Aquarium Top Trim Cracks

Terrence Henderson · Jan 2, 2019

I have a used aquarium I just picked up that has crack along the top trim on the side glass panels. The center brace and the trim along the front and back glass panel show no signed of cracking. Should the cracks on the top trim along the side glass panels be any concern?

Once I get home from work I will be able to post a few photos for reference.

Scotty Buttons · Jan 2, 2019

What size tank is it?

KrisReef · Jan 2, 2019

Are you speaking about the plastic frame? It is more for impact protection than structural integrity on the sides. If the glass is cracked don’t fill it inside.

Terrence Henderson · Jan 2, 2019

Scott Jeffries said:
What size tank is it?

Its 48"x18"x24" 90 gallon aqaurium.

Terrence Henderson · Jan 2, 2019

KrisReef said:
Are you speaking about the plastic frame? It is more for impact protection than structural integrity on the sides. If the glass is cracked don’t fill it inside.

The cracks are on the top brace along the side glass panel. The glass isn't cracked only the plastic is cracking.

jtl · Jan 2, 2019

I might lightly sand it and put a little super glue or epoxy in the crack. Manufacturers seem to use the plastic bracing to get away with thinner glass to save weight and costs. The center brace keeps the thinner glass from bowing.

Terrence Henderson · Jan 2, 2019

jtl said:
I might lightly sand it and put a little super glue or epoxy in the crack. Manufacturers seem to use the plastic bracing to get away with thinner glass to save weight and costs. The center brace keeps the thinner glass from bowing.

I was thinking about putting some JB weld on it since the center brace is still intact with no cracks. But wasn't sure if these cracks were something to worry about.

Frtdrmrose7 · Jan 2, 2019

You can try JB Weld and watch it as long as the center brace is intact. If the center brace is comprised that’s a no-go and understand the risk you are taking by doing this.

Terrence Henderson · Jan 2, 2019

Here are a few photos of the cracks I mentioned. I looked like the previous owner resealed the crack.

jsvand5 · Jan 3, 2019

Terrence Henderson said:
Here are a few photos of the cracks I mentioned. I looked like the previous owner resealed the crack.

I wouldn’t really worry about that unless the center brace looks brittle. The epoxy wouldn’t be a bad idea though.

Stanzo13 · Jan 3, 2019

Are we saying I could cut the plastic rim off an aqueon 29 and make it beautiful?!?!? I have done it with a 10gallon because honestly it's so light I can lift it full and it's a $10 tank so go for it on the 10 but I never tried my current running tank

Terrence Henderson · Jan 3, 2019

jsvand5 said:
I wouldn’t really worry about that unless the center brace looks brittle. The epoxy wouldn’t be a bad idea though.

The center brace is fine its only this on corner thats cracked.

count krunk · Jan 3, 2019

Stanzo13 said:
Are we saying I could cut the plastic rim off an aqueon 29 and make it beautiful?!?!? I have done it with a 10gallon because honestly it's so light I can lift it full and it's a $10 tank so go for it on the 10 but I never tried my current running tank

from my understanding of tanks and physics, I believe you could remove the top plastic brace off of any tank if it does not have a center brace. So that covers tanks up to 55g I believe.

Not 100% on this, pretty sure and I have seen many different DIY "rimless" tanks

Fin · Jan 3, 2019

You could change the whole top trim piece and have a safer and nicer looking tank. A quick search and I found THIS, so they are out there. There is a bit of work involved, but it can be done.

Reefinmike · Jan 4, 2019

That looks like someone dropped the tank really hard on the corner. I wonder what the glass looks like beneath. This is a calculated risk. Is a new tank cheaper than 90 gallons of water on the floor? Don’t get me wrong, i’ve seen many tanks with big chips in the corner glass or on an extremely poor support system. Glass tanks are way stronger than you’d think. I’d personally spend $300 on a new tank for the piece of mind, fresh silicon and scratch free glass. The cost of a new tank is pretty minuscule all things considered...

If you are frugal, i’d buff out any scratches, re-silicon at least the front corners for aesthetics, remove the trim and eurobrace with glass strips provided the corner is ok.