gradth Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 So I tore down my 55 today and while cleaning it I cracked the center brace. And then it promptly broke. Can it be fixed? Really puts a damper in my selling it if I cant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 In the stand? Tank? Any pics? Either one should be repairable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradth Posted October 4, 2010 Author Share Posted October 4, 2010 Duh, sorry. Its the tank brace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hozer21 Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 one of my buddies fixed his tank that had that exact problem and Ill ask him tonight when I see him and ill get back to you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost207 Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 i have 45 long with a home made center brace we gust took a peace 1/8' glass and silicone. it works just fine have water in it fore 6 months and no problems yet i was going to get rid of it but my cichlids keep on sponging Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Josh, to do it right there are places you can buy the plastic trim piece from. As I recall they are pretty reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradth Posted October 4, 2010 Author Share Posted October 4, 2010 Josh' date=' to do it right there are places you can buy the plastic trim piece from. As I recall they are pretty reasonable.[/quote'] Any ideas what places Rick? Gonna sell it so I dont want to spend a ton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost207 Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 http://www.glasscages.com/?sAction=ViewCat&lCatID=43 * Tank frames are black. * Minimum order is $15.00 - Minimum S&H via UPS is $15.00 * Large quantites can be shipped by common carrier. Call for quote. * Each frame is a top or bottom - it takes 2 frames to make an aquarium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Any ideas what places Rick? Gonna sell it so I dont want to spend a ton. A quick search turned up glass cages but they want too much IMO. I would see if you can find someone with a busted 55 gallon tank with good trim and use it. Or maybe Nick or Patrick have a source. Or you could cut the old brace out (It really doesn't do much anyway) and then silicone in a piece of glass instead. I would go with 4" wide and 1/8" less than the front to back depth. (You will fill the 1/8" gap with silicone) I may have a piece of 3/8" glass you could just take to the glass shop to have cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackaninny Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Why not splint the damage by sandwiching it with some strips of acrylic across the section. Probably don't even need to go the whole width - maybe 4-6" on each side of the damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeFit Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 that would be a very simple fix, just epoxy a strip of plastic or acrylic on the underneath side and make it the length of the brace. slip it up underneath that rib and it will disappear and probably be stronger than the original brace new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradth Posted October 5, 2010 Author Share Posted October 5, 2010 That sounds simple enough. Any suggestions on epoxy? Got a few different types lying around I think. Thanks for the input everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 That sounds simple enough. Any suggestions on epoxy? Got a few different types lying around I think. Thanks for the input everyone. Make sure it will bond pvc to acrylic. There are not very many glues that will do any more than a temporary fix although I don't think the plastic braces really support the tank itself anyway. I.E. I think they are primarily there to set lights and covers on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradth Posted October 5, 2010 Author Share Posted October 5, 2010 Well when it broke I was filling it up and it for sure bowed. Im gonna sell the tank but I want to make sure its usable before I do. Ill see what I got floating around and see if it will bond to both. Thanks for the info Rick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeFit Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 That sounds simple enough. Any suggestions on epoxy? Got a few different types lying around I think. Thanks for the input everyone. most general purpose 5 min epoxies such as loctite and devcon are designed to bond several kinds of surfaces together and they don't have to be like materials. i usually rough up the areas with a razor blade to give it some adherence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelhead77 Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Epoxy/acrylic strip won't hold it. I tried on my son's 55. When we filled it, it held for a couple hours then BANG! it let go. We immediately drained the tank. What I ended up doing is using a piece of 1/8 acrylic about 4 inches long and drilled two holes on either side of the break and used 4 stainless steel screws, washers and nuts to hold it together. I use it for a mixing tank now and it works as good as new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef165 Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 If it is made of PVC then why couldn't he/ya get a piece of PVC pipe and cut it down lengthwise and glue it with PVC glue the whole length under the brake? He said he was going to sell it so the less he needs to spend on fixing it the more $ he'll make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackaninny Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Google says Weld-On #16 will do acrylic to PVC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsonmfg Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Honestly for what you'll get out of the tank it's probably not worth all the time and effort to "try" and fix it. Weld on "might" work but I wouldn't trust it. Bonding pvc can be a difficult process and if not done correctly by someone with some real bonding experience it will eventually result in failure. Maybe in 5 minutes maybe in 5 years. It's up to you, but I'm a firm believer in karma and I personally wouldn't feel good about selling anyone a tank that was fixed that way. The only ways to properly fix it is to buy the complete replacement top trim that includes a new center brace, I'd say try contacting Top Fin or Aqueon. Or cut out the center brace and install a glass one. I wouldn't use anything smaller than 2" in width and .25" thick glass. Personally I'd put the tank in the classifieds for $20 and let someone else do the repair, then not your fault if the tank fails and 55 gallons of saltwater is on their floor and all their livestock is dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totoro Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 The trick to epoxying fish tank trim is to "flash" the plastic first. Epoxy (even the stuff from TAP Plastics rated for HDPE) won't hold because the polymer molecules nest tightly with one another and present a slick, flat surface. You have to pump energy into the plastic to get the molecules to loosen up a little bit and stick their free ends into the air, thus providing a bondable surface. The industrial process for this is to flash the plastic with very high voltage electricity (that's how they print the art and text onto kitty litter buckets, for example) but us civilians have to use fire. A plumber's torch will do nicely, or you can even use a cigarette lighter if you've got the patience... You don't have to heat the plastic to the point where it's beginning to melt or craze; just be sure to flash the entire surface area you plan to glue. This will buy you 30-60 minutes of working time, after which the plastic will "heal" itself, and paint or epoxy will no longer adhere properly. Personally, though, I'm a big fan of Old School glass braces, and I agree wholeheartedly with Arsonmfg's suggestion to use 1/4" thick glass over 1/8" window glass from the hardware store -- though I'd go with a much wider brace than two inches. The key metric here is the surface area of the joints between the brace and the front and back walls of the tank, as silicone (and I'm talking about The Good Stuff... milspec RTV 108, not GE sealant from Home Depot) has an adhesion strength of only about 40 PSI, while the silicone itself is much stronger. A proper glass shop should have 1/4" stock on hand, and there's even an outfit in Vancouver where you can get 1/4" tempered glass made to order (...that would be Peninsula Glass, for those of you playing along at home). But since you're planning to sell your tank, the easiest out here, as has already been suggested, is not to fix it at all and let the next guy worry about it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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