125 gallon tank brace

[Anonymous]

Alright here is the dilemma. I have a 125 gallon tank unknonw builder all-glass or perfecto maybe even generic what have you. The previous owner used it for a large boa and melted one of the braces in the middle of the tank about half the way through (seriously warping it as well).

So here it is:

A). Replace the top frame of the tank and silicon a new brace on? (although I don't know the manufacturer may be difficult.)

or

B). Go ahead and use the tank no worries.

or

C). Try to rig a brace/support for the tank?
(if this option please give some ideas)

or

D). give me some options please.

 

[mr_X]

try to replace the brace with a suitable FACTORY replacement.
if you go ahead and use the tank..there will be worries.
i have seen someone try to "rig" a home-made replacement, and despite his best efforts, he ended up buying a new tank.

 

[trido]

C). Try to rig a brace/support for the tank?
(if this option please give some ideas)

.

I wonder if anyone has ever tried using a strip of acrylic and weldon 16 to make a new brace. If you could reshape the existing brace and weld a new peice over the top of the old one you may get enough bond along the whole length to get away with a patch job.

 

[mr_X]

this is a 125 gallon tank. think about long term. how long will you want to stare at your patch job? how much is a new 125, that you would rather fix this one half-azzed?
i only say this because i purchased a used tank, and now i wish i would have just spent the extra money and got what i wanted. my tank used to hold turtles, and once i filled it, and saw all the flaws in the glass and on the plastic, i was not that concerned. but now, i am thinking very seriously about purchasing a new one. what a job that is going to be.
just be sure, if you CAN pull off a repair, it's something that you will be happy with for the long term.
i believe the members name was "ranger" that tried to repair his brace, and i believe it was on a much smaller bowfront tank, in which he failed.
just some food for thought.

 

[bleedingthought]

Ranger's tank (46G BF) support/brace was melted through by his MH and then added steel cables as support. They eventually snapped. He then bought a new tank.

 

[Anonymous]

Interesting to me that you should bring this up, as I was going to ask a similar question. My 125 has no/has never had a center brace and this has been a concern to me. If I view the face of the tank from the side I can see that it bows out. I once squeezed it slightly together to see how much/ how easily it would flex, and now it leaks slightly from the bottom, just enough to show salt creep, but not drip. Since I am plotting the logistics of removing everything to plastic bins, removing all water, drying tank completely, removing exposed silicon along bottom, and re-siliconing the bottom with a rediculously thick bead of silicon, I have wondered if I should fashion a DUI center brace as well. I have no idea how one could remove the top plastic border to replace with a factory one since silicon is so difficult to remove. The removal of exposed silicon on the bottom sounds equally difficult. Can anyone tell me how to do this? Input on the brace/no brace issue would be appreciated as well.

 

[mr_X]

i would probably empty the tank, and run a blade under the plastic to cut any silicone, and then remove the top, then clean it real good, and then install the new one.
i just have to say- HOLY SHIZZLE!
you have a 125 gallon tank that bows in the middle? that would be catastrophic my friend! i don't know how i can emphasize enough that i think you need to correct this issue as soon as humanly possible. do you know how much pressure is being held by practically nothing?

i would order new top and bottom hardware and correct this, or even consider a new tank. how much are they? a couple hundred? imagine the cost of the tank bursting and losing all inhabitants and any objects of value nearby the tank as well. i don't know how well stocked your tank is, but even my tank being so new, has 700 dollars worth of live rock alone in it. not to mention hundreds of pounds of live sand and corals, fish...bla bla bla..the list goes on.
even if you were home and this tank blew out, how would you save anything in it? do you have a comparably sized hospital tank? do you have 50-75 gallons of prepared water to fill bins with and house fish and corals that are now flappign around on your carpet?...all i can say is YIKES

 

[Anonymous]

Either get a new top brace or fix it. look around, people ahve fixed/replaced center braces with sucess.

Also, glass isn't as solid as you think. there is a bit of give in it. My old 100gal (72") didn't ahve a center brace. I bought it used from a guy who had it for 15 years before I bought it. I had it for 2 years and it never leaked.

Just because your tank doesn't have a center brace is no reason to panic. If it DID have one and it's broke, cracked, or cut off, FIX IT. I had a friend's 110 crack.

B

 

[bleedingthought]

Yeah, I plan to get a 180 with no center brace, only "perimeter bracing."

 

[mr_X]

Yeah, I plan to get a 180 with no center brace, only "perimeter bracing."

do you mean it was constructed this way, or you will need to fix it?

 

[mr_X]

Either get a new top brace or fix it. look around, people ahve fixed/replaced center braces with sucess.

Also, glass isn't as solid as you think. there is a bit of give in it. My old 100gal (72") didn't ahve a center brace. I bought it used from a guy who had it for 15 years before I bought it. I had it for 2 years and it never leaked.

Just because your tank doesn't have a center brace is no reason to panic. If it DID have one and it's broke, cracked, or cut off, FIX IT. I had a friend's 110 crack.

B

are you saying you used it for 2 years without correcting the brace issue?

 

[bleedingthought]

Yeah, I plan to get a 180 with no center brace, only "perimeter bracing."

do you mean it was constructed this way, or you will need to fix it?

I want it with no center brace.