Replacing an aquarium frame

[FloydCrook]

I am in the process of setting up a 75 gallon, perfecto, glass aquarium. The problem is the plastic center brace that goes across the center of the tank, which holds up the tank lid and keeps the tank from bulging out when filled with water, was damaged and now I have to replace the whole plastic frame that encompasses the top edge of the tank. I have ordered a new top frame from a local pet shop as recommended by Perfecto. The tank itself is in good shape, but what I would like to ask is that if anyone has had previous experience removing one of these plastic frames, which are, I believe, glued to the tank with silicone glue. I have looked at x-acto razor knives, razor saws, etc. I have already ordered a CLR plastic cutting tool which is a blade supposed to be able to cut through one quarter of an inch of acrylic. Anyway I am just seeking advice on how to remove this as easy as possible. Is there a way to remove it all at once without cutting it to pieces? What tools would you use? What is the best way to place the new frame on? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[lion]

I have replaced one of these frames on my 55 gal when I bought it and let me tell you, it was NOT alot of fun. First I had a friend come over that, at the time, had more experience with tanks. We tried to figure out the best way to cut the plastic to at least get it started. A utility knife was taking forever. I got the bright idea to geta heat gun from the garage to try and soften the plastic to make it easier to cut. This worked great. I di take two of us, one with a pair of work gloves pulling on the plastic as the other one kept the heat gun on it as we went. I found that trying to do smaller pieces at a time was the best way for this to work.

So I heated (almost melted) the plastic frame and cut through it with a utility knife. Continue heating the plastic and pull back from where you cut it. I hope this makes sense. It wasn't easy!

 

[drue]

I attempted this just last week on my 55-gal aquarium.. The only tools I used was a pliers to pry the existing plastic brace off, a razor blade style paint scraper to scrape off the old silicone, and some rubbing alcohol to polish up the surface.

It was a little nerve racking, but by the end, i was peeling off the plastic pretty quickly. Softening it up may be a good idea, but I just yanked and it turned out great.