Second hand tank, bracing questions

[bcapp]

Hey guys, first post on here, but have been using this great forum for advice for a while now. Thanks for all the help so far.

I recently got a used 55g aquarium and stand, the plastic brace across the top middle of the tank was broken from where the previous owner had the HOB filter placed. I disregarded this as cosmetic.

Sparing substrate details for now, the tank is filled and begun cycling without fish or plants at the moment. After filling, I noticed the front glass has bowed out about 1/4-1/2" in the middle of the 4ft wide tank. How concerning should this be to me?

The tank has not leaked for 3 days now, and the corners all seem strong.

The other part of my question regards the stand itself. Being slightly paranoid, I began looking inside the stand cabinet for signs of stress, and I noticed the tank only makes contact with the wood at the ends of the stand. It is a fully boxed solid wood aquarium stand/cabinet, but it makes me wonder if there should be a plywood top of some kind, or if being supported only at the ends is ok...?

Any thoughts help, thanks in advance!

 

[khua]

There's a website where you can order a new trim but I can't remember it. I'll post back if I find it. You can make your own brace or check to see if your lfs can order you one. You should empty that tank until you can make your own brace or order a new one. You wouldn't want to come home to a giant puddle with glass everywhere or wake up to a loud bang.

 

[khua]

Found the site
Glass cages

 

[54seaweed]

if you have enough lip around your lid you could add a section of plexi as a center brace,
drill 2 small holes so yo can either pop rivet on or screw it on , you could also add some silicon for extra strength .
another thing you could do if you know the manufacturer of the tank you could order a new top rim ,

 

[bcapp]

Thanks for the help guys. This is a tank from 96, not sure the brand, but the round sticker said 96 Jul. (LBS guy said a name brand, but I can't remember what it was)
I have lowered the water level for now and plan to purchasea new frame from www.aquariumframeswholesale.com when I receive my quote back from them.

The custom stand builder at my LBS didn't sound too alarmed that the tank was supported at the ends only. I braced them with 4x4 posts to reinforce the ends. Builder told me as long as it's stable and level, the load should be supported just fine.

 

[lksdrinker]

Those plastic braces are structurally necessary. Take a tape measure and measure at the top of the tank going from the back wall to the front wall. Compare the measurement when the tank is full compared to when empty (or almost empty) Glass is a bit elastic and there will be a bow a the front and back when filled without that brace. This will eventually lead to disaster. Might be fine for a while but sooner or later its going to blow!

Try sourcing a new one here http://www.aquariumframeswholesale.com/.

A bar clamp can also work in this situation if you dont mind staring at it!

There are plenty of horror stories out there that start just like yours. Broken tank brace but filled the tank and all seems well! That is until its not. 55 gallons is a LOT of water to clean up when it unexpectedly lands outside of a tank!