Center Brace Failure

[roscozman]

I woke up early this morning and noticed the pump was pushing bubbles - need to top off. I turned on the lights to make sure everything was cool and low and behold, the glass center brace is inside the tank.

I did search the forums and I saw the question everyone has when they are in need - "Who has Aces' number???" There was one thread but it did not detail the fix.

We have a 96x24x24 240gal glass tank. Need to reattach the center brace hopefully without having to tear it down. Anyone up early who can give some sound advice? Call us 210-508-1798.

I'll of course give Ace a pm, but maybe someone is on to give some tips. I'm just still in panic mode.

[princer7]

From what I have read, putting in eurobracing may be the way to go with a repair. Do you have the ability to take the pressure off the tank... clamps or removing some of the water?

Best of luck with the repair. You may want to go ahead and pick up some rubbing alcholol to clean the glass surface that will be adheared to, razor blades to clean any residue/silicone, and reef safe silicone (non-mold resistant).

[Kristy]

Sorry to hear about your tank troubles. I've always complained about our center brace, but I sure would not want to wake up and find it floating! That's the worst to discover a problem with the tank when you wake in the morning...

Anyhow, let us know if you need to borrow anything (tubs or a water barrel, etc.) to address this emergency. We should be around doing some tank chores today. -Kristy

[Rychek]

Didn't Steve and Cheri do a center brace repair on Cheri's tank not too long ago? They might be a good contact point.

[Gseclipse02]

calling right now

[Gseclipse02]

give me a call i just went threw this in the last two weeks ... 210-251-9690

[roscozman]

Received plenty of calls and PM's this morning. Thank you all for your help & the quick replys here on the thread, Princer7, Kristy, Rychek, Gseclipse02. Thanks to Hobogato, Subsailor, Txav8r (jack) who phoned and sent pm's.

We have a long day head of us and will keep you posted on the situation. I am on my way to get everything we need to fix the problem. Wish us lots of luck...I will ask Eve to post a few pics....

[Rychek]

Good luck! Keep us posted!

[aquasport24]

I have 2ea 65g. plastic barrels if you need them..589-6740...

[Pennies2Cents]

Hi everyone,

This is what we woke up to this morning.... We have since removed the brace cleaned it, puts some clamps on and have put it back in place. Here are a few pics. We will be leaving the clamps on for a couple days to make sure everything seals tightly and cures. Sorry for the bad pics this was taken with my iphone.
http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv47/Maast-Photos/GlassCenterBrace1.jpg

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv47/Maast-Photos/GlassCenterBrace2.jpg

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv47/Maast-Photos/GlassCenterBrace3.jpg

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv47/Maast-Photos/GlassCenterBrace4.jpg

[Pennies2Cents]

Again Thanks to all who called, pm'd, or came by to check out the events.. lol

[Gseclipse02]

i would leave the clamps on for at least a week i took mine off after 2-3 days the first time and it popped again ...

this time around im doing it for 2 weeks to make sure not a process i want to do again

[princer7]

That is quite a job. I resealed a 210 a few years back... but it was empty and I was able to take my time.

Hope your corals and fish are doing ok. I agree with Gseclipse, I would leave the clamps on for a while.

[Mr Cob]

Glad this didn't become a huge proble!

[Pennies2Cents]

Just for future refrences here are the steps we took to put it back in place.

1..If your tank is full & setup you may want to remove about 4 inches of water so you have room to work with. Just think of it as a water change. :) Turn your system off.

2. Leave pumps on to allow circulation & water movement (ie) Maxijets,Seio's etc.
This will allow for circulation and water movement in your tank during the hrs of curing.
3. Place Clamps on tank with piece of plywood inbetween glass & clamp
4. Use razor to remove side of brace still attached
5. Use new razors to clean & remove old silicone from area where brace was attached all the way up to the trim
6. Use new razors to cleaned & remove old silicone from glass brace. It is a must to remove any and all silicone because new silicone will "not" adhere to brace and tank correctly
7. Begin to reseal with 33S 100% Silicone Sealant (Thank You Gabe's Fish & Exotic) :)
8. Place a beaded line on each side brace that will adhere to tank.
9. Put in place inside tank use clamps to tighten a little not to much as you still need to add more silicone to fill in the gap.
10. Use index finger or caulking tool to fill in extra space & level the amount of silicone on top & undernieth of brace. Dont forget the small sides.
11. After approx 24-36 hrs you may return water level back to normal and turn system back on (ie) Return Pumps etc.
12. Leave clamps on for a couple of days. 3-5 days or even a little more to allow silicone to dry, adhere & cure properly.

Just remember: Practice makes perfect. :) If it doesnt work the first time try steps 4-11 all over again. . :) As we will soon find out.

We hope this helps any and all who run into this problem in the future.

Again thanks to all who came to the rescue so early in the morning and throughout the day! lol:bighug:

[Bill S]

I'd leave the clamps on for 7-10 days. It can take thick silicone a long time to cure out completely.

[Gseclipse02]

you can also use GE silicone 1 make sure to get clear ...its a lot cheaper 3-4$

[beareef19]

silicone takes a full 10 days to completely cure to the proper shore value.
Barry