# 55 Gallon Cross Bar Broke



## DntBrnDPig (May 2, 2004)

Hey guys, I'm hoping someone has experience with this.

I got a 55 gallon tank from a friend. It was sitting in my shed and something fell on it and broke the crossbar (the piece that goes in the middle of the tank to keep it from bowing out). I was wondering is this critical? Do i need to get it fixed before I put water in it?

If so what are some cheap ways of fixing it?

Thanks!

Pig


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

It definitely needs to be fixed before filling it with water, but it's cheap/easy to do...

Buying a new one is an option...

Switching the top one (broken) and the bottom one (not broken) might be an option. Since there is no glass spanning front to back in the center on top, it needs the support. This support is not needed on the bottom...

Repairing it is an option...

When mine broke, I placed a piece of metal over the break and overlapping several inches on either side... I then drilled two holes on either side of the break through the plastic support and the piece of metal... I then put a screw through each hold and locked it down with a nut... finally I covered the whole thing with silicone to prevent any of the metals from leaching anything into the water.

I put the metal on the underside of the support so when it was complete all that could be seen were the 4 screws. The silicon at the end may have been overkill, but even it was hidden quite well and I never regretted the extra step.

If your cross bar is broken too close to the wall of the tank, you may not have adequate space for this type of repair. In that case I would suggest switching or replacingâ€¦


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## cichlidpastor (Jun 20, 2009)

I actually have this same problem with my 70 gal. It is custom and they put 2 glass support pieces in, siliconed to the inside. The problem is it does work and the glass supports came loose almost immediately. Because it's a 50" x 14" tank you can't buy a replacement.

I gave it to a friend of mine 7 years ago and he filled it and never repaired the center supports. It bowed, but never leaked. and it went like that for 7 years. He gave it back to me a while back and I set it up, but i put big clamp on it front to back. I am presently trying to come up with something to replace the clamp. It's a shame its a really nice tank.

If you come up with anything brilliant please share


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## gnomemagi (Jun 13, 2009)

Depends on the thickness of the glass in the tank maybe. I had used my father's tank from the late 70's for the past year - it was built without the center support that 55gs nowadays have, and have never had any leaks or any problems with it.


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## non_compliance (Dec 4, 2008)

I am currently running a 65 gallon that had the support break out. I was considering fabricating my own support somehow and epoxying it in. I figured silicone was too flexible...

I have water in it, and the previous owner had water in it.. it bows, but does not leak. I only fill it to about 6 inches below the top to relieve some pressure.. also so my fish don't jump out!


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## JennKS (Jul 12, 2009)

DntBrnDPig said:


> Hey guys, I'm hoping someone has experience with this.
> 
> I got a 55 gallon tank from a friend. It was sitting in my shed and something fell on it and broke the crossbar (the piece that goes in the middle of the tank to keep it from bowing out). I was wondering is this critical? Do i need to get it fixed before I put water in it?
> 
> ...


Mine was fine without it, but my problem was I had two 20g sized hoods and was not willing to replace them when hoods can be expensive. It was cheaper to replace the top frame on special order from the LFS (I believe it was $15).. I took the old one off, removed any silicone left with a razor blade, cleaned with rubbing alcohol and applied the new frame. Much easier than I had expected it to be.


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## cichlidpastor (Jun 20, 2009)

non_compliance said:


> I am currently running a 65 gallon that had the support break out. I was considering fabricating my own support somehow and epoxying it in. I figured silicone was too flexible...
> 
> I have water in it, and the previous owner had water in it.. it bows, but does not leak. I only fill it to about 6 inches below the top to relieve some pressure.. also so my fish don't jump out!


Would using plexiglass for the cross piece work with the epoxy? Would you just mount it on the inside lip of the top trim?


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## cichlidpastor (Jun 20, 2009)

JennKS said:


> DntBrnDPig said:
> 
> 
> > Mine was fine without it, but my problem was I had two 20g sized hoods and was not willing to replace them when hoods can be expensive. It was cheaper to replace the top frame on special order from the LFS (I believe it was $15).. I took the old one off, removed any silicone left with a razor blade, cleaned with rubbing alcohol and applied the new frame. Much easier than I had expected it to be.


I would just replace mine, but it's a custom tank. 50"x14" Does that stink or what?

Do you think the epoxy would hold against the water pressure?


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## non_compliance (Dec 4, 2008)

I dont' know yet cichlid pastor... I would guess that would work. Probably better mounted ON THE GLASS, but on the trim would probably be fine too. I am going to ask around to some LFS and local hobbists...

I will say, it's sweet to not have it in the way though.. wish I dind't have to fix it.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

General rule of thumb:

If it is there, keep it there as the tank was designed for it.

