I just got a good condition used 220 gallon tank, but wile unloading it the bottom frame broke threw in 4 places:-(, it has two cross braces same as the top frame, top frame is fine, Bbut cant get a clear answer on what to do now, I think the tank brand is marineland but not sure, no stickers or anything, but they do not sell replacement trim/frames and some of their comments say the trim is not import to the integrity of the tank, But does anyone know or a way to fix it properly?
broken bottom plastic frame on a 220 what to do?
- Thread starter oogie
- Start date
The bottom brace is structural. Best to get a replacement if possible. In the past I have taken strips of plexiglass the height of the tank trim and as long as you see fit, the longer the better, and epoxied them to the trim. I used Weldon epoxy. Have used this on tanks as large as 125 gal. No issues, the epoxy works wonders
I was gonna suggest something similar to dovii kid. Though it could probably be as simple as a piece of wood matching the height of the underside lip of the trim. Essentially youre just looking for some way to support the middle section of the tank as the brace once did.
My Petco tank frames are all black polystyrene plastic. I would use black ABS glue and just repair the broken braces.
. . . if you care, BUT, I do not believe the braces under the bottom of any glass tank do anything, except save the manufacturer from making another mold to save a little styrene. It's cheaper to use the same part top and bottom. Styrene plastic is dirt cheap & molds cost $10k and up . . . WAAAY up!
The bottom glass makes the bottom about 10x as strong as the open top with little braces.
My new 125 has no plastic braces: Just a glass bottom, and glass braces on top.
. . . if you care, BUT, I do not believe the braces under the bottom of any glass tank do anything, except save the manufacturer from making another mold to save a little styrene. It's cheaper to use the same part top and bottom. Styrene plastic is dirt cheap & molds cost $10k and up . . . WAAAY up!
The bottom glass makes the bottom about 10x as strong as the open top with little braces.
My new 125 has no plastic braces: Just a glass bottom, and glass braces on top.