Saltwater & Reef

SWerner13 · 03-02-2009, 12:11 AM

I have a 36 gallon tank that I got for free. The Top black lining was cracked so I am thinking about removing it. Plus all the ballers have a clear top tank. How much does this reduce the integrity of the tank? Should I Silicone an acrylic lining around the top? Does it need to be one piece and or can it be 4? How thick should it be? Thanks.

**fort384** · 03-02-2009, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWerner13

Plus all the ballers have a clear top tank. How much does this reduce the integrity of the tank?

LOL

I don't think this is a good idea man. The trim on the top of the tank holds it together. The tanks without it are designed to not have it there. I wouldn't even go so far as to add your own. If it is cracked, the integrity of the tank is compromised. My personal opinion - I wouldn't use it.

SWerner13 · 03-02-2009, 12:25 AM

Don't give me bad news! lol
I feel like for sure if I added a 1" acrylic border perpindicular to the current glass around the inside of the tank it would be far more sturdy then some plastic border. I just don't know if it has to be one piece, which would be expensive as crap, or if I can silicone in four seperate pieces. Anyone else wanna tell me something I wanna here? lol

**fort384** · 03-02-2009, 12:49 AM

LOL - yes, def get a second opinion. I have not been around aquariums very long, so someone will have more experience than me with this for sure. I am probably erring more to the cautious side because of my inexperience.

SWerner13 · 03-02-2009, 12:52 AM

no i don't blame you at all i just want to use the aquarium lol. it will be a while before i set it up though i'm just trying to plan everything out exactly instead of trying to figure things out as I go along like with my current aquariums.

SWerner13 · 03-02-2009, 12:56 AM

Basically I was thinking this:

joy13 · 03-02-2009, 01:43 AM

I checked on Glasscages.com - Tank Frames and it looks like you can buy the plastic frames but I didn't see one for a tank your size. Maybe your LFS might beable to order one. I know some take the trim off of 2.5 to 5 gallon tanks but 36 gallons is a lot of pressure pushing out on the sides.

SWerner13 · 03-02-2009, 01:59 AM

Thanks for the link! At those prices I might just go ahead and buy a new tank!

GhostKnife · 03-03-2009, 11:20 PM

YEA I ordered my 75 from glasscages and its sweet. I wouldnt mess with restoring your tank like that. That trim does bear a load and is not just there for looks. Dangerous!

**fort384** · 03-03-2009, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWerner13

Basically I was thinking this:

I don't think this design would serve the purpose you are looking for. It would need to be on the outside of the tank, rather than the inside. Also, if you were going to do this, a solid piece would be far more stable than trying to use silicon to put it together. Not sure silicon would be rigid enough anyway to serve the purpose. You would want little to no flex.

jsoong · 03-04-2009, 12:39 AM

You can't silicone acrylic to glass & get a strong bond.

What you are thinking of is good .... but you need to use glass instead. This is called a eurobrace. Basically you get 4 pieces of glass 2-3" wide & silicone that to the inside of the tank at the top like your drawing. <If you have an acrylic tank, a solid acrylic piece with a hole cut in the middle like yours is commonly used for bracing ..... Using 4 seperate pieces of glass (for a glass tank) is not as strong, but for a 36 gal, it should be good enough.>

SWerner13 · 03-04-2009, 09:00 AM

Thanks for the help everyone. After thinking about it and realizing that I could get a new better looking tank for less than 100 bucks I might as well go with that.

TankGirl · 03-04-2009, 09:23 AM

Check Craig's List until you find one that is solid. I see them in the "Free" section all the time. It will be worth it. This would be a good reptile tank but I'd not risk it.

goisles1 · 03-04-2009, 09:31 AM

Just an FYI...

My Plastic Top border on my tank cracked last year as well.. I have a 45G AGA tank. My LFS ordered me a replacement border direct from AGA and it cost me $15 plus a tube of Silicone.

Removal of OLD was DIFFICULT
INSTALL of New was a Breeze

Who is the manufacturer of this tank?

asudavew · 03-04-2009, 11:40 AM

Try this.. lots of tanks in the Tampa area.

36 Gallon Aquarium / Fish Tank w/ Everything

Small world.. I was born across the bay from Tampa.
Pinellas Park........

BillD · 03-04-2009, 12:57 PM

A tank without a centre brace does not need the top trim for structural integrity. Don't even think of using silicone to glue acrylic. There will be no strength there.

SWerner13 · 03-04-2009, 01:01 PM

I got the tank from craigslist for free. I check it everyday and now have 7 tanks in the house lol. I was just wanting to have a borderless aquarium for a planted tank. So I was looking into reinforcing it. But I looked and can get close to a 36 gallon tank for like 75 bucks. Its borderless and brand new. I have everything else so its perfect. Thanks for the advice though.