How to break a 55 gallon tank

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Lollipops

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Jun 28, 2017
Messages
72
A week ago, I found a 55 gallon tank, complete with AquaClear 110 and some decor for $55! I'LL TAKE IT!

But man oh MAN was this tank DIRTY! It's COVERED in dried calcium… filled with several inches of gravel… had been sitting in someone's storage… and worst of all? STILL DAMP AND GROSS in the filter and in the gravel in the tank!! PUKE!

Ew ew ew ew… I cleaned the AquaClear. Carbon bits EVERYWHERE. Ugh, I decided to throw out the mesh bag of biofilter and the sponge and start fresh… who KNOWS how old and nasty they were? I scooped out all the gravel with a kitchen garbage bag as if I picking up dog poop… Then bring on the vinegar and salt to try to wash it away…

I figured, I'd let it soak. Maybe that would make things easier.

…let the idiocy and lack of patience begin…

What I lacked, was an aquarium stand. I'd have filled the tank on the large, study wood work table… but my landlord's handyman was coming soon and would need the space, so I put the tank down on the gravel in my yard.

And I mean… it was level enough, right? And ya know, being supported all over… It would be fine to fill and let soak, right?

Of course not! Right as I filled the tank, the bottom blew out! Aw man…what an idiot. Hah!

Aaaaand so my first 55 gallon was a bust almost as soon as I got it. Oh well... I didn't wanna have to clean the darn thing anyway...

Wait til you hear what I have going now!!!
 
ROUND TWO! New tank, new brace problems T_T


B) I plan on taking pictures tomorrow. I have a new 55, on a low shelf that I got from a restaurant supply store!

.......but as I was filling the new tank.... T_T I saw the center brace cracking!!!!!! The center brace is plastic, like the rim of the tank.... The BROKEN 55 gallon had a big glass brace...

Soooo! My plan is to cut out the brace from the broken tank, and silicone it to the new tank!!!
 
And.. stop! Why is your brand new tank breaking? What is this shelf you speak of? You need to buy or make a stand designed for an aquarium..were talking close.to 600 lbs. When that thing is filled and decorated.
 
And.. stop! Why is your brand new tank breaking? What is this shelf you speak of? You need to buy or make a stand designed for an aquarium..were talking close.to 600 lbs. When that thing is filled and decorated.

A dunnage rack like this one:
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/me...ith-wire-mat-3000-lb-capacity/461HDP35K3.html

Buuuut, the one I got said it was for 600lb, which I figured met the weight of a 55 gallon.

I made sure everything was level too... I THINK it might just be that the tank is an old second hand, and the plastic has gotten brittle... I'll post pictures int he morning :)

(.... cause, ya know, I'm just checkin out fish forums at 3AM hah)
 
And.. stop! Why is your brand new tank breaking? What is this shelf you speak of? You need to buy or make a stand designed for an aquarium..were talking close.to 600 lbs. When that thing is filled and decorated.


Ohhhh, the tank isn't NEW. It's just the second one I've gotten. It's actually an old used tank from Craigslisrt, with braces like this:

tankpic7_zpsa89963d1.jpg

To be honest, maybe it was cracked the whole time and I didn't notice... The tank is definitely old, and the plastic of the brace and lid is brittle...
 
A dunnage rack like this one:
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/me...ith-wire-mat-3000-lb-capacity/461HDP35K3.html

Buuuut, the one I got said it was for 600lb, which I figured met the weight of a 55 gallon.

I made sure everything was level too... I THINK it might just be that the tank is an old second hand, and the plastic has gotten brittle... I'll post pictures int he morning :)

(.... cause, ya know, I'm just checkin out fish forums at 3AM hah)

I'm not sure here - have never seen those used - doesn't seem very even.
 
Glass aquariums need specific support on specific areas, while that rack may rated for a certain poundage, pots and pans will not burst and spill water everywhere if not properly supported. The brace may have been broken, you can order a replacement for about $30.
 
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