# 75 Gallon with "Thick Glass"



## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

Was recently gifted a 75 gallon tank with an oak stand/cabinet.

Front & back panels are 1/2" thick, sides are 3/8".
No center brace on the trims either.

*Something special about this tank*?
I don't believe it to be tempered glass.
Not drilling it anyway.

Oak cabinet is another story.
One side rotted out, replacing with new lumber this evening.
Must have had filter equipment that was always leaking.


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## Clear Water (Sep 20, 2014)

Have you looked for a manufacturer tag on the bottom of the tank. Most of the tanks that were made without a center brace are pretty old. I would guess over 20 years and maybe 30. Also most glass on newer tanks are 3/8" glass. I have very old 90 that has 1/2" glass.


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## WaterLife (Jul 1, 2015)

If it is tempered glass I believe the whole pane of glass has a greenish-blue tint to it (not just the perimeter edges of the glass). Compare the color difference to your other tanks (non-tempered).

It was pretty common for the old tanks to have no center brace.
Is there no center brace on the bottom of the tank as well?
If it is indeed a old tank (usually wood grain trim), then it is safe to use, no need to worry about it bowing or blowing out (assuming the seals are good, glass condition as well).
Haven't measured the thickness of the panes, but if it was made that way, it should hold up just fine.
Just give it a water test to check that it still holds up, then it's good to go.

I still have a old 20 gallon high tempered glass tank up and running. Personally don't like the greenish-blue tint the tempered glass has, but it still works. On this one, the glass lids aren't "interchangeable" from the tempered tank to newer non-tempered, vice versa. (tempered tank has skinnier lip, longer glass lids, while non-tempered is opposite).


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

Thank you for the replies.
It is an older tank, not tempered glass.
Both frames have no center post.
Tank is in good shape but heavy on hard water deposit though.
Some HCl will clean that up.
Very heavy with the thick glass, two man moving job for sure.


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## Bushkill (Feb 15, 2012)

Not tempered at all.

I had a 125G built the same way. I can tell you it's not tempered because I tried to cut a weir in the back glass for an external overflow and nicked the corner of the cut. Filled for about an hour and it cracked. Not shattered. The crack ran from the corner of the weir down to the lower corner of the tank. Sounded like a gunshot and about made me mess myself when it happened. I was about 2 feet away! You don't forget these little episodes in your life, lol!

Another thing worth noting is that the top trim is most likely not one solid piece around the top either; 4 separate mitered sections.

I wanna say they were old Oceanic tanks, but I would be guessing. Your slightly thinner end panels give reason to at least question my assumption here.

The thicker glass compensated for the lack of a center brace. This tank weighed twice what a new-style with a centerbrace weighs.


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## WaterLife (Jul 1, 2015)

Can't remember what HCI is, but a extremely good hard water deposit remover is a cheap product (only $3-4 at Walmart in cleaning section) called Bar Keepers Friend.
The main ingredient is Oxalic acid and is pretty safe. Still want to give the tank a good rinse before adding fish.

It's a much much much better/stronger cleaner than white vinegar, especially on mineral deposits. Makes the job a ton easier. Don't worry about it harming the tank in any way, it's not *that* strong. haha. It has many cleaning uses so it will go to good use.

What plans you got for the new 75?!


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## TINNGG (Mar 9, 2005)

Oceanic used a glass center brace. Check and see if there are signs of excess silicone in the middle.

I find it odd that there would be nothing there, if only just as a cover support - a 4' long lid would be unwieldy.


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## Bushkill (Feb 15, 2012)

TINNGG said:


> Oceanic used a glass center brace. Check and see if there are signs of excess silicone in the middle.
> 
> I find it odd that there would be nothing there, if only just as a cover support - a 4' long lid would be unwieldy.


I honestly can say that I didn't think of that possibility. I have a 180G Oceanic and that glass brace is beyond horrible to work around. I can see people throwing their hands up at it and just removing it. Possibly the 125G I ruined, originally had a brace that was removed? 

Hmmmm.


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## jess60901 (Sep 17, 2015)

Congratulations! Your new tank is probably an OCEANIC tank. Would that they were still on the market.


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## Bushkill (Feb 15, 2012)

jess60901 said:


> Congratulations! Your new tank is probably an OCEANIC tank. Would that they were still on the market.


And to answer the IP's question, that's exacty what's special about it: It's a very well-built tank, extremely heavy, and probably had a glass center-brace at one point that someone was annoyed enough about to remove since these tanks didn't need 'em.


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## zerodameaon (Dec 2, 2014)

Bushkill said:


> And to answer the IP's question, that's exacty what's special about it: It's a very well-built tank, extremely heavy, and probably had a glass center-brace at one point that someone was annoyed enough about to remove since these tanks didn't need 'em.


I have one with the brace in still, as annoying as it is it sure is handy as a work bench for trimmings and tools.


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## Bushkill (Feb 15, 2012)

And coffee cups and cold drinks too.

The brace on my 180G is exactly 2 feet X 2 feet. 

