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Unread 12/05/2010, 09:18 AM   #1
sugartooth
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How nervous should you get about bubbles in your seams?

I don't know what is considered 'normal', but these one set of bubbles in the seams are making me nervous. It's new and just filled it halfway with water. The stand and tank are perfectly level front to back and side to side.
It's also sitting on the pink foam on the stand.

I would like to hear that I'm being overly cautious and that it will hold up just fine. The tank is a 280 gallon. I know I noticed bubbles when I first got it, I just don't know if I hadn't noticed how much or if it's gotten worse.


Bubbles seem to go all the way down to the bottom:











Compared to these ones, which I'm not as worried about:










Thanks for your help.


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Unread 12/05/2010, 09:31 AM   #2
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It bears watching (the floor for wet spots )....sorry. The bottom region looks suspicious because it has some long gaps. If it were to have issue, may be over time, as silicone edge at water side gets disturbed by glass scrubbing. With older tanks i always see these edges get loose. My oceanic 72 leaked. Well it does not look bad to me though..


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Unread 12/05/2010, 10:27 AM   #3
unbelievable
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It would bother me too. Was this a new tank? I have no experience with a tank that size but that would make me nervous. Also what is a tansu style. Excuse my ignorance.


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Unread 12/05/2010, 11:05 AM   #4
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+1 better safe than sorry.


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Unread 12/05/2010, 11:21 AM   #5
sugartooth
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Thanks everyone. Yes, this tank is new. I just got it a few months ago and just put some water in to test. I'm nervous about going ahead to set the whole thing up. I've emailed pictures to the store to get his opinion too.......

unbelievable: The build is Tansu inspired, a Tansu chest is a japanese style furniture which looks like a stand alone step-style chest that features cubby holes and drawers. Sometimes they are used for clothes, shoes, or as entertainment centers. No need to apologize.


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Unread 12/05/2010, 11:33 AM   #6
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Awesome how about a FTS. The woodwork in the pic looks pretty cool. I love the dark wood!


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Unread 12/05/2010, 12:34 PM   #7
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small bubble are ok...larger ones are not....looks like the seams were not cleaned before glued
those seams will, over time, come apart
for the amount of money u have invested, i would get a new tank


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Unread 12/05/2010, 12:36 PM   #8
skunkmere
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you don't have good luck with new tanks. I don't blame you for being concerned.


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Unread 12/05/2010, 12:45 PM   #9
sugartooth
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mm949 View Post
small bubble are ok...larger ones are not....looks like the seams were not cleaned before glued
those seams will, over time, come apart
for the amount of money u have invested, i would get a new tank


AAGH! That's what I didn't want to happen. This build has been an excruciating long journey (that took me across continents no less) and I'm so tired. What do people do in this case? Do you usually have to ship it back to the manufacturer? It's a custom size, with custom holes. The crate it came is gone, movers took it with them.
There's no way for me to try to reinforce it somehow? No way to salvage it except get a new tank?


Skunk: I'm feeling the same way.....so far, the perfect tanks have come from Elos. Super heavy duty with a nice clean feel, sides line up perfectly, top quality glass, and absolutely PERFECT seams. They are the only manufacturers so far that have no bubbles in their seams and cut them straight.


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Unread 12/05/2010, 12:49 PM   #10
sugartooth
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unbelievable: Thanks, I haven't gotten very far in this so no FTS for now. I can certainly send you one when or IF I ever get this going.



I'm pretty close to calling this a very nice bookshelf or entertainment center-----so close!



Last edited by sugartooth; 12/05/2010 at 01:27 PM.
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Unread 12/05/2010, 01:31 PM   #11
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Yea after seeing that video of that 1600 gal tank splitting apart a few posts back I wouldnt chance it. Make them replace it at the least.


