Aquarium Trim Question

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sher

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Aug 15, 2006
Messages
10
Location
Hamilton, Ontario Canada
So, I just picked up a tank a girl from work gave me. It is a 90 gal. No scratches that I can see, everything looks good, however, it is missing the trim from the top and bottom of the tank. I have been trying to look it up online and get conflicting information. I am wondering, if that trim is purely decorative, or does it supply support. The tank has been empty for some time, I am going to fill it and let it sit for a few weeks to see if I am going to have any leaks, but I don't want to do this until I know for sure about the trim.
Thank you in advance to anyone who might be able to help me with this question.
 
welcome to aa

the trim is just missing? did the woman say what happened to it? or if she had it filled while the trim was gone?
 
Never thought to ask what happened to the trim. I already looked into new trim here (in Canada) will cost $80 for the top and bottom trim, plus $14 for silicon at Big Als. A new tank will cost $125.
 
The trim is decorative. As long as the joints are sealed and the plastic frame under the trim isn't cracked or damaged, it should be fine.
 
The trim is decorative, but the top trim on a tank this size will have a cross brace & that is structural.

You can however, make a cross brace out of glass. Look at the DIY forum for the DIY glass tank sticky & see how they make a glass brace. Basically, you get a 6" or so wide 1/4" glass that will fit exactly front to back & silicone that to the front & back glass in the middle at the top. This will prevent the tank from bowing out when fill & stressing the seams.

BTW, if you go to RONA or Canadian tires, you will find the store brand 100% clear silicone (for windows & doors - without mildrewcide or other additives - don't use the bathroom/kitchen ones) that will say "ideal for aquarium" on the tube. I got mine for less than $3.... much less than at a lfs. This is FAIK identical to GE silicone I in the US.

Going the DIY route, you should be able to repair the tank at well under $10.

If you have a really old tank, it might not have a center brace (like mine). These tanks have much thicker glass than the new ones (my 70 gal has 3/8" glass vs 1/4" in a new tank ... you would see 1/2" in a 90). If you have one of these, you can fill it out & check for bowing. If the tank bows out less than 1/4" or so at the center when full, you won't need to add a brace. Warning, you do this outside ... check the glass as you are filling & stop as soon as any bowing is evident ... it is possible to bust a seam or crack the glass doing this test!!!
 
Silly question here, is the tank glass or acrylic?

Acrylic tanks don't always have/need trim, whereas glass ones do.
 
The tank is glass.
Thanks for the suggestion about getting a piece of glass cut and putting that in. I had read it online when I did a google search but wanted to know if it was really something I could do.
It is out on my back deck right now, was not going to bring something that size into the house until I knew if it was going to be ok. All the testing will be done out there, once I am ready I am going to fill it and let it sit for a few weeks. make sure everything is solid before I bring it inside.
 
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