bracing aquarium

[bzr2x]

long time no post. i own your average 50 gal SW FOWLR tank. size 15 x 15 x 48 made by all-glass aquarium. like most, it has a 9" piece of glass in the top center to brace the aquarium i guess. accidentally broke this center glass piece (dropped the lid on it and it split) All was well, however, lately i have noticed a slight bow (about 1/4 inch.) in the front which i can understand because of the pressure. my question is should i be worried about the front glass cracking under the pressure or breaking completely; flooding my condo and if so, is it possible to glue another piece of glass in there to prevent any similar catastrophe? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

T

 

[Clown Monarch]

I would be worried. And if I would be worried then most people here would be downright mad with fear.

 

[Phyl]

And if I would be worried then most people here would be downright mad with fear.

Bwaaa hhhaaaa haaaaa! That's hysterical.

Sorry I don't have an answer to your q... although if it happened to my 120 I'd be paralized with fear (not for any reason backed in fact though)!

 

[klam]

I would freak out.
take out as much water as possible to reduce the pressure until the bracing is fixed. Try contacting you LFS to see if they do repairs.

 

[malkore]

Wow, a glass brace? I've only seen them made of plastic or metal if its a really old tank. I'd definitely drain some water if it appears to be bowing, and get it repaired or replaced.

 

[Thumper]

My brand new Oceanic has the glass brace in top. I would drain it and get some measurments and replace the brace before you get a real bad nightmare. Preventive measures are the best in my book.

 

[bzr2x]

Yeah, don't know why I waited so long to do something about it. My tank is about 9 years old. I guess all the new ones have plastic braces. I probably should have been freaking out after it happened. Right now its clamped so hopefully nothing will shatter. I'll probably just switch to an acrylic tank.
T

 

[fishfreek]

You should definatly think about replacing that brace. After all its there for a reason and as you see it was to support the middle of the front and back panes. The pressure is putting extra strain on the sylcon seals and can lead to eventual leak if not something worse.