I've just had the fright of my life.

I was sitting reading with my back to my Rio 400 (which is head height, just 
behind the sofa I was sitting on), when I heard an almighty bang !

Once I'd calmed down I discovered both of the struts that go across the tank 
had come away, and now the front at the top is leaning about a quarter of an 
inch out.

The tank has not been moved (yet), it's not over filled (400 litres to the 
fill line ), so why has it done this and what's best to put them back. 
Sillicone or superglue ?

Help !

Peter

2pods wrote:
> I've just had the fright of my life.
> 
> I was sitting reading with my back to my Rio 400 (which is head height, just 
> behind the sofa I was sitting on), when I heard an almighty bang !
> 
> Once I'd calmed down I discovered both of the struts that go across the tank 
> had come away, and now the front at the top is leaning about a quarter of an 
> inch out.
> 
> The tank has not been moved (yet), it's not over filled (400 litres to the 
> fill line ), so why has it done this and what's best to put them back. 
> Sillicone or superglue ?
> 
> Help !
> 
> Peter 
> 
> 
My first reaction would be sh*t at the very calm end of the scale (and 
most polite)...the second is do you have anywhere else the fish can live 
overnight?...the next is can you get the day off work tomorrow to sort 
it? The next is how long have you had the tank and can you go and shout 
in the morning to get a replacement? The next is if not can you afford a 
new one?

Whatever you do even if fixing it you need to relocate the fish even as 
a temporary measure....where are you in the UK? If you are stuck and 
anywhere local to me I'll help out if I can...

Gill

"Gill Passman"  wrote in message 
news:43c3037e$0$87290$5a6aecb4@news.aaisp.net.uk...
> 2pods wrote:
>> I've just had the fright of my life.
>>
>> I was sitting reading with my back to my Rio 400 (which is head height, 
>> just behind the sofa I was sitting on), when I heard an almighty bang !
>>
>> Once I'd calmed down I discovered both of the struts that go across the 
>> tank had come away, and now the front at the top is leaning about a 
>> quarter of an inch out.
>>
>> The tank has not been moved (yet), it's not over filled (400 litres to 
>> the fill line ), so why has it done this and what's best to put them 
>> back. Sillicone or superglue ?
>>
>> Help !
>>
>> Peter
> My first reaction would be sh*t at the very calm end of the scale (and 
> most polite)...the second is do you have anywhere else the fish can live 
> overnight?...the next is can you get the day off work tomorrow to sort it? 
> The next is how long have you had the tank and can you go and shout in the 
> morning to get a replacement? The next is if not can you afford a new one?
>
> Whatever you do even if fixing it you need to relocate the fish even as a 
> temporary measure....where are you in the UK? If you are stuck and 
> anywhere local to me I'll help out if I can...
>
> Gill

Thanks for the offer Gill, but I'm in Scotland quite a ways from you :-)

I've had a sleepless night up and down to make sure it hasn't got any worse, 
and so far (touch wood) its not getting worse.

I contacted Juwel who said to take some water out and they sending me two 
new struts and some glue.
God knows what they think that will do.
If I glue anything it will be the two that are still attached at one side.

This isn't the first time this has happened to me with a Juwel tank.

 My Rio 240 was delivered with it's strut broken (eventually Juwel sent glue 
but it cost me £18 for a clamp, though I did end up getting a free Rekord60 
from the supplier).

The Rio 400 actually went last month, but I let some water out and re-glued.
At the time I couldn't find clamps big enough locally (which will also cost 
me about £40 plus all in).
So perhaps I haven't put enugh pressure on the struts

What makes it worse is that we want to move it from one side of the room to 
the other in the next couple of weeks.

Peter

Same thing happened to me (but not with Juwel). I was forunate enough to 
have a spare tank I could relocate the fish temporarily whilst I effected a 
repair using silicon sealant and G clamps.

What I found though was the pressure that causesd the front to bow out had 
weakend the side joints near the top so even after I had replaced the 
straps...a couple of weeks later I came down to a living awash in water 
where it had leaked out of the sides.

My advice is to get a new tank ASAP. Repair is false economy and only to be 
used in an emergency.

