55 Gallon Tank Have a slight bow, photos included.

[HuskerArob]

I come here often as a guest to read these forums, and i came across the same problem that someone else had here...

https://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/freshwater-tank-equipment/24144-my-55-gallon-tank-walls-bow-outward-normal.html

Except his photos were so old that i could not really get a grip on what he ment.

I have a 55 gallon, long, and it has a SLIGHT bow in it, because the PLASTIC brace has been broken off that connects in the middle. Its just a wal-mart brand tank, and i have been using it for over a year now. No problems, works great, but then reading what some of you have said raises some concerns.

Being a planted tank should i really transfer everything to a new tank? And is that brace really that important? What are some warning signs of what is next to come, or what to expect?

I dont wanna see 55 gallons of water on my floor. lol
http://img14.imageshack.us/i/dsc01221vf.jpg/

Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Note, this is not taken with a funny lens, the top as u can see has a curve in it, meaning the bow. I can get a profile photo tommarow if needed.


Thanks in advance.

HuskerArob

 

[Aquarist]

Hello Husker and Welcome to Fish Lore!

The center support bar is very important to your tank. Without it you are at risk for a flood especially since the tank is beginning to bow.

The top trim piece can be replaced. Contact the manufacturer of the tank if your local fish store doesn't carry them (LFS), and they can probably ship you a new one. They aren't that expensive. See links below:
https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/how-to-replace-the-top-frame-of-an-aquarium.66920/
https://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/general-discussion/31065-removed-trim.html

You have a beautiful tank and awesome fish!

Best wishes!
Ken

 

[Nutter]

Welcome to Fishlore

Excellent advice above from Ken.
If you have to pull the tank down, it is a small price to pay compared to the money you would need to spend fixing the water damage.

Nice looking set up you have there.

 

[HuskerArob]

today

Well thanks guys for the fast response. I am buy a new house here this month and will be moving soon, i will switch the tanks then. Does anyone know of any good custom hood sites? I am in and out of it all the time because of the plants, but i hate removing the lights. (i have 1 full sheet of 3/8's glass covering it ATM) Is this sheet of glass killing my lights? And when i switch tanks the new one will have the center support, which means i will have to purchase 2 hoods. Anyone have any good ideas.?


glasscages.com has custom tops, but i dont know if i should do acrylic or starphire, or just regular glass, i mean its just the top, but i dont wanna kill my lights.

 

[Jrobber]

You can check the links at the top of this page for some recommended sites that a lot of users buy from.

By the way, nice tank setup! It's very pretty.

 

[HuskerArob]

Thank you so much for the advice, funny thing is, thatpetplace.com is where ive bought almost everything and i never thought to look for canopies.

Out of all the websites i looked this is the best solution to my problem once i transfer tanks.



Or is this too big? because if you think about it, its a 55 gallon 48" long, so i need 2 sets of 24" glass with hinges pref. hrmm... sorry for the ignorance lol