Not entirely off-track, but the really annoying feature is trying to keep it clean on the bottom side.


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## TINNGG (Mar 9, 2005)

I was cursing the brace on mine when I put a divider in the tank. It's only about a foot wide but that's the foot I needed to access.

Lovely growths of algae on the bottom...


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## Capecrusher (Feb 17, 2015)

My vote is that is an O'Dell. I had a 55 that had no braces and 1/2" glass. I wish I still had it, but I had to sell it when I moved from Florida.


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

The oak stand has a sticker, "All Glass Aquariums".
Just examined the tank again, no center bracing of any kind.
No remnants etc. of silcone and such.
Trim is 4 mitered pieces, noticed this at first glance last week.
It is a very stout heavy tank, great for free.

HCl = 38% hydrochloric acid, vinegar will never touch this.
Same as for washing brick and such, must be diluted though.
I am prepared with gloves and for the stink.

Future plans???
I am repairing the rotted stand, nice oak appearance for sure.
No cost involved, I have lumber, plywood and veneer in house.
Only a little time, okay a lot of time needed.
Complete stand dis-assembly pretty much. Lots of mold and stink.

Tank was holding water 1 week before acquired.
Leaking must be related to filtration equipment in the cabinet.
Left side was the lowest and took the heat in rot.
Oak lumber just needed cleaning, plywood rotted and de-laminated.

It will be a low tech tank. Thinking of crypts in the front half.
Tall stems and water sprite in the back half.
Fish, shrimp, snails? I have no idea at this time.
Suggestions surely accepted.

I would like a dozen nerites of various patterns etc.
Already have RCS in 3 tanks and a over-population of purple Moscow guppies.
Maybe a haven for black mollies or platty.


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

TINNGG said:


> Oceanic used a glass center brace. Check and see if there are signs of excess silicone in the middle.
> 
> I find it odd that there would be nothing there, if only just as a cover support - a 4' long lid would be unwieldy.


It came with the 4' lid spoken of with a hinged piece.
Unwieldy is an understatement.
Also covered in mold.

I am not a clean freak but find it very easy to keep tanks clean.
This tank had to stink horribly in it's previous home.

Forgot to mention an oak canopy was included.
Finer piece of furniture than the stand, but needs love too.
Lighting included, a 4' 2-24" tube T8 fixture.
Converted to a 6500K LED tube light replacement.
Have several of these LED tubes in house.


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## TINNGG (Mar 9, 2005)

...wow. Think maybe they stuck it in a garage or something? I can't imagine a moldy rotting tank in my living room.

You know, now that I think of it, I've seen some longer bow fronts that lacked a center brace. And they generally had canopies over them. I just can't quite wrap my mind around the practicality of a 4' lid.


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## Bushkill (Feb 15, 2012)

I made my own glass lids for the 40B's I have. At 3 feet long all I can say is I agree with the "unwieldy" assessment of a 4' long glass top. Kinda leaves me speechless.


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

TINNGG said:


> ...wow. Think maybe they stuck it in a garage or something? I can't imagine a moldy rotting tank in my living room.


You never know!
In the 70's I knew a guy living in an apartment.
40 plus tanks stuffed in there, it did not smell good.
The entire building smelled like Tetra Fish food.
Many Metaframe tanks back in the day.
If you needed it he had it, one of those types.


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## Bushkill (Feb 15, 2012)

Maryland Guppy said:


> You never know!
> In the 70's I knew a guy living in an apartment.
> 40 plus tanks stuffed in there, it did not smell good.
> The entire building smelled like Tetra Fish food.
> ...


When I did the first "expansion" of the fish room about 5 years ago, I bought out a "fish apartment" that sounds like much the same scenario. He had multiple tanks in every room of a 2-bedroom. Thankfully they were all empty when I picked them all up. I took that a good lesson of what this hobby should NOT become.


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## kseanm247 (Feb 13, 2013)

My 75 gallon O'Dell is pushing 30 years old. Wood grain trim. Original seal and never leaked a drop but it does have a nice blue stain from medicine treatment. They didn't make them with center braces back then that I know of. My father bought it new and set it up as a salt tank back in the 80s. It was handed down to me in the late 90s and I ran it as a freshwater tank for years. Then I rescaped it as a planted tank back in 2012. I just moved into a new house and rescaped it again, still planted. 

Empty, its unbelievably, unimaginably heavy and makes you cuss the water gods when you have to move it. Let me reiterate that, when you HAVE to move it. That is never something you WANT to do. I just went to NC and bought a used 180 for my winter project and was worried about moving it around because I had no help to unload it. Pffft after dealing with that 75 gallon O'Dell all my life, the newer tanks are much lighter than you would expect. I just slid the 180 out of my truck onto some cinder blocks like a champ. I plan to make a journal of the 180. Right now I'm having a stare down contest with it and hoping that it magically reseals itself because it has a small leak.


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## TINNGG (Mar 9, 2005)

Which is why my Oceanic 75 hasn't been relocated since it landed in its current spot some 20 years ago.


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