My one 55 gal All Glass tank has a center brace, and my other 55 gal Perfecto does not. The difference in the glass thickness is very obvious...the Perfecto's glass is nearly 1/2" thick!

I would go to your LFS and try to get a top replacement trim piece for the tank. I just ordered a new trim piece for a 20 gallon long from the LFS...the price was $13.


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## cichlidpastor (Jun 20, 2009)

I agree. If I had a standard tank (i.e. 55 gal), I'd simply order a new top trim piece. Simple process, simple repair and very cheap.

I just wish my tank was standard


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## skyleranne (Mar 25, 2007)

Cichlidpastor
have you found a solution yet? Because I am in the same boat with my 225 gallon tank.

If I get something made out of stainless steal or something along those lines and make some kind of trim with the brass on it, do you all think that would work and do like Toby_H and silicone it so it won't rust due to mositure?


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## cichlidpastor (Jun 20, 2009)

skyleranne said:


> Cichlidpastor
> have you found a solution yet? Because I am in the same boat with my 225 gallon tank.
> 
> If I get something made out of stainless steal or something along those lines and make some kind of trim with the brass on it, do you all think that would work and do like Toby_H and silicone it so it won't rust due to mositure?


Not sure. But an engineering friend of mine suggested I build a plexiglass piece that goes from front to back across the center and screws at both ends into a 2 plexiglass (or lexan) blocks that are siliconed to the outside of the top trim piece front and back. Not sure if it will work, but it's worth a try. Do you guys think it would work?


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## skyleranne (Mar 25, 2007)

This is gonna sound stupied but Where do you find Plexiglass? Can I get at Lowes or homedepot? or do I go to a glass place?


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## cichlidpastor (Jun 20, 2009)

you can get it any of those places


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

Silicone will not hold on acrylic/plexiglass/lexan. This is why acrylic tanks are chemically glued together.


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

Iâ€™m getting a little confused here as it seems there are several people with the same problem yet with different details all discussing solutionsâ€¦ Iâ€™ll do my best to keep it straight 

DntBrnDPig, the Original Poster here, hasnâ€™t checked in with us in a whileâ€¦ I look forward to hearing wha tif any of these solutions you are consideringâ€¦

CichlidPastorâ€¦ In your case, you have a glass center brace that came unglued (unsiliconed) on a tank that has a plastic trim going around it but with no plastic center brace, right?

Iâ€™m not a PE (Professional Engineer) but I do work for an engineering firmâ€¦ And the solution your engineer friend suggested does sound like it would workâ€¦ but I also feel it is quite over engineered.

I would suggest draining (or at least lowering the water to the 50% mark) the tank, cleaning all of the glass areas involved, resiliconing the center brace in place, clamping itâ€¦ and giving it ample cure time. In theory there is no reason why this will not work. I have a Oceanic 125 gal that has a glass center brace that is secured this way that Iâ€™ve been using for over 7 years.

If this fails or you choose not to take this approachâ€¦ I would suggest something slightly different than what your engineer friend suggested, but along the same linesâ€¦

Get two metal (stainless steel would work best) L bracketâ€¦ bolt it to a piece of Plexiglas (again, stainless bolts/nuts would be best) so that it does not allow the front/rear panes of glass to bowâ€¦ use a small piece of cloth, foam, or almost anything soft to pad the between the glass & metal. Hopefully you will be able to fit this in place between the glass and the plastic trim so that it cannot be seen from the outside.

As an additional thought to that solutionâ€¦ you may want to add metal strips that run along the top of the front/rear panes of glass where the metal L brackets meets the glass. This will allow any force/pressure from the brackets to the glass to be distributed over a larger surface. I doubt this would be â€œnecessaryâ€


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## skyleranne (Mar 25, 2007)

Toby_H.... Yes mine did come unglued and I have tried silicone and 2-part epoxy and it failed. But after talking to some people I did it wrong. I couldn't figure out what kind of clamp to use or how it would go on. I also tried putting plexiglass on and used a Professional welder adhesive to see if it will hold. So far I have the back peice on and the front is either still drying or it is not sticking. If it doesn't stick, could it be possible that the glass is too clean?


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

adhesives made for Plexi do not stick to glass well... and adhesives made for glass do not stick to Plexi well...

How are you making the Plexi brace?

...no, the glass could not have been "too clean"... although I have seen problems occur from not cleaning off all of the glass cleaner...


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## skyleranne (Mar 25, 2007)

So if this doesn't work then How would I get the plexi to adhere to glass?

I have a 24in by 8 in peice of plexi glued to 8in by 2in peice of plexi and then I was glueing them to the glass.

