how do you

the j.o.p.

Member
does anyone know of an easy way to take off the top plastic frame of a tank? the middle support broke on mine, my LFS is ordering me another. but it's taken me forever to get a little piece of it off.
 

scsinet

Active Member
It might be easiest to break it into pieces, but don't try to pry against the glass or anything to do so or you might break the glass.
Another approach might be to use a wood block and a rubber mallet, placing the wood block against the underside of the frame and gently tapping upward...
Those are the ways I'd look at, but I've never tried this before, so I don't know for sure.
 

coachklm

Active Member
since alot of them are siliconed take a razor around the inside of the outside of the frame and the wood tap them off.
 

the j.o.p.

Member
yep they really put a lot of silicone on these babies!!! i broke my razor knife, so i will give a go tomorrow. thanks for the suggestions!!
 

peckhead

Active Member
i just got a 55g for the heck of it today and the middle support broke...does it need to be replaced or is it ok to have water in it? it was only 30$ for tank and stand...not a bad deal
 

wangotango

Active Member
Originally Posted by peckhead
i just got a 55g for the heck of it today and the middle support broke...does it need to be replaced or is it ok to have water in it? it was only 30$ for tank and stand...not a bad deal
yes, you do need it. the front glass will bow and eventually buckle. id just buy a new tank.
-Justin
 

larryndana

Active Member
Originally Posted by coachKLM
since alot of them are siliconed take a razor around the inside of the outside of the frame and the wood tap them off.
thats what i was thinking. good luck.
 

wattsupdoc

Active Member
Originally Posted by peckhead
i just got a 55g for the heck of it today and the middle support broke...does it need to be replaced or is it ok to have water in it? it was only 30$ for tank and stand...not a bad deal
Is there any way you could make a support for it? If you had a piece of acrylic long enough, you could heat and bend it and slip it on over the top.
 

the j.o.p.

Member
word to the wise. go slow and pay attention when using a razor knife to cut the silicone. it's 11:45 and i just left the ER with a nice set of stitches.
 

peckhead

Active Member
we just ripped the plastic off not really worrying about cracking it since it was 30$ and it came off in about 5 pieces and the tank didnt break. now finding a new frame is the real challenge for me..
 
Hi all, I am new to fish husbandry so please bear with me. I purchased a used tank without knowing anything about them. I noticed when it was full that the middle support was broken and about 2" away from the other side. I read this thread hoping that it would be easy to replace the frame since buying a new one and taking out the sand and water etc would be a pain. Has anyone found an easier way to replace the frame besides a razor and mallet? I want to fix this before the tank buckles. Any help would be appreciated
 
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