tank bracing has let go!

[justcichlids]

1370x 500x 400 custom made tank with divider in middle single bracing in middle about450 wide. the silicone has let go the entire length of the front bracing and nearly all the way down the front of the divider.

had a quick fix solution and want to know what you think.

50 mm aluminium angle silconed along the front and back where the bracing is, clean silcone off and resilicone the bracing, but not the divider

then clamp it up tight and brace the two peices of aluminum tubing 50mm box and rivet it all together.

i reckon it will work.

what do think.

[Josh]

Seems like alot of work to me.

Empty the tank and resilcone the brace, simple fix!

[justcichlids]

i've already emptied the tank, but i really hate removing the old silicone , i've just cut the angle and now i'm cutting the tubing.

i had this left over from a boat project . i'd post some pics but the missus has run off withe camera.

lucky i had enough tanks to dump the fish in.

[CThompson]

When this last happened to me (with just the bridge), I sandwiched the tank clamped between two 4x2s. This meant the bridge was no longer needed. I then at leisure cleaned the silicon from where it had parted on the tank and bridge, reglued, let dry, released clamps (after a week) and all fixed. I didn't remove the fish and as the tank had a canister on it, it ran at half full (or is that empty ) for a few weeks, with no issues.

Yours will be complicated by the divider, but as it is the bridge that holds the tank from bowing (though a silicone divider will help), you could do the above and silicon the divider underwater if you want (it will dry/cure submerged). It will be hard to do a neat job though doing it this way.