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Unread 12/05/2010, 02:14 PM   #12
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Your fine dont worry about it ...the strength holding the tank together is the bead of silicone in the corner, covering the corner and bonding to both the front and side panels . The air bubbles you see are in the silicone of the small bead of silicone they put on the end of glass , it does nothing more then hold the tank together until they can run the big bead of silicone on the inside corner. you will be fine ...The tank that exploded was acrylic by the way . Good luck with the set up !


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Unread 12/05/2010, 02:47 PM   #13
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while it is always better to be safe than sorry...from what I see, I have to agree with McLaughlin4
I really don't think you have much to worry about at all. gauging by the size of the air pockets, they look to be rather small and more importantly not at the inside edge of the joint where water could leach into the pockets themselves...
A phone call to AGE would be in order just to make them aware (for any unforseeable future issues) and more likely just to put your mind at ease

good luck and after viewing your build thread it looks to be on it's way to TOTM!!!!


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Unread 12/05/2010, 02:56 PM   #14
mm949
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Quote:
Originally Posted by McLaughlin4 View Post
Your fine dont worry about it ...the strength holding the tank together is the bead of silicone in the corner, covering the corner and bonding to both the front and side panels . The air bubbles you see are in the silicone of the small bead of silicone they put on the end of glass , it does nothing more then hold the tank together until they can run the big bead of silicone on the inside corner. you will be fine ...The tank that exploded was acrylic by the way . Good luck with the set up !
actually its just the opposite....the seams that but glass to glass is what bonds the tank together....you can strip the silicone down to the glass and the tank still holds together

any bubbles, glass or acrylic, in the joint will tend to seperate over time

kathy i would mark the lenghts of the bubbles with a marker and check it from week to week to see if they increase in size, if they do i would replace the tanks


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Unread 12/05/2010, 04:15 PM   #15
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mm: thanks, I will do so. But your initial reaction has me worried, and I will also hear what the manufacturer says about it. What's stopping me right now is that I don't want to keep filling it if I'm just going to tear it down....already. I'm really bummed, all day. I'm so preoccupied that I keep walking over to it all day in the middle of doing chores, etc. Today was the height of my anxiety because I started filling the tank yesterday.

Craig: Oh thank you, you are really too kind! There are so many nice tanks, I just hope to get as far as I have envisioned in my mind.


I'm certainly asking the source to see if they will stand by it. But I wanted to see if anyone here has experience with these kinds of bubbles. I can understand there are bubbles from time to time, it's just these long ones are scary to me.

And like mm949 said, I've invested so much in this that my anxiety level is 100% and my carefree, risk taking level is at 0%. I feel bad that I'm being picky but I admit that I'm just plain scared and want experts to tell me if I need to stop or go ahead.


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Unread 12/05/2010, 04:20 PM   #16
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I have similar bubbles in my tank (220 gal) and never had a problem. Tank is about 12 years old. Ive seen this in many of my friends tanks also throughout the years and never heard of any issues. Wouldnt worry about it.


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Unread 12/05/2010, 04:28 PM   #17
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Me personally i wouldnt trust a tank like that especially since its custom and you probably payed top dollar for it so id want it as close to perfect as possible.


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Unread 12/05/2010, 04:30 PM   #18
ostrow
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sugartooth View Post
AAGH! That's what I didn't want to happen. What do people do in this case? Do you usually have to ship it back to the manufacturer? It's a custom size, with custom holes. The crate it came is gone, movers took it with them.
How much did you spend on this in time and money? Do you really want a display tank with bubbles down the edges on both sides? Do you really think your eyes will not go straight to those?

There's a debate between Jim and mm. I have no idea who is right. Given there's a debate, and given the look, and given the money you have spent, does it matter? Do you really want to take that risk? With that amount of water in your house? With all the electricals that will be in proximity? With all the rock and livestock you will be spending money and time on?

Do you really want to try and patch this yourself?

Now, for your questions quoted here. I had analogous problem. Mine was with the stand -- they send black instead of cherry -- and a different company. But it was the same basic issue -- carelessness on the builder discovered after delivery, requiring them to make amends.

