jeremoose Posted February 12, 2018 Report Share Posted February 12, 2018 Hey all, I recently picked up a used 38g aquarium for a good price. I filled it up and didn't give it too much thought at first but on closer inspection it was bowing quite a lot tonight. I quickly pulled water from it without checking just how much it was bowing and would now feel better if it had a center brace. What's my best DIY option here? It currently has a plastic trim piece on the top but doesn't appear to have ever had a center brace. I was considering removing the trim and getting 3 pieces of glass that I would install on top of the tank with silicone in place of the trim or possibly adding a piece of acrylic sheet between the existing trim pieces and bonding it together somehow. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dezemer Posted February 13, 2018 Report Share Posted February 13, 2018 If it is an older tank many of them were designed for no brace. I have researched this a lot as my center brace actually broke on my 150 gallon!!! A general rule of thumb that seems to be common is that if the amount it bows is equal to roughly half off the glass panel thickness you are ok. Bowing is actually normal on nearly every aquarium wether it is braced or not. If you do feel you want one then silicone in a glass brace as you had already mentioned. You can however do it in a fashion that you can reinstall your plastic frame after it is in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dezemer Posted February 13, 2018 Report Share Posted February 13, 2018 I should also add that many tanks that size without braces are in fact terrariums being sold second hand as aquariums. I too found this out the hard way after buying what I thought was a 40 gallon breeder. I didn't even bother to fill it after I saw the hidden "do not fill with water" sticker on the bottom.......lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremoose Posted February 13, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2018 Hi there, I actually used JB-weld and a piece of acrylic I had lying around which fixed the bowing for the most part but thanks for the info. I've had very minimal bowing on tanks in the past and this one freaked me out (probably more than it should have). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dezemer Posted February 14, 2018 Report Share Posted February 14, 2018 I'm glad you were able to fix it. Should have seen the look on my face when I saw my 150 gallon front panel bowing out over 1/2"....hahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfire Posted August 19, 2020 Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 On 2/14/2018 at 10:59 AM, dezemer said: I'm glad you were able to fix it. Should have seen the look on my face when I saw my 150 gallon front panel bowing out over 1/2"....hahaha That would be a little un nerving Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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