Urgent Help Needed With Juwel Tank

[andyG44]

I am not sure if this has happened today or it was there and I have not noticed.
 
I have Juwel Rio 180 for a couple of months now, it has not moved from its position. Today I noticed that it is bowing outwards so in the middle it looks like expanded and curved. The difference is about 3-4mm on either side so 8+ mm in total.
 
I can push both sides moderately hard and can see the front and back glass panels flexing somewhat.
 
Has it been designed to flex like this?
 
Next to it I have a Juwel Rio 300 , I just measured it and it is fine, maybe a flex of 1mm-2mm in total.
 
If anyone has a Rio 180 please help.
 
My wife has just suggested that the large Rio has only been filled a couple of days now whereas the smaller Rio 180 has been filled 6 weeks or more ago. Maybe it flexes over time.

 

[TheOscarman1981]

I'm not to sure but I have a Rio 125 and there is no flexing in mine but that could be cos it smaller so not as much pressure.

 

[Akasha72]

drain it immediately!! The central support bar has broken and needs replacing. If you don't drain it and replace the bar it will break the glass
 
 
I've messaged you Andy cos this is more urgent than I think you realise. Hope you get the message soon 

 

[Fishmanic]

good thing you noticed this before the  tank exploded  

 

[Ch4rlie]

Hmm, does sounds like the central brace support is either broken or has been removed as Akasha suggests.
 
If unsure what a central brace is, usually made of glass but sometimes can be made of hard plastic and is placed at the top of your tank, in the middle and bridges between the front and rear glass on tank.
 
The central brace job is to help support the tank glass from the pressure of water, in smaller tanks, usually no braces are required due to there being less water.  But the more water there is, the more weight due to amount of water, therefore that means more pressure is being pushed on the tank glass.
 
Here is a random pic I took from a quick google search just to illustrate what a central brace is -
 

 
Can you check if this brace is on your tank, if so, check if still fixed firmly to front and back glass of your tank, and check for any damage. 
 
If you're unsure perhaps you can take a picture of top of your tank without the hood.
 
This is just basically to check things are what they should be.
 
However, if the brace is missing, I would suggest taking out 50% to 75% of the water from the tank, as that would greatly relieve some pressure off the glass and joints.
 
Your stocking and plants, if you have any, will be fine with 50% or slightly less of water and ensure the filter is still switched on but filter input and output (dependant on your filter type) still in the water is possible due to changed height of water.
 
Do not panic, thats the main point, braces can be replaced and / or repaired.

 

[andyG44]

The strut is in place but attached with some sort of elastic glue which appears to have given slightly. Actually the glue has now expanded and is not letting the glass straighten up. The difference now is 4mm. I have drained 40% and the pressure has been relieved. Not impressed with Juwel. Terrible overhead lights always break. Terrible cabinets made out of dried bread. And terribly made tanks with silly plastic struts...
And many thanks for the elaborate help.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Is this a new or old tank?
 
Sounds like an older tank if the glue / silicon is giving way now.
 
Have to say I have had the same tank, not the 180 but trigon 350 and the much smaller 90, have to say I quite liked the quality of these tanks.
 
Then again , I had them from new, not old tanks so perhaps had less problems.
 
If this is an old tank, then may I suggest you're probably better off getting a new tank or second hand but in good condition, this would probably save a lot of trouble and headaches.

 

[andyG44]

Second hand dating to around 2009 or even earlier. In perfect condition with no signs of ageing or abuse. This bowing has happened very recently. Maybe I caused it by leaning a 25 Lt canister on the edge of the glass during the water change. Need to clamp it temporarily and will have to think of a way to repair it properly later. Lots of fish to migrate to the other tank which I have just started to cycle...

 

[Ch4rlie]

Never a good time for this sort of thing to happen
 
Clamping the top of the tank is a temporary measure but a good idea short term.
 
Leaning a 25l cannister on the tank certainly did not help I suspect.
 
Is the other tank big enough to hold ALL your fish?
 
If so, then you can transfer the filter from this damaged tank to the other one, resulting in basically a very fast cycle, just need to test the water over a few days and change some water if any ammonia or nitrite spikes occur.

 

[DanTheFishMan11]

I've had the support brace snap on mine, and the whole tank buckled, luckily I was there and could save the fish, but I honestly froze in shock for like 2 minutes, very unpleasant

 

[Akasha72]

hi Andy, so pleased you read this and saw my message before it was too late. You've had a lot of what I was going to say from other members. 
 
