Bowing Range Acceptable?

Wanted to check with you guys if the bowing I can measure with my tanks is acceptable-

It’s a pretty old 48x18x18 with a wood trim I got with a custom stand for pretty cheap. It has 1/2 inch thick glass on all sides.

When full, the tank bows between 1/16th of an inch to maybe 1/8th (but by what I can see it definitely looks under 1/8th).

It didn’t look like it had a structural brace but the guy had one attached with some sort of tape mesh that broke off (clean off rim, leading me to believe it wasn’t built with it) and I attached it again with epoxy. When filled, the epoxy cracked and I resealed it at its current bowing.

Do you guys think it was build for that kind of tolerance?

 

I wouldn't use it if you can measure the bowing. I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure they shouldn't bow at all.

 

I have an old 55 gallon with out a center brace and yes it does have about that much bow. I quit using it but it was set up for at least 5 years of me having it and it was old when I bought it.

 

I have an old 55 gallon with out a center brace and yes it does have about that much bow. I quit using it but it was set up for at least 5 years of me having it and it was old when I bought it.

You are braver than me lol. Would be my luck I would wake up to a small lake in my living room if I tried to use one that bowed...just my luck I think lol.

 

If the epoxy cracked when you fill the tank, it's because the plastic you glued to wasn't clean.

You literally have to scrape the surface away to clean virgin plastic, or else you will never develop full adhesion.

You cannot get a really good chemical bond between epoxy and polystyrene, but if the surface is clean and slightly rough you'll get an excellent mechanical Bond.

This is true of most things to which folks apply epoxy.


I was an engineer at a company which makes windows and doors and we used to test glazing systems in a pressure chamber. A 5-foot by 5-foot piece of 1/2 inch non tempered glass would bow out almost 6" at the center before it shattered.

It was pretty dramatic when it blew out too.