48 inch 55? gallon hood questions
- Thread starter Dragonmommy
- Start date
I used my first 55 gallon tank to house collared lizards when I was about 11. Every time I wanted to pick one up, they would run from one side of the tank to the other, and I would end up hitting my arm on the center brace. So after a few bruises and having my mouth washed out with soap, I finally took a hacksaw and removed it. After the lizards died, I decided to set up a freshwater tank. About a month after I first filled it with water it began to leak at the seams that when I noticed the glass bowing. I've always assumed this happened beacuse I removed an essential part to the structural integrity of the tank.
ksimmo1 said:
That is exactly what happened. I was given a tank and the center piece was broken so I thought no big deal just cut it out. Well it blew the seams. I repaired the tank and made a hood for it that I cut out U channels and slipped it over the sides of the tank. I then secured all four pieces together and it was solid for years and never leaked. That is untill an unfortunate accident that cracked the front glass... After a rapid water drain and fish rescue I went acrylic.
daveedka said:
48 inch bulbs being the most popular industry standard are by far the cheapest bulbs to buy for the length you get. in most cases 3 foot bulbs are far more expensive than 4 foot bulbs because of user demand & consumption. & i'm guessing that even the 2foot bulbs cost more & would be way less available & not have the variety color spectrums that the 4 foot bulbs have.
In my area 48" bulbs are marginally more expensive than 24" bulbs, but you are still at a two to one ratio each time you change bulbs, so the 48 would be cheaper in the long run. Hood price is another story. The last I checked and that has been a while, two 24" hoods priced out lower than a single 48" hood. But I do not recall if those hoods used 24" bulbs or 18" bulbs.
Dave
So a question about the centre brace. I have a (used)55 that didn't come with one. What is keeping that thing together? It is an older allglass model, and unless someone did a really nice fab job, it appears there never was one there.
Some of the older 55's Were built without the center brace, and glass thickness was engineered accordingly. I would contact all glass to get specs just to be sure. If it truly was built without a center brace (and not re-done that way by someone else) then it should be fine. I have owned 55's with and without the center brace, I do not remember the difference in glass thicknesses but do recall that there is one.
Dave
Dave
Thanks dave, I did notice the glass was a bit thicker than other 55's ive seen, but I forget what the difference is. This was a great help to me as I just moved into my new house and FINALLY get to set the darn thing up today!
Most 24-inch hoods use 18-inch 15watt bulbs.
...not a lot of light.
Someone mentioned using all-glass clear tops. That might look pretty cool. I did it with my 20gal tall tank and think I like it better than the opaque light hoods. And you can still put the 24-inch fixtures on top of it. Its different anyhow.
...not a lot of light.
Someone mentioned using all-glass clear tops. That might look pretty cool. I did it with my 20gal tall tank and think I like it better than the opaque light hoods. And you can still put the 24-inch fixtures on top of it. Its different anyhow.
