55g Safe to Use?

[jakaufman]

You may have seen my post here: http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=22475

 

To make the story short, my center top brace split on my 55g and was probably bowing about 3/4" on a glass tank. I drained it and began to look for options.

 

I did find a tank to replace it but it is a bit different than what I had an I am unsure about it. It has much thicker glass and no center brace. The girl said she had it filled with water for about a month with no problems and was going to use it for fish but it never happened. She also threw in the old strip light and a mesh cover... both of which are for reptiles (the bulbs are probably like t-12s or something and say "Repti-glo" on them).

 

The tank feels very sturdy due to the thick glass but someone on RC mentioned that if it was used for reptiles then the heat can mess with the silicon and cause issues.

 

So.. can I use this tank safely? What should I look for in the silicon to know if there may be problems? The lights aren't spot heat lights like I have seen for reptiles but tubes and I doubt they would get hot enough to cause serious problems but I don't really know.

 

Thanks for the help,

Joe

[Brian Ward]

Look for cracks in the silicone to determine if the seals are good. If the tank was built for reptiles and not fish then it's hard to say whether it would be OK to fill it or not. There needs to be some sort of support around the top of the tank to help hold the glass panes verticle. This can be the black band that is common around most tanks - and the black center brace that is also common. If it's a standard 55gal, 4' tank I would expect it to have a center brace if it's going to hold up to the stress of being filled with water.

[jakaufman]

I will definitely check all the seals and I will try to a picture of the tank tonight (if my internet at home works, I will post it). There is a frame around the top of the tank but just not a center brace.

 

I guess the question is if a tank built for holding water needs the center brace there. The glass is almost twice as thick as the other tank which had the brace which is why I thought it may just be a different brand doing things differently.

 

I am trying to look online for some tanks and see how they are built.

[Brian Ward]

The thickness of the glass isn't an indication of joint strength or how well it will hold together under pressure.

[jakaufman]

 

 

 

 

 

Here are the pictures of the tank. It has been holding water for the past 24hrs. The bow of the glass is 3/16" and has been since I filled it up, it hasn't changed in 24hrs.

 

I looked over the silicon and it doesn't look like its in bad condition, just a bit old. No cracking or any signs that it has been under heat. It looks about the same as my old tank's silicon job... not that well done but not leaking or cracking at all.

 

Looking for some input on setting this up... I guess my only option here besides using the tank is to sell the 2 tanks I have on craigslist and try to buy a new tank, but at this point I was trying to not spend money and just have the rock in it cycling basically. I am saving up for a couple months before doing livestock which is why I wanted it setup but didn't want to replace the tank with a new one.

[CHUBAKAH]

IMHO, your taking a pretty large risk using a reptile tank as a fish tank. They are really not designed to be full of water.

[Jon Lazar]

Can you contact the manufacturer and see whether the tank is rated for holding water? Perhaps the thicker glass is designed to compensate for the lack of a center brace.

 

Jon

[reefmontalvo]

IMHO, your taking a pretty large risk using a reptile tank as a fish tank. They are really not designed to be full of water.

 

I agree. I once looked for the same alternative since the price for a reptile tank is cheaper than a fish tank. In the end I would go with a fish tank. But you can also plastic weld your own brace in place its best to do it with the tank empty that way you can have the glass in the straight position when placing the brace.

 

Well good luck I hope it comes out how you want it to look when your done.