What should I do??

MY top brace is cracked on my 55 gal w/hob overflow.It has not gotten worse since it happned months ago,and is still held on by alot.I will be moving in with my fiance soon and have to move the tank, so good time to replace the tank.I came across a guy on cl with a 55 gal reef ready($ 100).Is this worth getting ???.will I loose much room???.. mess with flow??..the overflow is not in the corner its against back glass off center to the left.. I wish i could upgrade but thats no gonna happen anytime soon lol lol..thanks in advance.....btw he said no meds/copper in tank as it was used as his frag tank only if this helps...

 

do you know the cost for a new brace?
do you trust your self to replace it(its pretty simple)?
do you really dislike your overflow box?

its not a bad price for the tank tho. unless it a different shaped tank then your i dont really think its worth it to buy, probably more labor for transportation then it would be to fix your tank

 

here a link to a place that sells braces
Glasscages.com - Tank Frames

 

thanks I had no idea it was that cheap to fix and that they even sell those..shouldnt be to hard to replace (I think)..

 

I would get the tank on CL (give him $75 cashola), then start repairs on the other 55. If it doesn't work, nothing lost. If it does, then yo have another 55 to play with. Maybe a mellow FO tank? You could do quite a bit with that size and it wouldn't cost a lot of money.

 

What brand of 55g is it?

I know AGA sells these fro thier tanks and they are cheap. I bet AGA's would fit on any other std size 55g.

A friend of mine had to replace his top frame on his 110g. It cost relatively nothing to do, but it does take a bit of time. There is a lot of silicone.

Another option if is only the center brace is to cut the old one out,and put in a new one, clear either glass or acrylic and fasten it with plastic (nylon) nuts and bolts. I know a guy that pulled off the center brace of his 75g while filled with its reef, and he replaced it with a glass one as described. He of course used clamps to keep the tank from bowing/ breaking, but it works. he has had it going for years this way. See he has it lit by a centrally mounted 250w halide and t5s, so the black center brace would melt if he had not used a glass one.

 

thanks guys thanks for the imput,im gonna kick it around,maybe take a ride check out the RR 55 see if its in good shape and see how low he will go..i was looking around on line and read mixed thoughts on changing the brace(easy/not so easy)...plus if i can paint the back black i wont really see the built in overflow..kinda getting tired of seeing the HOB thing....this tanks old anyway..not sure of the brand it was given to me 4 yrs ago i used it for fresh water for 2 yrs before changing over...and if i remember correct the previous person had for a bit themselves..maybe time to change out.....ugh I wish I could go bigger...Ahhhh to dream lol lol one day..

 

There's many threads here repleate with stories of people whose ... was saved because they had a spare tank. I'd get the tank, do the repair and keep the tank around just in case.