46 bowfront - broken brace

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fishguy74

AC Members
Jul 2, 2005
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Question - does anyione know if the center brace/top molding piece can be bought as a replacement part anywhere? If so, Who would I contact in the Dallas area? I'm so far not having any luck with Dallas North Aquarium. Every where else I have tried tells me that I need to buy a new tank (duh, they want my money).

In all honesty, I'm so fed up trying to find this, I'm about ready to buy a new tank. Here's the problem. I don't know who made the tank. It was given to me and I've had it for about 6 years. Are all makes the same dimensions? Should I really just give up in trying to find a new top piece for this thing?

I thought about trying to repair it with something but then the glass top won't fit right because it lays accross the center brace. Ideas? Suggestions? :help:
 
I have a 46 gal bowfront that was made by marineland but I know that All-Glass also makes a 46 gal bow front. Don't know if that helps you out at all...
 
Use a bar clamp (not too tight) in the mean time.
 
fishguy74 said:
Question - does anyione know if the center brace/top molding piece can be bought as a replacement part anywhere? If so, Who would I contact in the Dallas area? I'm so far not having any luck with Dallas North Aquarium. Every where else I have tried tells me that I need to buy a new tank (duh, they want my money).

In all honesty, I'm so fed up trying to find this, I'm about ready to buy a new tank. Here's the problem. I don't know who made the tank. It was given to me and I've had it for about 6 years. Are all makes the same dimensions? Should I really just give up in trying to find a new top piece for this thing?

I thought about trying to repair it with something but then the glass top won't fit right because it lays accross the center brace. Ideas? Suggestions? :help:
Click to expand...


Hi guys. Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but I know which tank this is. I just bought Oceanic's 72 gallon bow front with cabinet/accessories last night (off Craigslist for $125) and the brace on mine is broken too.

It's the exact same thing. (Cheap crappy plastic part on an otherwise fine aquarium.)

I'm sure fishguy74 has either solved this problem or trashed his tank by now. But anyway... here are the specs on that tank:

It's an older tank made by Oceanic as part of the "Oceanic Curved Glass Series." Oceanic Systems, Inc. (located in Franklin, Wisconsin) got bought out by All Glass approx. 3 years ago. That's why it's real hard to find anything about this tank anymore.

Oceanic 46 Gallon Bow Front dimensions = L 36.5 x W 16.5 (middle of the bow) x H 21 inches and it's product code is 797926370941.

As far as I could tell, there are replacement product codes only for the tank, the cabinet, the canopy, the light fixture, and the glass top. There's nothing anywhere I could find about that top edge piece which forms the brace.

I figure that bow design pulls a lot of water weight forward of the center point -- and without securing that brace before I fill it up, it's eventually going to leak (or worse). So far, all I've come up with is heavy duty binder clips and baling wire. (I know... but I've been up all night Googling the silly thing.)

I've added some pics to show the top brace/etc, the tank, and the full setup so you can all see the tank and the problem fishguy74 and I are up against.

12426_400wh.jpg BowFrontAquarium46-BlackTrim[1].JPG ContrastStandBowFront46-Black[1].JPG
 
Can you show a pic of how yours is damaged? It looks as if some narrow strips of a hard plastic could be used if with the right glue.
 
rbishop said:
Can you show a pic of how yours is damaged? It looks as if some narrow strips of a hard plastic could be used if with the right glue.
Click to expand...

The red mark on this pic shows where the plastic brace snapped on my tank (the 72-gallon version). It's a clean break that looks like it was from downward pressure, not lateral. It comes away from the rim at the lower, recessed level... where the lip is that would hold up the glass top. The upper part that encircles the rim is intact.

At first, I thought I could run something under the brace (like baling wire) and anchor that to the back wall on either side (as in binder clips... lmao). But that's when I was thinking to prevent anything from falling downward. I hadn't realized then (yet) that it's the possible forward shift that could actually pull the tank apart at the seams.

Broken Brace.jpg
 
you could also use pieces of tempered glass or some thick acrylic. you could cut the unbroken end away and then silicone the glass brace piece in place
 
Maybe a piece of acryllic or plexiglass, 1/8" thick, cut to the shape of the cross member and glued in place with a liquid weld type adhesive for plastic could strengthen things. I would fit it so it spanned the break, attaching to as much of the back piece as possible and carry it all the way to the front.
 
well if you are not too worried about how well teh cover sits on top, you can try cutting pvc, length wise, and boil it until its soft, flaten it, and use pvc primer and cement used for plumbing. we did it to my friend's tank and its workign so far but his is a smaller tank.
 
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