why is the glass bending?

[tiredfish]

i just set a 55 gallon reef tank up...i looked at it today and noticed a major bow in the front and back...is this normal at all...like the glass is under alot of pressure...the tank is long and narrow..has this happened to anybody else? im afraid its gonna give and breaK...what to do?

 

[dansemacabre]

It should not bend noticably. Does it have a center support brace? Most 55gallons I have seen are 4' long and have a plastic brace going from front-to-back on top. Without this, it might be very very unstable.

 

[mjvincent]

I've never seen glass bend.

 

[seaham358]

Thats not good at all...... If it was me I would take the tank down...

 

[Thumper]

Sounds like a flood waiting to happen.

 

[vertex]

What thickness is the glass on this tank? If it is only 3/8 glass it will likely bow a little. How much does it bow? 1/4" in 4 feet or what?

My larger tanks (90 gal) are all 1/2" glass and of course they do not bow at all since the glass is that much thicker.

You may want to add your own acrylic center brace or even braces in the corners on the top to help hold if you want to keep the tank...

 

[fishfreek]

Sounds like the center brace if one exists was removed. IF there was a brace on this tank you need to keep a brace there as the tank manufaturers will use thinner glass and add a brace for stability. Its cheaper for them this way.

 

[zacdl]

Uh Oh I would take it down.....
8O

 

[tiredfish]

yes.. the brace was broken so i replaced it with something i made....but i didnt think it would actually bow...but considering if the glass is thin ...then yea i guess it would bend a bit without a brace...that thought didnt really cross my mind tho....the canopy i built was fairly loose when i placed it on the top....but when i took it off... it was very snug...it was also snug when i put it back on there...will this brace i made and my tight fitting canopy hold this booger..and keep it from bowing all the way out till my fish are on the floor?

 

[zacdl]

If you have a tight fitting canopy, maybe you could re-configure it to include some sort of brace (and keep it on).

 

[MarineFlake]

Needs the brace. Make sure nothing is on the glass (Rocks/LR should not be against the glass)..

GL!

 

[OceanMist]

whatever you do, I wouldn't wait, sounds really dodgey to me! 8O

 

[gfishguy56]

bite the bullet and take it down. get yourself a new tank, or a used one with the brace. The cost to your home and fish would be greater if the tank did explode.

 

[malkore]

No. If its bowing that much with the DIY brace and canopy, then the brace isn't doing enough and needs to be redone.

 

[Guest]

I am a tank lover myself. But Dude, you have to think about your house/apartment right now. Maybe take it down first. Just place your live rocks in a rubbermaid container or something. Then when you verified the situation, build it back up. It's some work but not even half the work you will end up with if a Deuce Bigelow disaster happens :| But no, I haven't seen a tank in my life that bows

 

[got bait?]

Look at it this way. Now you have that 55 gal sump for that new 150gal you need to get.