# cheap 55g and know i now why



## dreday (Oct 12, 2007)

i had a friend at work tell me someone was selling a 55g for 25$. i said great, i need one of those. :thumb:

then i thought hmmm, something might be wrong.

and i was wright. the middle brace is broken off. it has a few chips on the glass at one of the corners which is not to bad. if i just seal it up it should be fine.

but i am worried about the brace. can i still use it with out the mid brace?
is there any way to fix it?
is it worth trying to fix it?

i was planing on using it for my angels and corys. but i i know the brace is important but not sure if it will be safe for the long run.


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## cc_woman (Jan 31, 2008)

You might be able to use another alternative. I am not sure how safe a 55 would be without a brace, but I do have a couple of 20's that did have them that someone broke off, but they are fine. You could get a piece of safety glass or acrylic cut to the width of your tank, then use an extra little piece on either end to help secure it to the glass better. Here is a picture of my 90 gallon that was made this way, then you know what I am talking about.


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## dreday (Oct 12, 2007)

is there silicone just around the glass where it touches the tank or is it all underneath the glass as well?

i might be able to do that. i got to lookmore into repairs. :fish:


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## imusuallyuseless (Dec 28, 2005)

I'd jump on that tank if it was anywhere near me. $3 tube of silicone, $10 worth of glass and $25 for the tank itself will net you a 55G tank for under $50, which sounds like a good deal to me...


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## AubreyNzoo (Aug 15, 2008)

I just bought an marineland 110 gallon tall (48" wide) tank with a broken brace. The guy filled it up after doing something to it and the next morning the tank was bowed out 4 inches. I got it, the lights and glass tops for $100 intending to try it as a reptile tank but was thinking about resiliconing the glass brace at the top. I took off the molding around the top to look at it and i think the silicone just broke. Would i just need to resilicone around the brace?


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## dreday (Oct 12, 2007)

to fill itup i would say no. the molding around the top is also there to help hold the glass into place. you would need to seal it back up and the middle brace as well.

i still have my doubts about using silicone on the brace. in my experience the lfs silicone is very weak to hold things together. i tried it with 2 BG for my 75 and both times the rocks and BG itself came apart with time. about 6 months.

i am looking for something stronger yet safe for the tank. i was reading about another idea but have not tried it yet.

i do not remember the whole thing but the guy used a large clamp or vice to hold the tank together. then filled it half way. the he used some kinda of acrylic or pipes and sealed them in as the brace.

he used GE II kitchen and bath silicone because it has no anti mildew or antibacterial elements. i have never seen this product in my area. 

i am going to try something like that. although its only a 55 with 16"(??) gapopposed to the 100g which is probably 18-20". i will get back when i have a better plan. :thumb:


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

Standard 55 gal tanks use very thin glass and will more than likely break if topped off without a center brace.

Is the brace still in place but broken? If so you can simply reconnect the center brace. Iâ€™ve done this by placing a small metal strip (approx 1/2â€


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## dreday (Oct 12, 2007)

well after searching through the forums here i found a simple solution.

the top and BOTTOM frame are identical. you can just take the bottom and put it on top. simple enough. only problem is getting the top frame off.

i got the bottom off easy, 5 mins. it took me 40 mins to get the top piece off. it also chip the top of the glass all over. not just from me but from the silicone not releasing form the glass. i ended up breaking the top piece into like 4 pieces.

which brings me to my next quest.

Is it necessary to have a bottom frame on the tank?? besides aesthetics and more on structure. i was reading before that it should not be an issue.

just want to double check 

now i just need to get some strong solvent to remove the left over silicone on top before i reseal the bottom frame on it. i used a glass scraper to get most of it off but like i said before it was chipped. it also chipped more during the scraping of the silicone.

but once i get the top frame on it should all be hidden. 

i thought it was going to be tough to get off but i didnt think it would stick so much the glass would split with the silicone.


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## dreday (Oct 12, 2007)

oh and there was no brace at all. it was gone. so no fixing it here. also i don't like the idea of gluing anything between the two sides.

i was also thinking of making some kind of brace that went over the top and hook onto the side slightly. like a large clamp. 
_____
| |

but no need now. :fish:


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## balachel (May 24, 2008)

you can use GE I


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## remarkosmoc (Oct 19, 2005)

You can also get a new top frame. I know you definitely need the brace on top if the tank was desgned to have it. I don't know about the bottom. I would suspect that the bottom center brace is there for a reason and I wouldn't remove it either. A new top frame is about 15 buks.


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## severumfreak (Aug 6, 2008)

my old as heck 55 doesn't have one
they didn't manufacture one so its probably thicker glass


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## remarkosmoc (Oct 19, 2005)

severumfreak said:


> my old as heck 55 doesn't have one
> they didn't manufacture one so its probably thicker glass


Older tanks don't they started putting them on to make them more affordable (less glass required, lover shipping costs, etc)

I have a 6' 135 gallon tank without any center braces, I've measured and no bow (accuracy to 1/16"). It is 5/8" glass and takes 4 people to move bone dry.


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