Gonna come home with 40 gallons of water on the floor one day.. had to mod the tank

[Jeffd1979]

I had to modify my 40 gallon tank to get my emperor 400 to work.. i had to cut the center support of my tank.. still feels pretty sturdy but you can see the middle bow out a little..

http://web.infoave.net/~jeffd1979/t1.jpg

you can see where i had to cut it.. :(


here is my tank

http://web.infoave.net/~jeffd1979/t2.jpg


I know it looks fake but i am a newbie.

[Rocketman]

What kind of tank is it?

...I'd be a lot more likely to trust an All-Glass in that situation than a Krislin, (these are brand names).

It looks like your stand, hood and lights are from an All-Glass combo.


My point is, All-glass tanks, in my opinion and in the opinions of many people I've talked to, are much better made than Krislins. I would actually say this is a fact. If you remove the center brace, it changes everything though.

[Jeffd1979]

Not sure what brind it is.. just bought it at the LFS... i don't think it will bust but i am wrong alot so with my luck it will... How much does the center brace really do.. didn't feel like it added a whole lot of support when it was on there..

[Rocketman]

It doesn't really. As I recall from past discussions on center brace's, it supports the plastic trim, which keeps the glass from bowing out. When the glass bows out, it's weakened.

If you bought it at the LFS and not a Meijer, chances are it's an All-Glass or something of relativly comparable quality.

[Jeffd1979]

Originally posted by Rocketman
It doesn't really. As I recall from past discussions on center brace's, it supports the plastic trim, which keeps the glass from bowing out. When the glass bows out, it's weakened.

If you bought it at the LFS and not a Meijer, chances are it's an All-Glass or something of relativly comparable quality.

Well i am going to keep my fingers crossed that it does not bust. :)

[Jeffd1979]

Glass on the tank is 1/4 of an inch thick.. got out a level and the glass is bowing out a little.. 3mm difference between the outer edge of the tank and the middle when i measure at the top.. so it is not bowed to bad... You guys really think it is going to busy or can i get at least another year or 2 out of it.. had it for 6 months now.

[RTR]

Removing the center brace from an aquarium is an invitation to disaster. Don't do it, or if already done, replace it. It is needed for structural integrity.

[artemis]

It's not a question of IF your tank's seams will blow, Jeffd1979 merely a question of WHEN the tank's seams will blow. And when the seams do fail, it won't be a slow leak but a catastrophic failure, and you WILL end up with 40 gallons of water on your floor. You need to replace that center brace ASAP! Ditch the Emperor 400; if you really want to use a HOB filter with that tank, you're going to have to use a smaller model.

[silentskream]

how do you replace a cut brace?

i've never seen replacement braces.

[cgrabe]

Originally posted by silentskream
how do you replace a cut brace?

i've never seen replacement braces.
I'd imagine you would need to get the original brace or a strong plastic strip and weld it in place with some good solvent. I think that regardless of how you went about it, you'd need to empty the tank first.

[Jeffd1979]

Originally posted by cgrabe

I'd imagine you would need to get the original brace or a strong plastic strip and weld it in place with some good solvent. I think that regardless of how you went about it, you'd need to empty the tank first.

Well i went to the Fish store where i bought the tank and and it is an All-glass brand tank.. Mine is the 37 gallon tank.. i looked that the 29 gallon tank which is the same as mine just 4 inches shorter. It does not even have a center brace.. then i looked at the 37 gallon just like mine.. the brace was very loose.. i know there was no water in the tank on display but there was alot of play in the brace which leads me to believe it does very little.. seemed more of a brace to rest the glass hood on then anything.. I am going to just roll the dice and hope it does not bust...

They do have a very nice 65 gallon "all glass" oak tank in there with full oak hood and stand for 550 bucks.. I may have to upgrade to that soon!

[silentskream]

its a plastic brace..

how might one weld plastic?

[cgrabe]

Originally posted by silentskream
its a plastic brace..

how might one weld plastic?
With a solvent.

[Jeffd1979]

Originally posted by cgrabe

With a solvent.

I was accually thinking about going to walmart and finding some kind of plastic strip i could use and then bond it with some type of poxy.. I bet that would work.

[MollyWild]

Hi,

I've got a 55G that I had given to me by a friend. It is what is called 'Old Style Frame' which means (I think) no center brace. 4 feet long and 13" wide. It has run for years in my friend's room with NO bowing or leaks.

I set it up on a stand that was defective and it THEN began to leak. I redid the silicone and it seems to be fine now.

The stand company paid for a replacement tank and this one HAS a center brace. I think it's (the brace/Emperor 400) in the way and is primarily there for the All-Glass plastic hoods to sit upon, not for structural reasons. 2 24" hoods are cheaper to manufacture than 1 48" long one???

Dunno. I don't like the center brace either and would like to get rid of it. I'd use the old tank but I'm not very confident in my silicone job.

Hope this helps and any ideas my way are appreciated.

Thanks

[Rocketman]

I found a center brace replacement. I was at an aquirium making shop, and I asked them about it. They gave me one. All you have to do is trim the center brace to size and then cut the plastic frame and it slips right in. I don't really understand it, I'd have to try to do it before I really understand it.

[daveedka]

I've got a 55G that I had given to me by a friend. It is what is called 'Old Style Frame' which means (I think) no center brace. 4 feet long and 13" wide. It has run for years in my friend's room with NO bowing or leaks.

Tanks built without a center brace to begin with are a little different in that the glass is thicker in order to handle the load. I would definately put a brace or the brace back, you can weld plastics with the correct Glue, solvent, etc. for the particular type of plastic, just like madel cement you want something that actually melts the material and allows it to weld. many plastics can also be welded with heat and a filler rod, but if you aren't experienced, you tank wouldn't be the place to learn. You could (carefully with padding) pull the front of the glass back into place with some clamps and make the repair with the tank fairly full. just measure repeatedly so that you have it right. Sell the emp 400 and put 2 280's on it one each side. you will have less stress, and less water to clean up. and have roughly the same filter capacity with some redudndancy ( always a good thing with filter)

[Jeffd1979]

Well i decided to go out and buy a 55 gallon tank

http://web.infoave.net/~jeffd1979/a2.jpg

i know this is going to sound very ghetto but i was at walmart last week and had to go to the supply section and there hanging on the rack was the answer.. a 12 inch plastic ruler.. :D bought that sucker and some epoxy and used that as a center brace.. it works awsome... i am not cycling the 37 gallon as a salt water tank.

:cool:

[punkkkkin]

How is the "12 ruler holding up. I was thinking of doing that to since my center brace is broken right in the middle

[HYLA WALDRON]

This is 2 years old