# Brace on tank



## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Sorry for the double post but can someone advise me on what thickness of glass is needed on a 72x18x19 tank to not use a brace?

Thanks.


----------



## LoRyder (Sep 15, 2010)

Not an expert but I would use a brace why chance a tank breaking and all that water damage. My opinion.


----------



## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

LoRyder said:


> Not an expert but I would use a brace why chance a tank breaking and all that water damage. My opinion.


The issue is I'm being sold a tank with these dimensions that doesn't have a brace. I'm of the same opinion as you but want to know if it could still be safe.


----------



## LoRyder (Sep 15, 2010)

That sounds like a 110 gals if I'm not mistaken. I would use that for like a half water half land for turtles or newt and frog I would use it for holding fish. To risky in my opinion


----------



## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

LoRyder said:


> I would use that for like a half water half land for turtles or newt and frog I would use it for holding fish. To risky in my opinion


  Is this only because of the absence of the brace?


----------



## LoRyder (Sep 15, 2010)

Again I'm not an expert and I'm sure there other people that will give you more advise but yes because there no brace I wouldn't fill it with water. 2 of my 55's the braces are broken I use to use them for reptiles but one is only half full and the other I'm flirting with disaster. I'm holdinf 3 pirahna's and I can see the bowing a little I couldn't see a 110 gal tank bowing more without braces.


----------



## Malawi_Junkie (Nov 26, 2009)

If your worried about it just install a glass brace the same thickness as the tank glass. Just cut it to size and silicone it into place. Can you tell if there was a brace on it originally? some older tanks didn't have them, my brother-in-law has a 150 gal tank with no brace that has been set up for years.


----------



## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Malawi_Junkie said:


> Can you tell if there was a brace on it originally? some older tanks didn't have them, my brother-in-law has a 150 gal tank with no brace that has been set up for years.


This one is actually a brand new tank that was just built (it's a standard tank not custom but because of the size the builder doesn't always have them on hand). The glass brace might be a good way to go.


----------



## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

I think we got our words/meanings mixed up.
From what I gather from your posts, this is a custom built tank.
This was not built by one of the many manufacturers, but by a local craftsman.
Would assume you checked his previous work, yes?
This isn`t his first larger tank build is it?
If I was going to have a tank built for me, I would have investigated his craftsmanship first thing.
If I liked his work and heard good things from his previous customersÃ¢â‚¬Â¦
Well, I would trust his judgment on the need for bracing.
$0.02


----------



## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

KaiserSousay said:


> From what I gather from your posts, this is a custom built tank.
> This was not built by one of the many manufacturers, but by a local craftsman.
> Would assume you checked his previous work, yes?
> This isn`t his first larger tank build is it?
> ...


Thanks for your reply, John. To clarify, this is a standard tank made by a local manufacturer (they also do custom work but this is a standard tank known as a 100 long that is in their online catalogue). The company has a good reputation (they have built the tanks used in some of the LFS, suggesting their product is reliable). They also occasionally build tanks for public aquariums (i.e. in restaurants) that are far larger than this one. In fact they seem to be shifting the focus of their business to the large scale stuff. BUT (and this is my issue) this tank is listed on their online catalogue as having a brace but the one they made for me does not have one. After weeks of unanswered phone calls after I paid for the tank, they suddenly had it ready in a day, leading me to wonder if they did a rush job because they were so late in filling the order...I could be entirely wrong in this suspicion though but want input from those on this site with experience with when a brace is needed and when it is not to better inform my decision about whether I accept the tank.

I don't know if mentioned this already but I believe the glass is 14mm - glass thickness being an important factor in determining the need for a brace.


----------



## Phenomena (Dec 18, 2003)

Is that 18 or 19 high?

18 high braced tank normally has 6mm.
There are calculators/diagrams:
http://www.theaquatools.com/building-your-aquarium
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/planas ... ulator.htm

For 18 high brace-less I believe 10mm is sufficient. You must also take into account the glass quality and craftsmanship of course.

There are many brace-less tank out there, very popular for planted or marine.


----------



## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

It's 19" high. Thanks for the calculators.


----------



## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Umm, company says tank comes with a brace. Yours doesn't have one? Return to company for new tank or added brace to your tank or refund. Easy.


----------



## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

Bottom line is trust.
You either trust the way they put your tank together or not.
If you don`t trust their decision on bracing, then how can you trust the seams not to leak.
How can you trust their choice of glass thickness?
I`m going to guess you have given them a deposit on this tank that you can`t get back, otherwise you would just walk away from the deal.
From your description of this company, this isn`t a couple of guys throwing glass together in their garage.
Would not think they would risk their reputation over a little bit of money saved by not using bracing if it were truly needed. 
One bad tank could kill a local business.
Ends up being your choice, you either trust them or not.