Smudge Smith wrote:
> Same thing happened to me (but not with Juwel). I was forunate enough to 
> have a spare tank I could relocate the fish temporarily whilst I effected a 
> repair using silicon sealant and G clamps.
> 
> What I found though was the pressure that causesd the front to bow out had 
> weakend the side joints near the top so even after I had replaced the 
> straps...a couple of weeks later I came down to a living awash in water 
> where it had leaked out of the sides.
> 
> My advice is to get a new tank ASAP. Repair is false economy and only to be 
> used in an emergency. 
> 
> 
Think I agree here, if budget allows it. I certainly wouldn't be moving 
this tank across the room....

Gill

I'm not sure that it is necessary to purchase another tank. By reducing the 
level of water it will also reduce the strain on the upper part of the tank. 
I replaced both struts without any problem; although it has to be said that 
I had to further reduce the level of water to 3 or 4 inches to enable the 
front and back to be pushed together to accommodate the struts.

Just my pence worth but HTH - Dave

"Smudge Smith"  wrote in message 
news:43c40d20$0$82637$ed2619ec@ptn-nntp-reader03.plus.net...
> Same thing happened to me (but not with Juwel). I was forunate enough to 
> have a spare tank I could relocate the fish temporarily whilst I effected 
> a repair using silicon sealant and G clamps.
>
> What I found though was the pressure that causesd the front to bow out had 
> weakend the side joints near the top so even after I had replaced the 
> straps...a couple of weeks later I came down to a living awash in water 
> where it had leaked out of the sides.
>
> My advice is to get a new tank ASAP. Repair is false economy and only to 
> be used in an emergency.
>

Each to his own I suppose. If you can repair it and get away with it then 
good luck. I tried and it worked for a while until the sides started leaking 
....The fact that the reduced water level will reduce the strain on the sides 
doesn't account for the fact that once you refill then the water pressure 
will be the same as before but will be exerting on the side joints of the 
tank that would have been weakend when the straps gave way. Unless , there 
is the intent to keep the tank filled at a reduced level.

Best way I can express it from a personal point of view (if you excuse the 
analogy) is anyone who has had recurrent dislocations of a shoulder due to 
impact....even after several years of being fixed, you are always wary of 
exerting the same amount of force against the damaged joint as it is never 
as strong as it used to be.

Personally I would use the opportunity to replace the tank particulary as 
there is the intent to move it very soon. 400litres = approx 900lbs of water 
exerting itself against a weakend joint will make for interesting times 
later on.


"Dave S"  wrote in message 
news:42iipgF1j2bknU1@individual.net...
> I'm not sure that it is necessary to purchase another tank. By reducing 
> the level of water it will also reduce the strain on the upper part of the 
> tank.

"Smudge Smith"  wrote in message 
news:43c43984$0$2692$ed2619ec@ptn-nntp-reader02.plus.net...
> Each to his own I suppose. If you can repair it and get away with it then 
> good luck. I tried and it worked for a while until the sides started 
> leaking ...The fact that the reduced water level will reduce the strain on 
> the sides doesn't account for the fact that once you refill then the water 
> pressure will be the same as before but will be exerting on the side 
> joints of the tank that would have been weakend when the straps gave way. 
> Unless , there is the intent to keep the tank filled at a reduced level.
>
> Best way I can express it from a personal point of view (if you excuse the 
> analogy) is anyone who has had recurrent dislocations of a shoulder due to 
> impact....even after several years of being fixed, you are always wary of 
> exerting the same amount of force against the damaged joint as it is never 
> as strong as it used to be.
>
> Personally I would use the opportunity to replace the tank particulary as 
> there is the intent to move it very soon. 400litres = approx 900lbs of 
> water exerting itself against a weakend joint will make for interesting 
> times later on.
>
Thanks, I'll certainly sleep better tonight I don't think :-)

Juwel's take on it is as follows :

"I am sorry to hear that you have experienced this problem, which is, of 
course, not something, you should expect.
First of all, I should like to mention that you do not need to worry. I 
would recommend to release some of the water from the tank to reduce the 
strain on the front glass. We will send you today two new support straps 
together with the necessary glue.
I hope that you can accept this solution. Having release water from the tank 
you should not have any problem in fixing them to your satisfaction.
Important: the strut is necessary for the statics only - not for the 
stability"

Having said that, my 240 seems fine since it was glued (touches wood) last 
year.
It would be interesting to hear a retailer's (or former retailer) take on it
Netmax, are you there ?

