Advise On Juwel Base And Brace Supports

[Tag2008]

Hi,
I wonder if anyone can advise me on a Juwel Tank?..

I have just aquired a Juwel 300 and looking at it to make sure its all going to be safe after cleaning it up a bit..

The tanks wodden effect base that you see in the pic is not completly attached to the tank base all the way round on this tank and I wonder if this is ok? I have tried the tank quarter full of water and it doesnt leak but wonder if this base should be attached to the tank or does it matter?

Also, In the pic you see the center brace on the bottom of the tank, on this tank this brace appears to be a part of the base frame except it doesnt seem to reach the tank stand when sat on it, it doesnt touch the tank stand at all as it is, and im wondering if perhaps there is a piece of the base missing or if this is how they come from the factory?

My worry with the bace brace is that its to support the bottom of the tank if its heavy and laiden and causes it to bow down a little with the weight of substrate and water and if this should have something slotted underneath so the center of the tanks base gets supported too or is this not how it should be?

I hope you get what im asking sorry for the poor terms but you can see this in the photo..
Thanks again if anyone can advise.

T

 

[squeakytoy]

not an expert, barely even qualified to read this board but my guess on those braces is that they are there to prevent the sides from spreading, more than the bottom from sagging. If you look at the dimensions, try to figure out which direction the largest dimension runs. Thats the dimension where the strength is and of the support.

In this case, it looks wider than it is thick, so my guess that it is holding the sides together and keeping them from bowing out. with that much weight spread over that length, it would probably spread to the point of breakage, let alone seam failure.

 

[Tag2008]

See the diagram below...

 

[Tag2008]

Hi Thnaks for your reply,

I was wondering ...

This juwel tank has the tank in its base frame like you see in the pic and it then sits on its unit..
But the tank doesnt sit flat on the unit, with the base frame the tank sits on/in the base frame which seems to raise the tank a little from the base unit..

Am I supposed to put some polystyrene under the tank to fill the space between the tank and the base? Its just a few Millimeters of a gap between the base of the tank and the top of the tanks unit and I wondered if the tanks base needs support or not?

You can see the space i mean in the basic cross section diagram Ive made below this space runs the whole length of the tank and is just a few Millimeters.

Regards
T

 

[mister-t]

all the new juwell tanks are built like that,do not put any polystyrene under the tank,the bottom frame of the tank keeps the tank nice and rigid,the idea is that the tank should sit on its plastic bottom frame flat on the base unit,mine dont sit flat on my base unit as i can see a gap between my tank and the stand,i have 2 juwell stands so either both stands have warped tops as ive tried my tank on both of them and same problem.so my conclusion is the tank must be none square,but ive had mine running like this for over 12 months with no problems

mister-t

 

[flash22]

as above the bottom frame is just held in place with a blob of silicone on each corner and is a loose fit to allow the tank to give with the weight of the water

The 300/400 rio's have a habit of cracking the top braces but that only effects the older tanks

 

[Tag2008]

Thanks guys,

I was hoping id get a couple of Juwel owners who could recal their setups...

Because I got the tank second hand I was a little concerned that the base could bow down into the space below and that the frame alone wouldnt be enough...I wondered if the bottom brace should extend to the base in the center and a piece was missing..

The tanks about 2 years old I was told and is in fair condition so fingers crossed I will be ok..

Thank you .