[kguevara]

My 55 gallon glass tank and I just made a road trip from Arizona to Colorado. It had been emptied and cleaned and wrapped in an old comforter to protect it from cracking. I did a leak test on it by filling it up with water and monitoring it for the next couple of days. All was well! But my question is concerning the plastic cross piece on the top of the tank. It broke in the move and my fear is that although it looks like a flimsy piece of plastic that it actually may play a more vital role in the structure of my tank. I didn't notice any bowing of the walls in it's leak test. Does anyone think that this may be a major problem? I'm thinking about replacing the tank altogether.

[CyberJester]

YES, those cross members are very important in most tank designs. They may look flemsy, but they don't stretch that is there function, they relieve pressure for the top of the tank to prevent it from bowing. You may not have seen it bow during your seal test. However, with time and temperture changes in your home chances are it will eventually give way and create a pool in the room that you place it (not to mention the loss of all your livestock). I would not risk the lives of your little critters on that.

You could probably call the manufacturer and explain what happend and have them ship you a new one for a small charge. You could also create a new one with either acrylic or glass (I would recommend an acrylic ring around the tank with either a single or dual cross member).

[kguevara]

Hey CyberJester,
Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it!

Kim

[Six-line Wrasse]

On a 55 gal. a single cross brace is more than sufficient. Acrylic is the way to go for a cross brace only because it is tougher than most plastics and you can have them made clear instead of colored like most other plastics. Clear is nice because it allows some light to pass through it and into your tank.