Crossbeam on 55 gal Broke....help

[Cichtrain]

So as i was installing my new powerhead i noticed that the crossbeam is broken and my tank is bowing. Im going to remove some water. Any suggestions?

[Dan K]

I once had the same issue and after lowering the water level the gap disappeared. I then put on some heavy duty epoxy and some "splints" cut from the pop out pieces of my tank cover...the ones you pop out for heater, filter, etc. It held for about a year and then let go. I also heard that the top trim and bottom trim of your tank are the same and you can swap them out if you have the patience to cut all the silicone to free them. The bottom trim will not need the crossbeam for support and you can put the broken one on the bottom.   Good luck.

[Cichtrain]

Used 2 clamps for each side of the tank. Then applied epoxy with a 1/8 piece of fiberglass and clamped it. Hopefully it holds.

[Cichtrain]

Funny because ill lose power tomorrow for 8 hours while my house gets rewired my house. Anyone have any experiences with power outages or what not and how long my fish will be safe? Im a little worried.

[Ron]

FWIW, my mom had something similar happen on her 55 gallon and if you shop around, you should be able to find a good deal on a new top frame. IMO, that's the best way to go.

[Regalblue]

On the power outage - I made it through that blackout in 02-03(?) without a single death.

Since you have time to prepare...  I'd rinse all my filter media with tank water, getting it as clean as possible without killing any BB.  Then when the outage happens keep the media submerged in the tank.

Or generator,  or battery powered air pump,  or ask a neighbor to run a extension cord

[Cichtrain]

Ya im picking up battery aerators. Should i still mess with my filter media or will they be fine in my filter for 8 hours?

[Regalblue]

I'd still clean them. All that gunk will be poison if off for that long.

Grab a couple sponge filters&  squeeze them a few times in your filter gunk bucket.  It should help them get BB in them

[Cichtrain]

So I should rinse the media in a bucket with my tank water. Then use a couple of sponges to snag some of that BB and place it directly into my tank?

[Regalblue]

That's what I would do. 
If you have enough time you could even run air to the sponges while in the bucket. That should help ensure the BB gets into the sponge

[Cichtrain]

Well right now I have an aquaclear 110 and my carbon is already in a bucket for 2 days while I was treating for parasites. So i only have my biomax and sponge in it right now.