I used Alcohol to clean the glass after I scrapted all the silicone off.


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

There really isn't any way to make a strong bond between glass and plexi...

If you drain the tank so there is little to no pressure between the front and back panes... thoroughly clean the glass (the tank and the brace)...Liberally apply silicone to the front and rear panes... put the center brace in place ensuring the silicone is 'sandwiched' between the brace and the front or rear pane... then clamp the whole thing together for a few days...

This theoretically will be as strong of a bond as any other corner seam on your tank...

The only way I can think of to increase this bond would be to use some form of acid to etch the glass... but I am not aware of any of the major manufacturers taking such steps... therefore I do not see why you would find it 'necessary'... Not to mention it is highly unlikely the average consumer would have access to such potent chemicals...


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## skyleranne (Mar 25, 2007)

I am trying to figure out what kind of clamp to use. My husband is the one that knows about tools, I don't. Bad thing is that he is in Afghanistan right now, so no help there.


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## skyleranne (Mar 25, 2007)

one these clamps
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...10053&style=B&N=5yc1vZ1xg6&Ntk=All&Ntt=clamps


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## skyleranne (Mar 25, 2007)

also I was trying not to take the back of the brass off, do I have to take it off?


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

Call him and tell him you have an emergency and he needs to get home right now 

Large clamps aren't a very typical item to have laying around the house... and they cost more than a few dollars at the hardware store...

If you are able to completely empty the tank, you can lay it on it's front on a flat surface (the floor should work) and put some kind of a weight on it (a 5 gal bucket with some water in it should work... I would set it up and add water to the bucket until you feel it is 'enough' weight) to serve as a clamp.

Clamping it is an essential detail though...


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## skyleranne (Mar 25, 2007)

You want me to get this tank off the stand all by myself?? Thats funny  
This is a 225 gallon tank with 1/2in glass. You know how heavy that is?


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

uuummmmm.... oh yea... your the one with the big tank 

So your tank is 2' fron tot back... which means you will need a clamp that can open more than 2'... that's a pretty big clamp 

Some Home Depot or similar stores rent equipment/tools... you can check and see if they rent clamps but I doubt it...

This is the style of clamp that you are most likely going to find at a reasonable price... http://visual.merriam-webster.com/image ... -clamp.jpg

I'm not sure if it will be worth investing in one for this single use... I personally hate the idea of buying something, using it, then returning it, but the option comes to mind...

If you use a clamp, make sure you do not use metal to glass... if it does not have rubber feet then use something to pad between the glass & metal...


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## skyleranne (Mar 25, 2007)

alright I will look into it. I agree I don't want to by something that is going to be a one time thing. Do I have to take the back of the brass off or could I leave it like the way it is and just do the front?


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

"take the back of the brass off"???

So... is the brace still attached in the back and only disconnected in the front?

If this is the case, then you _could_ leave the back as is and only re-silicone the front...

Personally I would remove the whole brace and reseal both sides. Since the front came off, I would question the integrity of the back... also if the front came off and the brace was able to wiggle around some, the seal on the back may have been compromised...

But I would say that resealing the back is opional... and let you make that decision...


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## caseyof99 (Aug 5, 2009)

mine broke on my 55 as well. I repaired it like the first response did. Drilled 2 holes on each side, used a piece of stainless steel, and used 4 hard plastic pop-rivets to hold. I put my metal on the top of it tho so i wouldn't have to worry about corrosion or puttin metal deposits in the water. Hood covers it anyways. I broke mine and tried to super glue it not thinkin about it before i filled the tank. Once it was full it popped and I'm sooooo lucky it didnt break the glass. You know how a wife can get mad when you make a mess? Think about 55g of water, gravel, and broken glass kind of mess.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

The original poster hasn't responded to this thread.

Skyleranne-

Why not play it safe and get a new trim piece for it?


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## hyperashel (Mar 2, 2010)

cross bar broke? i've recently had this problem myself and was looking into to myself. i think i read the idea here here but it seemed unclear.

but if you take some plexiglass and measure it across the tank, unfilled attached on the L brackets it would be the simplest, easiest to do. a couple of screws through the plexiglass joining the L bracket to the plexiglass. the silicone conver i think is great too. thanks guys for the suggestion.


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## hyperashel (Mar 2, 2010)

cross bar broke? i've recently had this problem myself and was looking into to myself. i think i read the idea here here but it seemed unclear.

but if you take some plexiglass and measure it across the unfilled tank, attache on the L brackets it would be the simplest, easiest to do. a couple of screws through the plexiglass joining the L bracket to the plexiglass. the silicone conver i think is great too. thanks guys for the suggestion.


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