many bubbles forming in the acrylic weld... when to worry?

[smartwater101]

I posted this the other day but the post title wasn't properly descriptive ( "bubbles in tank" ) so it didn't get much traction.

I've had this tank for 5 years and the bubbles are mainly on the top panel. It goes along the entire top panel (all four sides) at equal distances apart from each other. I also have this around the bottom panel but the bubbles are not anywhere close to being as deep as the top...

I've seen this on a lot of tanks over the years and am wonder 1) WHY are they so evenly spaced (pressure?) and 2) is this really anything to be concerned about. I have some .6" rod that I was considering welding to the top/inside corners... at least in the back.

Thoughts?

 

[KrisReef]

Because of the spacing, I would guess that the builder had some kind of spacer inserted into those areas to ensure that the solvent (or glue) actually filled the void space before they removed all those spacers to bond the tank together. I don't know if you need to add reinforcement, but I recently had a "seam" fail on an outside overflow that was "bonded" to the back of the tank. I had to dry the seam and added reinforcement to bond the overflow back to the tank. I wish I had done this before the seam failed. What your situation looks like is different than what I had. I had bubbles most of the way across the seam and throughout the seam so that it really wasn't bonded together and overtime stress popped the seam open. Your gaps don't appear to be under the same kind of stress, looking at the photo.
HTH.

 

[Lukas75]

Dumb question, but have they remained relatively the same? Or do they appear to be growing? Making some marks with a wax pencil or something might help to get an idea if the bubbles are creeping through the seam.

 

[smartwater101]

Because of the spacing, I would guess that the builder had some kind of spacer inserted into those areas to ensure that the solvent (or glue) actually filled the void space before they removed all those spacers to bond the tank together. I don't know if you need to add reinforcement, but I recently had a "seam" fail on an outside overflow that was "bonded" to the back of the tank. I had to dry the seam and added reinforcement to bond the overflow back to the tank. I wish I had done this before the seam failed. What your situation looks like is different than what I had. I had bubbles most of the way across the seam and throughout the seam so that it really wasn't bonded together and overtime stress popped the seam open. Your gaps don't appear to be under the same kind of stress, looking at the photo.
HTH.

That sucks. When the seam failed did it bust open or was it just a simple leak? I had a small leak from my overflow and reinforced it with rod. Thankfully it was just a small drip.

 

[smartwater101]

Dumb question, but have they remained relatively the same? Or do they appear to be growing? Making some marks with a wax pencil or something might help to get an idea if the bubbles are creeping through the seam.

They seem to have grown over the last five years. Not too fast though. I'd say the last couple of years they've look relatively the same. I remember a very small separation when i first got it but now they are 1/4 of the way through.

The tank is only 19" tall so I'm hoping that helps in terms of pressure.

 

[Lukas75]

They seem to have grown over the last five years. Not too fast though. I'd say the last couple of years they've look relatively the same. I remember a very small separation when i first got it but now they are 1/4 of the way through.

The tank is only 19" tall so I'm hoping that helps in terms of pressure.

That's a really good question then on when to worry. Growing that slow is odd. Most failures I here of happen pretty quickly. I wish I had more to offer. Maybe posing the question to a tank manufacturer, but I'd be worried about them saying, "Oh yeah, it's going to blow any second. Now let me tell you about our aquariums..."

 

[KrisReef]

That sucks. When the seam failed did it bust open or was it just a simple leak? I had a small leak from my overflow and reinforced it with rod. Thankfully it was just a small drip.

I was deployed and my wife called hysterical cause she was home watching over the reef while I was away.

Three sides of the overflow were glued to the back of the tank, and one side let go and started slowly draining water from the system. On the phone she was screaming and crying because she had tried to fix it with tape (Thanks Lowe’s ) but the waterproof tape failed. I could hear the pumps start pulling air while we talked.
Buddy from the LFS came and rigged the tank to limp along until I got back.

I wonder if your cracks are showing more as the get salt deposits in them or if the a truly expanding?

I wish I had reinforced my overflow before it failed, but I didn’t think the tank would just fall apart like it did. Fixing it was easy. I was luck that it failed along the seam and not crooked where it could not have been repaired so easily.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

I am a glass tank guy. But my thoughts are 5 years in, if it was going to fail it would have by now. And as mentioned if no changes it should be ok. I would not be worried about running it another 5 years.

But Krisreef had a good example or not so good for him..sorry about that experience

To sum it up, I am no help, but wanted to give an opinio.