aquarium trim, Important or just for looks???

[PRC]

I have a little experience here as I was going to buy a 500g tank not too long ago. The bottom seal was bad and needed to be fixed. I contacted all of my local LFS..Here is what everyone of them told me.

If we just need to re-seal it, then we would certainly consider it....If we have to take of the black trim..We won't touch it. The black trim is there for bracing....and keeps the glass from bowing and eventually the seams from splitting...Think about what 240g of water looks like on your floor.

I would seriously consider what you're getting into. If the black frames are broken...experienced LFS' won't touch it. You may end up purchasing a giant glass box that you can't do anything with.

Understand, these large tanks are under an EXTREME amount of water pressure once filled.

 

[OhNoNemo]

I have a little experience here as I was going to buy a 500g tank not too long ago. The bottom seal was bad and needed to be fixed. I contacted all of my local LFS..Here is what everyone of them told me.

If we just need to re-seal it, then we would certainly consider it....If we have to take of the black trim..We won't touch it. The black trim is there for bracing....and keeps the glass from bowing and eventually the seams from splitting...Think about what 240g of water looks like on your floor.

I would seriously consider what you're getting into. If the black frames are broken...experienced LFS' won't touch it. You may end up purchasing a giant glass box that you can't do anything with.

Understand, these large tanks are under an EXTREME amount of water pressure once filled.

Yep,main reason i scrapped my crazy tank build......
I would stay away from this one

 

[dcantucson]

depending on how bad the broken the plastic piece is?

Yes it does serve a purpose or it wouldn't be there and tanks would be mostly rimless! Rimless tanks have much thicker glass so that they can with stand the pressure that the tank water puts on the sides of the tank. I would not risk using a tank without the plastic in tack, top or bottom. It is likely that the glass will bow and that the seals will eventually begin leaking. Do you really want 240 gallons of saltwater all over your house?

i have a little experience here as i was going to buy a 500g tank not too long ago. The bottom seal was bad and needed to be fixed. I contacted all of my local lfs..here is what everyone of them told me.

If we just need to re-seal it, then we would certainly consider it....if we have to take of the black trim..we won't touch it. The black trim is there for bracing....and keeps the glass from bowing and eventually the seams from splitting...think about what 240g of water looks like on your floor.

I would seriously consider what you're getting into. If the black frames are broken...experienced lfs' won't touch it. You may end up purchasing a giant glass box that you can't do anything with.

Understand, these large tanks are under an extreme amount of water pressure once filled.

edited...

 

[dixonstanley50]

i know its way smaller but i just got a 75 with a broken pane for free,fixed it and leak tested it. so far so good, but it had the black plastic trim broken off and im going to get stainless sheet metal bent 1"x1" for the bottom and 1"x1/2" for the top should be pretty cheap and incredibly strong in tension. could even use galvanized and paint it

 

[symon_say]

What thickness is the glass, most of the time bottom trim is just to match upper trim, upper trim is the one that really work bracing the tank, if your glass thickness is 3/8" you should be fine, but if it was designed like that i would replace it for peace of mind, cause 240g of water in your floor won't look pretty.

 

[sen5241b]

I've seen this issue before and the trim matters.

 

[fmjeff]

I'm about to pickup a 240 Gallon aquarium 96L X 24H X 24W for free from someone local... Its a glass aquarium with glass center brace... Only issue is the black aquarium trim on the bottom is broken and missing in several places... Is there anyway for me to fix this and how important is the black trim? I've tried researching online and have come up with many conflicting answers so I'm trying to get a definitive answer on this... I would like to know if this tank is going to be more of a hassle then a gain... The tank is free and has a decent stand that just needs a little TLC... Any info would be greatly appreciated...

Hope its still doable!!! Have plans to make it an awesome Tang Tank...

Sean

its hard to know what you're talking aobut by description. can you post a pic?