55 gal. with out center brace

by **martinutz** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 3:05 am

my tank does not have a center brace it has a place to put one just to hold the glass tops is this normal

by **Poetic_Irony2267** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:37 am

any tank over two feet long should have a center brace if it is a typical rectangular tank i would probably consider making some sort of brace that will fit snugly over the center of the tank in order to brace it because that's a lot of water pressure and that could be the problem with the leak in the bottom of the tank. either that or buy a new tank and use that tank for reptiles or something else, i would never trust a tank that big with out a center brace and i certainly would not fill it in my house. if your floor jiggles just enough you will have more than just 10 gallons of water to worry about on your floor.
Brandon

by **snowboss** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 2:09 pm

lol amen to that Poetic......................

by **scottyramone** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 12:00 am

any suggestion on how you would go about making a brace? i have a 110g its 5 feet long and has no brace. the glass is1/2 inch thick.

by **Poetic_Irony2267** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 1:36 am

wow, i don't know if i would even think about that. i mean maybe if you know the manufacturer they could tell you if the tank was made with a center brace or not. if you can tell that one was there but not now, i would not even bother filling it.

i figured if i needed i would have a steal rim made for it, one that has some serious welds and fits very snuggly over the top of the tank something like this would need to be painted or have a finish on it in order to keep it from rusting or corroding.

hope this helps,
Brandon.

by **scottyramone** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 2:29 am

well its been up and running for about a week now, and i bought it off a guy who had it for a few years with no brace. so i'm not sure. i'm gonna check out the DIY sites and see waht they say about building your own tank.

by **scottyramone** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 3:02 am

Well according to the info i can find glass thickness is the key to the strength. some site sugguest using a brace on larger tanks. according to most site , including this one which was very helpful http://saltaquarium.about.com/gi/dynami ... ess.0.html

my glass is 13mm which gives me a saftey factor of 3.8, and i would even be fine with 9mm glass for a safety factor of 2.

another site quotes"DIYers think that the 3.8 Safety Factor is a bit of an overkill for their particular tank and location situation (i.e. low traffic in a protected area), and therefore feel comfortable with a lower factor."
i think i'm okay, but i will wait and see what others think.

by **spongebob4460** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:18 am

I would also look up similar sized tanks for sale in that thickness and see if they come with a brace in place... this should let you know how the experts feel about its necessity.

by **scottyramone** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:57 pm

the local store has a 110 i'm going to go in a see if that one has one. as far a i can tell this tank never had one. it has a plastic rim all the way around it. looks like it originally came with glass fit in canopy.

55 gal. with out center brace

9 posts