----------



## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Thanks for your replies everyone. You've helped me finalize the decision I was leaning toward - to not take the tank.

I'm not obliged to take the tank because the purchase was being made through a pet store and it wasn't a custom order. The manager of the pet store has said I'm the customer and they want me happy. They also seem to recognize that what was delivered is not what was promised in the catalogue.

Back to square one. I waited almost six weeks for this tank to be delivered and now I'll be ordering one from another manufacturer with another wait. I've heard lots of folks say that patience is essential for fishkeeping. I guess I'm learning it.


----------



## BillD (May 17, 2005)

I believe with the thickness of the glass a brace isn't necessary on a tank of that depth. Perhaps the tank was built with heavier glass than the norm, hence no brace. As I mentioned those tanks from Big Al's, and they have about 12 of them 20" tall, are all braceless. Some have been there since the store opened. None have failed. I would take the tank, but that is up to you. Is there a reason you can't take a standard size 24" tall tank? The glass would be thinner on a standard off the shelf tank, but you seem more concerned about bracing than the tank itself.


----------



## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

I think I might have the thickness of the glass wrong. The manager of the pet store mentioned 14 mm but I'm wondering if he was talking about the thickness of the glass on the base (they don't use tempered glass - part of the reason I didn't want one of the big brand names sold at Big Al's and went with this small company instead). I was told the tank is not that heavy. If you enter the dimensions in one of the calculators Phenomena has provided, it comes out to be a pretty heavy tank if you use 14mm glass.

I didn't go with the 24" tall to try to reduce the weight of the tank (a savings of at least 300 lbs when filled).



BillD said:


> The glass would be thinner on a standard off the shelf tank, *but you seem more concerned about bracing than the tank itself*.


I'm not clear what you mean by this. I'm not attached to getting a tank with bracing. I originally started this thread because I was, perhaps foolishly, trying to figure out on my own at what point a tank needs a brace, to inform my decision about whether this tank is safe. The company that makes this tank has it listed on their online catalogue as having a brace. The tank that was delivered does not have a brace. The company never returns phone calls. If they did I could get clarification from them why they sent a tank without a brace (did they use thicker glass on the one they sent than they do on the one they have advertised?). My understanding (you undoubtedly know much more about the subject than I do, so correct me if I'm wrong) is that some tanks require a brace, others don't. Presumably if this company lists the tank in their catalogue as having a brace, it is because it needs one (they save money by using thinner glass and use a brace or they use thicker glass and save money on the brace, which is rendered unnecessary by the thicker glass).

In this instance I wasn't necessarily looking for advice about whether I should take the tank or not. What I was seeking was information so I could make my own decision.


----------



## LoRyder (Sep 15, 2010)

Safety is the most important for me. Idk if you have kids but I wouldn't want my kids near the tank that might break because I got a fish tank that advertised a brace and it didn't come with it. My opinion not to except and get one that is advertised and make sure its what's its advertising


----------



## BillD (May 17, 2005)

I understand your concern zimmy, and your presumptions are correct, as far as how things normally go. You do need to know whether the brace is needed or not. It is hard to tell from here. Have you actually seen the tank or are you still waiting for it? How thick is the glass? 
Regardless, if you aren't comfortable, don't take it.


----------



## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

I did see the tank. I happened to drop in at the pet store the day they received it (they were going to deliver it to me a couple of days later once they'd arranged for a truck). At first I was so thrilled seeing it, imagining how it would look in the room it will be in, and then I suddenly noticed there wasn't a brace. Just a few minutes earlier the manager had commented on how light the tank was. These two things together didn't sound good and I asked about the absence of the brace (I was expecting to see one because that's how it's described on their online catalogue). The manager said he'd call the manufacturer after the weekend which made my heart sink because through the six weeks I waited for this standard tank to be delivered, he tried in vain on almost a weekly basis to reach the contact person at the manufacturer and never had his calls returned. At one point weeks earlier, he'd been told that the tank would be arriving on a certain day that week. He made arrangements to have a truck ready to deliver it to me the same day and I arranged to take time off work to be home at the time of the delivery. The truck arrived at the pet store from the manufacturer and there were several smaller tanks on the truck. Mine was missing - with no explanation.

All of the above experiences have played a role in my not trusting the tank that was delivered last week.

I didn't have a tape measure handy to see if I could figure out how thick the glass was but I guess it's all moot at this point. I'm not taking this tank.


----------



## GeriJo (May 13, 2010)

There is actually a web site out there that tells you exactly what thickness of glass you need for what tank, but it's been so long since I've researched building a tank that I can't for the life of me remember the web site's name. I would suggest googling it and seeing what you can come up with. They had a really neat calculator thing too so you could put in custom measurements.


----------



## GeriJo (May 13, 2010)

I found one of the web pages, but not the cool one I mentioned before... here's the link though

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/planas ... ulator.htm


----------