Peter

Aren't the struts part of the plastic rim at the top of the tank. I know on 
my juwel vision they are, so I would think that glue wouldn't hold. If it is 
shouldn't juwel send you a new a hole new rim instead?. And then you could 
just remove the old one and the tank would be as goods as new!

"2pods"  wrote in message 
news:42iugnF1j2tm9U1@individual.net...
>
> "Smudge Smith"  wrote in message 
> news:43c43984$0$2692$ed2619ec@ptn-nntp-reader02.plus.net...
>> Each to his own I suppose. If you can repair it and get away with it then 
>> good luck. I tried and it worked for a while until the sides started 
>> leaking ...The fact that the reduced water level will reduce the strain 
>> on the sides doesn't account for the fact that once you refill then the 
>> water pressure will be the same as before but will be exerting on the 
>> side joints of the tank that would have been weakend when the straps gave 
>> way. Unless , there is the intent to keep the tank filled at a reduced 
>> level.
>>
>> Best way I can express it from a personal point of view (if you excuse 
>> the analogy) is anyone who has had recurrent dislocations of a shoulder 
>> due to impact....even after several years of being fixed, you are always 
>> wary of exerting the same amount of force against the damaged joint as it 
>> is never as strong as it used to be.
>>
>> Personally I would use the opportunity to replace the tank particulary as 
>> there is the intent to move it very soon. 400litres = approx 900lbs of 
>> water exerting itself against a weakend joint will make for interesting 
>> times later on.
>>
> Thanks, I'll certainly sleep better tonight I don't think :-)
>
> Juwel's take on it is as follows :
>
> "I am sorry to hear that you have experienced this problem, which is, of 
> course, not something, you should expect.
> First of all, I should like to mention that you do not need to worry. I 
> would recommend to release some of the water from the tank to reduce the 
> strain on the front glass. We will send you today two new support straps 
> together with the necessary glue.
> I hope that you can accept this solution. Having release water from the 
> tank you should not have any problem in fixing them to your satisfaction.
> Important: the strut is necessary for the statics only - not for the 
> stability"
>
> Having said that, my 240 seems fine since it was glued (touches wood) last 
> year.
> It would be interesting to hear a retailer's (or former retailer) take on 
> it
> Netmax, are you there ?
>
> Peter
>

Looking at mine it looks like it is held in place with sealent.

"Feral Boy"  wrote in message 
news:6wtxf.94$77.93@newsfe3-win.ntli.net...
> Aren't the struts part of the plastic rim at the top of the tank. I know 
> on my juwel vision they are, so I would think that glue wouldn't hold. If 
> it is shouldn't juwel send you a new a hole new rim instead?. And then you 
> could just remove the old one and the tank would be as goods as new!
>
> "2pods"  wrote in message 
> news:42iugnF1j2tm9U1@individual.net...
>>
>> "Smudge Smith"  wrote in message 
>> news:43c43984$0$2692$ed2619ec@ptn-nntp-reader02.plus.net...
>>> Each to his own I suppose. If you can repair it and get away with it 
>>> then good luck. I tried and it worked for a while until the sides 
>>> started leaking ...The fact that the reduced water level will reduce the 
>>> strain on the sides doesn't account for the fact that once you refill 
>>> then the water pressure will be the same as before but will be exerting 
>>> on the side joints of the tank that would have been weakend when the 
>>> straps gave way. Unless , there is the intent to keep the tank filled at 
>>> a reduced level.
>>>
>>> Best way I can express it from a personal point of view (if you excuse 
>>> the analogy) is anyone who has had recurrent dislocations of a shoulder 
>>> due to impact....even after several years of being fixed, you are always 
>>> wary of exerting the same amount of force against the damaged joint as 
>>> it is never as strong as it used to be.
>>>
>>> Personally I would use the opportunity to replace the tank particulary 
>>> as there is the intent to move it very soon. 400litres = approx 900lbs 
>>> of water exerting itself against a weakend joint will make for 
>>> interesting times later on.
>>>
>> Thanks, I'll certainly sleep better tonight I don't think :-)
>>
>> Juwel's take on it is as follows :
>>
>> "I am sorry to hear that you have experienced this problem, which is, of 
>> course, not something, you should expect.
>> First of all, I should like to mention that you do not need to worry. I 
>> would recommend to release some of the water from the tank to reduce the 
>> strain on the front glass. We will send you today two new support straps 
>> together with the necessary glue.
>> I hope that you can accept this solution. Having release water from the 
>> tank you should not have any problem in fixing them to your satisfaction.
>> Important: the strut is necessary for the statics only - not for the 
>> stability"
>>
>> Having said that, my 240 seems fine since it was glued (touches wood) 
>> last year.
>> It would be interesting to hear a retailer's (or former retailer) take on 
>> it
>> Netmax, are you there ?
>>
>> Peter
>>
>
>