You don't need the crate. They should send a new crate with the trucking company to pick up the tank. This is their responsibility -- they didn't build it properly. If they don't send a crate and the tank breaks in the truck again, it is their responsibility.

Don't pay for it until they make it right. If you paid already, contact your credit card company immediately after calling the builder, no matter what they say!

Stop thinking about making this tank work and put your energy to getting the problem corrected in the way that it should be corrected!


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Unread 12/05/2010, 05:16 PM   #19
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What does the rest of the tank loo like?
Design?

Specifics as to bracing?

Thickness of glass and dimensions?

This comes into play more.

Strength at the joint is a function of contact area.

Fitz


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Unread 12/05/2010, 06:22 PM   #20
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Ostrow: I agree with you and that's why it has taken me SO long to get this going. At this point, mentally I'm breaking a little bit.

I have spent so much energy and time up to this point that I'm worn.....to give you an idea......this tank was built and paid in full over a year ago. The manufacturer was kind enough to hold onto it until my stand and canopy was ready. That became another huge set of events, along with problems with the other two tanks in this setup. A year later, I finally get the tank(s) and stand and canopy in. Then it takes me 8 weeks to plumb it (creatively).

Many steps along the way it's been a fight, a fight to get all details done right that I'm really wondering if I'm being overly picky, or if I'm going about this the correct way to insure that things will end well.

When I started, I truly felt I needed to pay attention to every fine detail in order to end well. But how much of it is really necessary and how much is just plain being fussy? I guess I needed to know what's 'normal' and within acceptable parameters before I go demanding another 280 gallon that I just finished plumbing re-made and getting in after a year. Plus, the stand was made by a third party which voids any warranty. A risk I was willing to take because I was using a reputable manufacturer......maybe too much of a risk there and I should have prepared better for it.

Yes, if a patch is easy and will be all that's needed, I don't mind at all trying.

Thanks very much for your input, I definitely want to get this sorted out but I feel I should also 'make it work' on my end as much as possible. No one cares as much as I will about my setup.


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Unread 12/05/2010, 06:27 PM   #21
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Fitz: The tank is 1/2" glass and 72" x 30" x 30". It has 4" eurobracing all around, no center brace.
The canopy is as light as it could be made, I think it's around 50 lbs.

Thanks!

Sorry, I forgot to add that the eurobracing is 3/4"


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Unread 12/05/2010, 06:59 PM   #22
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I dunno. It's your tank, you've spent all that time and money. I mean, all the time you spent is the whole point!

Anyway, if you start messing with the seams that undoubtedly will void any hope of the mfr fixing this. You may have paid for it a year ago, but they recently shipped it, correct?

To me, this sort of thing isn't on the picky side. A hole 1" higher or lower than where you wanted it or an overflow box 1/2" too long or too deep, that's picky. Ugly seams -- that's not picky; seams that could fail -- that's critical and must be corrected.

It's a big tank, and a lot of water. Not worth the risk!


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Unread 12/05/2010, 07:15 PM   #23
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Ostrow: Thank you for your support. Yes, the whole point is that I've put in energy, time, passion, and money into this. I feel now it's excessive and I thought the hard part was over, and now I come back to this question about the seams.

Yep, I received it before Halloween and tried to get going on the plumbing. Then I ran into a medical issue that took time away from the tank, which factored into why I didn't focus on these things more.

Hahaa, yes it's a lot of water. Water isn't what I'm afraid of I guess.
I don't want my livestock to die and I don't want to damage my cabinetry. I worked the hardest on getting that right (and I still missed something!). It's meant to be around even if I don't have a tank anymore.

I appreciate your input and I will definitely be checking my messages tomorrow for their response.


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Unread 12/05/2010, 07:37 PM   #24
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I had the same thing timing wise -- weekend. I emailed and stuff but found myself at the stroke of 9am calling!


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Unread 12/06/2010, 08:09 AM   #25
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That's what my 360 looked like the week before it split..


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