My fishtank is bending!

Iv had a tank before with no bracing on the top pop and lets say all the water on the 3rd floor of a varsity flat was not great, to add the tank was holding 720l. So id get a new tank asap dont let this affect you coming back into the hobby. Good luck bud

 

Knowing that LFS I bet you the old granny is going to try and tune you something, they will probably treat you poorly when you come back and they may even try and give you back less than you paid, this was my experience with them. Hope yours is better. let us know how it goes

 

To throw a spanner in the works, standard LFS 3ft tanks do bend. There was a thread on site awhile back where someone had noticed it. I'm not saying it's safe but these guys build them to the minimum glass they can get away with! The link below is not the thread I'm talking about but does give you the standard glass thicknesses used. If anyone can remember there was a thread where someone had drawn an imaginary line from one corner of the tank to the other to display the bending that was occuring...

http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?13709-Tank-glass-thickness

 

Agreed. That's why I have all my tanks built super strong. My latest addition is 0.6(l)x0.5(w)x0.45(h) in 10mm glass! I could have gotten away with 6mm but it's braceless and I like the piece of mind. When in doubt err on the side of caution...

 

i had the same tank as yours and it also bent, i thought it was normall and did not change anything, i had it full for over a year and no leaks or cracks

 

@MarcVanJ is it the one I bought from you?


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A little bending is normal.............that much is NOT.

I built a tank many years ago 880mm wide x 500mm high (water level was about 420mm) out of 5mm glass with no bracing, it did bend but never that much. Amazingly it held for the five years that I ran the thing. When I eventually drained it the bend remained in the back and front panel without water :unsure:

 

That should be ok. Also had a 3ft which bent like that. But to be safe just brace if with 6mm glass.

 

Hi all

Spoke to Rainbow Aquariums in PE, they manufacture fish tanks. The chap there said to me he has been making aquariums for the last 13 years and the standard 3 foot tanks do bend somewhat... he said between 5 and 10mm 'front to back' center measurement compared to the sides

He suggested that I brace the tank if I'm worried

Some are saying its normal and others not, so I dont know ?

 

Normal yes. Even lightly braced tanks bend. But I still don't like it that's why I overbuild my tanks.

 

Glass can bend. But play it safe. Brace the tank!


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Remember that Glass is man made and that it is "Fluid". Just check out the glass pane in your windows at home when they break, the Tops are much thinner than the bottoms. The glass actually starts to slide down over time, you can actually measure it with a digital verneer. Your tanks are no different as it is still Glass.

 

I'ts called a ''non-Newtonian'' liquid.

 

Just for the sake of interest and relaxing the OP, for glass to actual flow (based on the "supercooled" liquid myth), it would take many many thousands of years for noticble changes to happen. The myth is mostly based on the way glass was created in the 1700's, iirc, and how it appeared to us in recent years when looking at the old windows. Have done quite a bit of reading on this over the last few years

As for the original topic, I would also probably brace it. In my case they braced the tops of my 250 with more glass, in a flat, horisontal way siliconed into the corners. If this is actually any good, only time will tell :/

 

My, of the floor, 3 ft from Pet Stop in 6mm glass was braced. Can't see why others won't do this. The 4 ft I had made was done with extra bracig and thicker glass. Can't be too save. My 30 cm cube is done in 6mm glass (30x30x30)

 

Hi, I went out today to have a piece of glass cut to brace the middle top of my aquarium. I had a piece of glass cut 315x295x6mm (The 295mm was already cut as I was going for 250mm) to do the bracing. I found that the tank middle has a difference of 8mm. Now, Has anyone got a suggestion in how I should proceed in bracing the tank. I wish I just had a smaller tank to place all the fish into for a day or two. I am open to advice. This tank is made by DARO pet product. I am going to call them and complain about this. I do not think I will buy another DARO tank again.

 

Hope this helps


There is a piece, small rectangal, siliconed to the same level as the top of the tank. On top of this, and on top of the tank, is the bace siliconed.

I think it will be possible to do this if you reduce your tank water by halfn which will rwduce the bend. If you can get a clamp that fits over the tank, to keep it stable and on the correct size, you should be able to attatch the brace without having to move all the water and fishes. Please note Ihave not done this myself. If there is any one that have done this please give your idees

 

Thanks, I have the glass and I have the right clamp, in fact I have two clamps and blocks of wood as well as Marine Silicon. I just would like advice in what should be the safest way to do it without breaking the tank or harming the fish. The fish are the first priority then the tank, I do not want to lose either of them if possible. If I only got to read this forum before I started up the aquarium, this would have solved many headaches. Thanks in advance.

 

Hi all

I braced the tank with 6mm glass and problem is solved

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