The Doctor Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 60G acrylic aquarium top middle brace just broke after 50% water change like it was sheered off - 1st picture... The aquarium not leaking, I lower the water by 25% and I do have perimeter brace intact - 2nd picture... What are the chances this will start leaking in the future, it holds a discus pair and babies and I am a bit reluctant to move as I do not have another aquarium handy... How many days this can hold without leaking and what if I bought some sort of a store brace and brace it on top of the original... OR any other ideas or experiences are welcomed... Thanks a lot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMC Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 I ran a 55 gallon with a cracked center brace for a few months. I put a pipe clamp on top of the tank tightened to the exact width that minimized the crack (or just measure the end widths and tighten the center to match). Having the water lower is definitely a great idea. My biggest fear was that the clamp pushing in from the outside was going to crack the glass. It also wasn’t the most visually appealing thing to have in the living room so after about 2 months I broke the tank down and disposed of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyxxl Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 I saw a video on fixing the brace just last week, love learning this stuff for future funds. You can either try to reinforce the old brace where it broke, or make one out of aluminum that fits over the ends of the top. I assume that this is a acrylic tank and not glass, with this style of brace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmark285 Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 Acrylic will flex, the main purpose of the brace is to prevent the front piece from bowing out. If you have clearance, I would put a couple clamps on the tank temporarily. If you have them, put a small piece of plywood against the tank then the clamps. This will also hold things together while you are putting the brace back on. For acrylic to acrylic, Weld-on is one type of glue to use. For extra insurance, put a stainless steel screw in, just make sure you pre-drill the holes. I read that Super glue could be used but it may discolor the acrylic to white. \ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Doctor Posted April 21 Author Share Posted April 21 Thanks all for the replays, I did order the 18 inch clamp and will probably use it permanently on top of the brace, not sure if I will try to weld it back in at this point, maybe later when I do relocate the fish.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Doctor Posted April 21 Author Share Posted April 21 This idea I really like, but not sure where I can find those conduit bracket hangers and the rod to order online... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyxxl Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 The conduit hangers and threaded rod both can be bought from home improvement stores like ace, true value etc. Lowe's might have it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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