used Delta Glass on 80th Ave., they are very good.

Tom R

+1

MitchM · #5 10-02-2010, 10:25 PM

Hate to hear this...

Are there any signs of settling or movement with your stand or flooring?

If you have concerns about further glass failure, can you lower the water level to reduce stress on the tank until you have a solution?

Mitch

Jason McK · #6 10-02-2010, 10:53 PM

Well, the manufacture is comeing over to Vancouver next week and will bring some cut glass with him. That's fastes than I can get the glass cut locally so I'll drop the water level and laminate another brace over top of the old one

J

hillegom · #7 10-02-2010, 11:06 PM

Jason, do you have access to one of those laser levels?
The one I am thinking of shoots a red horizontal line on the wall.
If you use one of these you could set it up so that you measure up to the line on all 4 corners and the middle to check for level. A lot more accurate than a bubble level.
I have access to one, if need be PM me
Dietmar

SeaHorse_Fanatic · #8 10-03-2010, 06:27 AM

The other option is to silicone on 2 thinner plieces of glass instead of one 1/2" piece. 7mm strips would be cheap. I have a bunch of 1/4" plate glass from windows you can have to cut up for free if you want.

There's a local glass shop near my place that would probably cut what you need for $20 max., probably even $10, out of my 1/4". If you let me know how big a piece you need for both breaks, I can see about getting them to cut my glass for you.

Anthony