Cross brace on my 75 gallon no longer attached on one end!!

[JenNewbie]

My 75 gallon tank is 48" long x 30" deep x 13" wide. There is a piece of glass acting as a cross-brace on the top, and when I did my water change today, I realized it is not attached to the front end. To repair it, do I only need aquarium silicon sealant? Do I have to completely empty the tank (substrate, ornaments, and all) or can I just bring the water level down and fix it that way? Can this wait until this weekend, or will the pressure of the water cause problems without the brace in place? The glass in the tank is 1/4" thick, including the loose brace. Any advice is appreciated!

[jcarlilesiu]

if it was origianally attached with sealant, i think that should do the fix. There are stickies on how to do a sealant repair. I know my cross brace however is molded into the plastic "cap" on the tank. The black part that most of us have, if this is the case, and as I suspect yours is, a sealant repair won't fix it as the pressure on the sides would be too great for a sealant repair to correctivly fix. IMO

[BillD]

You can fix it without draining the tank completely, if you are careful. It is important to remove the old silicone completely to ensure good adhsion of the new. A razor blade will scrape the old off. Make sure you remove it all from both the brace and the front glass. The lower the water level the better. You will need to have a clamp arrangement to pull the glass in to the brace. After applying the silicone slowly pull the front in to meet the brace, but don't bring it so close as to squeeze out all the silicone from between the two. Add some extra, below and above if there is room, and smoothe with a finger to ensure a good bond and appearance. It would be much easier if the tank were emptied, as you could better ensure a good cleaning. The glass in the area the silicone is applied to should be cleaned with acetone or alcohol. The silicone will need several days to cure for maximum strength. It is extremely important to ensure that you get all the old silicone off. There is a solvent available to remove it, but I haven't used it. If you decide to repair without emptying the tank, you will have to keep it clamped for 4 or 5 days, to allow the silicone to cure. Then remove the clamp very slowly to ensure that the new bond is holding. . Also, you could clamp or temporarily brace it till the weekend. It may be fine, but I wouldn't risk it. Good luck.

[JenNewbie]

OK, got 2 clamps on the way. Am advertising for a tank to relocate the fish into for a week or so... Wish me luck!

[BillD]

Good luck, and be gentle with the clamps. You only have to apply enough pressure to support the glass.

[JenNewbie]

The clamps are just holding the rim where it is now. From looking at the other side of the brace, it looks like it is just held together with sealant. Anything else maintenance-wise that I should do while the tank is mostly drained? (I'll probably only leave enough water in the tank to keep the plants alive.) Thanks!