My tank is bowing
- Thread starter Shesafiresign
- Start date
Can't tell if this is glass, but obviously some bowing in acrylic tanks is expected. Of course, if this was glass, it would be bad.
In glass, for that tank, the expected deflection would be tiny. Around .35 to .65 mm, using safety factors of 2.5 to 3.8.
You reported it as 3.2 mm (1/8") which is excessive (being 5 to 9 times the expected deflection.) I would empty the tank immediately as the stress might create fractures before it's measured and braced.
Have you measured the thickness of the glass?
In glass, for that tank, the expected deflection would be tiny. Around .35 to .65 mm, using safety factors of 2.5 to 3.8.
You reported it as 3.2 mm (1/8") which is excessive (being 5 to 9 times the expected deflection.) I would empty the tank immediately as the stress might create fractures before it's measured and braced.
Have you measured the thickness of the glass?
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Even if that tank was acrylic, where bowing is normal, i'd still put some kind of a brace on it. If it's glass i'd empty it as quick as i could and definitely definitely definitely, did i say definitely, get it braced. In this hobby, where a broken tank can ruin your house, or god forbid hurt someone, you don't take any chances whatsoever.
Years ago I purchased an unbraced 125 as my first "big tank".It had no bowing issues but I could not find the proper lids that were made for such a tank so for a while I used strips of plywood to support my lids and lighting. I got tired of that ghetto rigging after a while so then I ordered a braced top frame from a shop.
I emptied the tank,got a knife and went about cutting the silicone underneath the old frame in order to remove it.The cutting and removing of the silicone was the hardest part of the process but I got it all done in an hour or so.I then cleaned up around the top edges,added new silicone all around and then placed the new top frame onto the tank.My new frame fit perfectly, my lids seated in place nicely and I never had to be concerned about the tank ever bowing.
I emptied the tank,got a knife and went about cutting the silicone underneath the old frame in order to remove it.The cutting and removing of the silicone was the hardest part of the process but I got it all done in an hour or so.I then cleaned up around the top edges,added new silicone all around and then placed the new top frame onto the tank.My new frame fit perfectly, my lids seated in place nicely and I never had to be concerned about the tank ever bowing.
.....for temporary use you could get a 2x4 cut to the proper length with notches cut into both ends to fit down onto the front and back edges of your tank.
*Google grab*
This is what I would do personally. With a tank that size I just wouldn't trust anything else. It might not be pretty, but I'd get over it for the security it would provide.
This is what I would do personally. With a tank that size I just wouldn't trust anything else. It might not be pretty, but I'd get over it for the security it would provide.
What is exactly going on there? Is that one piece of bent metal or is it a few strips siliconed together? It looks nice but I wouldn't trust just silicone to hold things in place for very long.
It looks like two L brackets screwed to a straight piece of metal. It would be easy to make if a person has the tools to cut the metal to size, or if the hardware store has the right size piece. I also assume there are bolts on the underside holding the screws in place.
Okay,upon zooming in on the image I can see how the acrylic strip is bolted to the bracketsl,this is a set up that I would trust...pretty neat.
Yeah this would give me the best peace of mind. If any of my braces ever break this is what I'll be doing to fix them.