All of Juwels larger tanks have this hard plastic central support bar and as you've discovered - they can give way.... BUT - it takes a lot for this to happen. Age seems to the factor in this situation and if the tank was empty for a while before you bought it the silicone seal may have become dry and brittle. Once moisture came back into play and force of water it started to give.
 
You have options now. As Ch4rlie says you could give up on this one and replace it or you could repair it. To repair it you'll need really to drain the tank completely to take all pressure off, buy some Juwel silicone (I wouldn't trust the cheaper stuff) and remove the bar completely. Clean the bar and the glass well, make sure it's dry and re-apply the bar with fresh silicone, clamp it and leave it at least 48 hours to set before re-filling with water.
 
If you wanted to go the whole hog you could replace the whole bar. They are available to buy either from Juwel themselves or from places like Amazon. I think they cost around £20 so hardly expensive.
 
Regarding Juwel quality ... I'm afraid I don't agree. I wouldn't have any other brand now. The build quality is excellent and if the stands were as poor quality as you suggest there's no way they would hold the weight of the tank. The central support bar can break on any brand of tank. I think the support bars are the weakest point regardless of who makes them. They are there to do a job and people often abuse them by balancing full buckets of water on them or similar and then complain when it snaps. It's not designed to hold weight from above, it's designed to hold weight from front to back. 
 
Once you re-fix the bar - whether it be the existing bar cleaned up and replaced or a brand new bar the tank will be good as new. But now you - and other Juwel owners know about this we all know to be careful of that bar. Don't put it under strain from above (it's possible the previous owner abused it and left you with the consequences) and always watch for signs of a tank bowing and be ready to drain it fast if you see any signs of it.... the alternative is potentially an exploding tank and a flooded home! 
 
 
Just a side note just in case. Once you get it fixed check the seams all the way around. The pressure of the bowing may have weakened them in places and it's always worth checking before you re-fill than finding out afterwards.
 
Good luck with it

 

[DrRob]

I've seen one go. Was older than yours. Owner hadn't spotted the problem until I pointed it out. Whole thing went boom while we were talking about the repair.
 
I've also replaced a couple of old broken plastic braces (picked them up really cheap on ebay because the brace was broken) with a piece of glass. Seemed to work fine, but again, had to drain the tank to do it.

 

[andyG44]

This bulging happened yesterday. I know because I have custom made polycarbonate covers on the top that were a perfect fit within a  mm, and I would have noticed how there was a lot more gap in the middle...
 
The two Rios I have have different struts. The Rio 300 has a strut like those on ebay.
 
However the smaller Rio 180 with the problem, has a thick plastic bar which is part of the top decorative frame, cannot be replaced unless we take the whole top off. But the top I believe is also glued around the glass, probably impossible to remove.

Luckily the bar is not broken. And why would it as noone has even leaned a cup of tea on it as long as I have had it. I am not a lunatic to put any pressure on that bar!
 
However at the two ends the bar is glued onto the inside glass with some black rubbery glue and it appears this glue has expanded somewhat. But I cannot "push" it back in, when I do the bar flexes, so that glue is winning at the moment.

My suggested way of repairing this is, assuming there is no way for the top to come off, is to add another two struts on either side, it will have to be a custom job.
 
Once I came across a Rio 300 that had two large thick pieces of glass placed in this fashion, obviously for extra support, but it was a nightmare, botch job.

I will measure every day now that I know that this happens to Juwels.

For the time being this handy clamp which you see in the picture will have to hold things together until I come back.
 
 

 

[Essjay]

Something similar happened to my Rio 125 18 months ago, a tank bought new in 2006. The top of the bracer bar is part of the trim; the lower part is attached to the glass. The bottom part came away from the glass and twisted the trim. I lowered the water level (not a problem as I wasn't using the built in filter) and waited with crossed fingers for a new, bigger custom built tank to be made. I was so relieved when i could transfer the fish over.
 
The photo is of the bracer bar when the tank had been emptied - you can see the 1/8 inch gap. It was much wider when there was water in the tank.
 
 
Edit - Andy posted while I was typing. It looks like the same thing happened to both his and my tanks.

 

[andyG44]

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"The top of the bracer bar is part of the trim; the lower part is attached to the glass"
 
Yes very well described. The "strut" has a large vertical area, a rectange, some of it is part of the top trim and the lower part is glued onto the inside glass.
 
I have no idea how to repair this, to remove the old glue and add new, as the gap is so narrow to insert tools.
 
The only repair I can imagine is the addition of another strap, maybe a long metal bar with two shoulders at the end, like a giant fixing bracket, with a T shape, I would place it under the middle strut and glue the two ends to the glass.