"Feral Boy"  wrote in message 
news:Yxtxf.95$77.71@newsfe3-win.ntli.net...
> Looking at mine it looks like it is held in place with sealent.

The struts fit into the rim via a small ridge.

They arrived today along with the glue Juwel always send (cyanofix) which is 
just a type of Superglue.

I'll clamp them for a day anyway to make sure, and I think I'll re-fit the 
old struts too.

Peter

this happend 2 my r400 also. the bow was v. worrying! Juwel sent me 
replacement struts (no glue). I decanted 50% of the water & "pushed" the 
front glass back into shape & and attached the struts - no probs since & 
that is about 6 months ago - fingers crossed!


"2pods"  wrote in message 
news:42np1hF1jqvr0U1@individual.net...
>
> "Feral Boy"  wrote in message 
> news:Yxtxf.95$77.71@newsfe3-win.ntli.net...
>> Looking at mine it looks like it is held in place with sealent.
>
> The struts fit into the rim via a small ridge.
>
> They arrived today along with the glue Juwel always send (cyanofix) which 
> is just a type of Superglue.
>
> I'll clamp them for a day anyway to make sure, and I think I'll re-fit the 
> old struts too.
>
> Peter
>

"Sky-Catcher" <bobhope@nohope> wrote in message 
news:43c6c399$0$2670$ed2619ec@ptn-nntp-reader02.plus.net...
> this happend 2 my r400 also. the bow was v. worrying! Juwel sent me 
> replacement struts (no glue). I decanted 50% of the water & "pushed" the 
> front glass back into shape & and attached the struts - no probs since & 
> that is about 6 months ago - fingers crossed!
>
>
Did you glue the struts ?

Peter

nope - just popped them into the surround - they seem to be holding OK


"2pods"  wrote in message 
news:42nv8mF1j91qeU1@individual.net...
>
> "Sky-Catcher" <bobhope@nohope> wrote in message 
> news:43c6c399$0$2670$ed2619ec@ptn-nntp-reader02.plus.net...
>> this happend 2 my r400 also. the bow was v. worrying! Juwel sent me 
>> replacement struts (no glue). I decanted 50% of the water & "pushed" the 
>> front glass back into shape & and attached the struts - no probs since & 
>> that is about 6 months ago - fingers crossed!
>>
>>
> Did you glue the struts ?
>
> Peter
>

"SkyCatcher"  wrote in message 
news:43c7cdb8$0$2715$ed2619ec@ptn-nntp-reader02.plus.net...
> nope - just popped them into the surround - they seem to be holding OK
>
>
> "2pods"  wrote in message 
> news:42nv8mF1j91qeU1@individual.net...
>>
>> "Sky-Catcher" <bobhope@nohope> wrote in message 
>> news:43c6c399$0$2670$ed2619ec@ptn-nntp-reader02.plus.net...
>>> this happend 2 my r400 also. the bow was v. worrying! Juwel sent me 
>>> replacement struts (no glue). I decanted 50% of the water & "pushed" the 
>>> front glass back into shape & and attached the struts - no probs since & 
>>> that is about 6 months ago - fingers crossed!
>>>
>>>
>> Did you glue the struts ?
>>
>> Peter
>>
>
Well, that's the two original struts glued back in.
I'd clamped them overnight.

As soon as I get a chance, I'll refill the 10% or so I took out and watch it 
closely.

Peter