Bowing/bending 120 gallon tank

[Yatesy30]

Hey guys. Forgive my stupidity, but I bought a used 120 gallon tank. I got a little ahead of my self with excitement and got it almost filled with water. However, I realized after the fact that the top plastic brace being broken may be a bit of an issue. Sure enough the tank is bowing in the front/back by roughly half an inch(I’ll attach pictures). I’m wondering what I can do to repair the brace? I’m guessing over time the stress will cause issues and I don’t want the tank to burst obviously. It’s also a pain because I’m guessing I’ll have to drain most of the water out but that’s on me lol. Or would the tank possibly be ok with a little bit of bowing? Please advise, thank you.

 

[Debbie1986]

I'd reach out to mfg

plastic tends to get brittle as it ages. they may be able to sell you an extra brace?

or if you secure the middle by some means, add smaller secondary brace right next to original brace?

Glue will not imo fix that - too much stress.

there's many videos on you tube when I typed in: fish tank how to fix brace

This was top hit and feedback by other viewers looks promising:

 

[WRWAquarium]

What is the make off the tank? My tank has a plastic brace and like you in my haste to set up a used tank I didn't actually realise what it was or needed one untill I noticed a cm of bowing!

Drained and fitted brace and now no issue. You might be able to buy a replacement for another tank brand and get it to fit somehow. To me it looks like you may have to make one yourself to fit over whole rim each side.

Its really not worth the risk of the glass or silicone failing. That amount of water will be serious damage!

 

[Yatesy30]

Thanks for the prompt replies guys! Appreciate it! Since I was kind of panicked, I had the same thought of building one myself (a lot quicker than ordering a new frame,getting and welding metal etc as some YouTube videos suggested). Plus I didn’t need to drain any water! I screwed and siliconed two blocks of wood on either side of a panel of wood 18.5 inches apart (proper width of tank). And then I “squeezed” the top of the tank frame into the brace. Now the tank is uniform at 18.5 inches width, hopefully this has solved it! Thanks again. Please reply with comments on whether or not you think this is a good solution!

 

[WRWAquarium]

That should do it. How I imagined a DIY brace would go on. Keep a close eye on the measurements and the integrity. Of the brace.

 

[Mcasella]

Thanks for the prompt replies guys! Appreciate it! Since I was kind of panicked, I had the same thought of building one myself (a lot quicker than ordering a new frame,getting and welding metal etc as some YouTube videos suggested). Plus I didn’t need to drain any water! I screwed and siliconed two blocks of wood on either side of a panel of wood 18.5 inches apart (proper width of tank). And then I “squeezed” the top of the tank frame into the brace. Now the tank is uniform at 18.5 inches width, hopefully this has solved it! Thanks again. Please reply with comments on whether or not you think this is a good solution!

Wood will warp over time with constant contact to the water. Best bet would be to find someone or weld one yourself of a water safe metal to have a permanent brace that won't warp over time.

 

[Arvil]

Looks great and will do the job. Just don't take it off with water in the tank. To make it look better, you could use steel or brass angle brackets made for cabinets in place of the two blocks, then trim the main board to length. Then fasten a board or other material to fit on the bottom side of the main board and when you mount it, it will fill in the space under the main board at just the height of the lid, then go to a glass shop and have them cut the lid glass into two pieces one on either side (unless you know how to cut glass). Voila! You'll have a nice looking setup. Stain or paint the wood. Just an idea. Oh, yeah, you may need to devise a runner on either side of this brace to hold the glass lid.

Instead of wood, could use brass or stainless steel. Home Depot and Lowes also carry a white plastic material that works and looks like wood, and will not warp.

 

[coralbandit]

Look into Euro bracing the tank .

 

[JTW]

I think that's a good temporary solution.

But the wood sticking out like that is going to get annoying.

I'd still be looking for a permanent fix.

 

[Tryne]

What about using that tank only half filled with water? you could have stones/wood above water level with nice plants in and out of the water. You could for example build a nice Vampire Crab tank.

 

[MrMuggles]

Tank integrity is maintained by first providing proper support and bracing to an empty tank, while keeping everything squared, and then filling it up. adding the support to a filled tank in any way is asking for trouble.
Water is cheap it should not be scary to remove from the tank, so you can get the bracing corrected.

 

[Arvil]

Agree, the empty tank is in its natural position. You can’t put it back when it’s full.