quick question

[bukster]

if u'r like me and don't know where or how to get another brace mystus redtail had the right idea. as long as you can find a way to somehow support the glass on the 4' sides of the tank creative as it may be. gl

 

[Wolf3101]

I've fixed a few of these before...what I usually do is cut off the old plastic brace alltogether and cut a piece of plexiglass to fit and then attach it to the plastic frame with two part epoxi.

 

[bukster]

you mean you put the plexi on top of the existing brace or you made a clean cut and put the plexi exactly where the pre existing brace was? either way did u notice any problems or anything to look out for? thanks wolf

 

[Wolf3101]

I took the old brace out because it looked better but I've never had a problem with one of the repairs. The plexi I used was about 1/2" thick and about 4" wide. (I found a cut piece at one of the home improvement places for free.) I glued the new brace into the channel in the rim used for the top and then used a bar clamp to put very slight pressure on it until it set. (48 hours in spite of what the instructions say...).

I don't have any pictures but the result looks a lot like larger euro braced tanks. AS A SIDE NOTE: The glass on most 55's and 50L's is strong enough to hold water normally (Glass dosn't flex) but if you add a sudden impact like bumping the tank or an agressive fish and they can and do shatter. This is the reason for the center brace.

 

[terd ferguson]

I've fixed a few of these before...what I usually do is cut off the old plastic brace alltogether and cut a piece of plexiglass to fit and then attach it to the plastic frame with two part epoxi.

Thanks for this tip. I'm going to give this a try. It sounds like the best way to deal with this problem.

 

[Wolf3101]

Oops...the previous post should have said...glass dosn't like to flex...