125 gal failure

[Cichlid Marco 101]

I have had an aquarists worst nightmare come true.so this aquarium i bought couple of yrs back and it sat for over 1yr.anyways when i bought the aquarium i knew i was going to have to reseal the aquarium again other than that there no visible damage to the glass chips cracks etc.I totally restored this aquarium cleaned very thoroughly cut all the old silicone out and and even made sure to suck any loose debri out out the joint before i resealed this aquarium.took my time and used GE supreme clear slicone.I even used cualking tool to make sure the silicone was pressed into the joint of the aquarium glass properly.The aquarium sat for about 2 months after i siliconed the unit properly.I even looked it over to make sure ther were not pin holes in the silcone.i did remove the 2 top plastic braces to allow for properly ligting of the aquarium with long led light.the aquarium held water for 5 weeks with no problems all of a sudden it just started leaking out of no where.did to cutting out 2 top plastic cross braces stress the aquarium side glass and over time cause it to leak? before i even filled this unit it was dead nuts level sitting on top of my custom cabinet i built.the aquarium is 72L x 18W x 22 H.

was it a big mistake to use the GE supreme kitchen and bathroom clear silicone ?

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Did the silicone pack say that it was suitable for aquariums?

Kitchen & bathroom silicone is not always strong enough to use with aquariums due to the extreme water pressures involved and it doesn't have the adhesive properties required....along with losing the bracing....that might have been the issue here unfortunately

 

[Slaphppy7]

Not sure if it was THE cause of the leak, but removing those braces was not a good idea, I'm afraid...

 

[Boundava]

I believe removing the braces is what the issue was as it put a lot of stress on the joints of the glass. When my cat broke the brace on our 120 gallon while it was full of water you can definitely see the glass bowing outwards almost an inch because of the lack of the support of that center brace (and the glass on the 120 was very thick as it was custom built by the prior owner). I could only imagine the stress on the 125 gallon, which is even longer than an 120 and has thinner glass. It would need support on those long panes of glass to keep them in place and reduce the stress on the corners/joints. Tanks that have trim on them, especially tanks of that size; need that extra support as the glass isn't going to be able to handle the weight of that water on its own.

 

[Cichlid Marco 101]

I am thinking to put aluminium pieces where i took those braces out . then reseal the aquarium again.glass could be permantley bowed ??.

I was looking at trying the large tubes of aqueon aquarium silicone on Amazon.IT has tons of good reviews

or am i just waisting my time with this aquarium now ?

 

[Cichlid Marco 101]

I wonder if aqaurium shifted on my custom wood cabinet , I am thinking of putting some kind of thin rubber mat underneath the aquarium to make sure it stays level if it decides to shift

 

[Boundava]

I don't believe you're wasting your time. After we saw that the glass was bowing out on the 120 gallon we emptied it and reinforced the broken brace and now the tank is working just fine. If you are able to replace the braces on the top you should have a functioning tank. I probably would go ahead and check the silicone at the joints.

 

[Cichlid Marco 101]

I have had an aquarists worst nightmare come true.so this aquarium i bought couple of yrs back and it sat for over 1yr.anyways when i bought the aquarium i knew i was going to have to reseal the aquarium again other than that there no visible damage to the glass chips cracks etc.I totally restored this aquarium cleaned very thoroughly cut all the old silicone out and and even made sure to suck any loose debri out out the joint before i resealed this aquarium.took my time and used GE supreme clear slicone.I even used cualking tool to make sure the silicone was pressed into the joint of the aquarium glass properly.The aquarium sat for about 2 months after i siliconed the unit properly.I even looked it over to make sure ther were not pin holes in the silcone.i did remove the 2 top plastic braces to allow for properly ligting of the aquarium with long led light.the aquarium held water for 5 weeks with no problems all of a sudden it just started leaking out of no where.did to cutting out 2 top plastic cross braces stress the aquarium side glass and over time cause it to leak? before i even filled this unit it was dead nuts level sitting on top of my custom cabinet i built.the aquarium is 72L x 18W x 22 H.

was it a big mistake to use the GE supreme kitchen and bathroom clear silicone ?

I don't believe you're wasting your time. After we saw that the glass was bowing out on the 120 gallon we emptied it and reinforced the broken brace and now the tank is working just fine. If you are able to replace the braces on the top you should have a functioning tank. I probably would go ahead and check the silicone at the joints.

OK, I should have metioned i have 3 40kg bags of sand in the aquarium.I measured the top brace that goes around toptop of aquarium it is still in square .I took my expensive level and the aquarium is sitting level.Have you heard of anyone use the aqueon clear aquarium silicone ??

 

[GaryE]

I did a major repair on a 75g years ago. The top brace had broken. That right there doomed the process. The bracing was needed. I got about 9-10 months before a sheet of water poured out the side of it, taking about 8 inches of water out in a fountain. It was in a garage with a floor drain, and I was there to drain it off, or the split would probably have continued right down.

It was an oddly shaped tank, which probably added to the stress on the seams, but. Resealing it was a worthwhile attempt, but I learned to respect those braces.

 

[Boundava]

RE the aluminum pieces...did you remove the top and bottom trim, or just the top?

If you still have the bottom brace then the only shift would be from the glass bowing outwards at the top- the weakest point.

I have seen videos where people removed the top trim but reinforced the top by replacing it with glass or acrylic braces. A minimum of two should be added for a standard 125 due to the length.

 

[Archerfish]

I am sure the silicone you used, assuming it was for aquarium use, was a good product. But removing the center brace (s) greatly weakened the tank. The amount of light lost from those braces is minimal. One pet shop I used to visit had a 450-gallon tank that started leaking. They used industrial screw clamps and blocks of wood on either side of the tank to reinforce. Can you reinstall the frame with center braces? Or did you cut the center braces out?

 

[Boundava]

OK, I should have metioned i have 3 40kg bags of sand in the aquarium.I measured the top brace that goes around toptop of aquarium it is still in square .I took my expensive level and the aquarium is sitting level.Have you heard of anyone use the aqueon clear aquarium silicon??

Yeah I have used that before. DAP 100% silicone is also aquarium safe and a bit less expensive

 

[Archerfish]

Oh, I forgot to mention that all of my tanks sit on a thick styrofoam sheet. I think it helps if there is an imperfect surface.

 

[Alice B]

I am thinking to put aluminium pieces where i took those braces out . then reseal the aquarium again.glass could be permantley bowed ??.

I was looking at trying the large tubes of aqueon aquarium silicone on Amazon.IT has tons of good reviews

or am i just waisting my time with this aquarium now ?

I ordered aquarium silicone on Amazon, a caulk gun tube - you'd need at least 2, I ran short in a corner on my 40 long, but I had a tube of clear pond silicone (by Aquascape) that I used to finish the seal. Never remove braces from a tank, and never fill a tank with a broken brace. My Experience. I tried to patch a cracked brace and got there just before that 55 would have flooded the school library it was in. They had a donated tank and I set it up.

 

[Cichlid Marco 101]

thank you everyone. is this aquarium done . is the aquarium just a waste of my TIME ??