Hi,
I'm new to this site and hope someone can offer some advice. I purchased a roughly 130 gallon tank (72"x24"x17", widthxheightxdepth) for a good price. The only problem is that on one side some of the top and bottom plastic trim appeared to have melted and the center brace was broken. Then during transport one of the side glass panels broke.

I was able to remove the broken glass and I'm ready to order a replacement panel from Glasscages.com (24"x17"x3/8"). Regarding the trim, Glasscages.com recommended I buy two sets of 36"x18" trim.

There are 2 things I need help with before I begin this repair project:
1. Do I need to disassemble the whole tank, get rid of all the old sealant, and put it back together because uncured silicone sealant doesn't adhere to cured silicone sealant - i.e. as if I was building a new tank from scratch?
2. If I get the 2 sets of 36"x18" trim, what is the best way to combine them into a 72"x18" trim? Also, what do I do about a center brace?

Thanks very much in advance for any advice you can offer.