I just received a 50 gallon tank from a buddy of mine, unfortunately the tank does not have center braces. Can I still use it?

This wouldn't be long term. I want to move my albino oscar(2 1/2-3 inch range size), until he gets closer to my other oscars size (9-10 inch), and then get one large tank for the 2 of them.

I guess my next question would be how close in size would they have to be before putting them together?

Or should I just try and sell this tank and get a braced one?

Thanks,

-Az

Was it manufactured without the braces? I don't think it makes any difference whether tank has got them up to a certain size. I have had a 20 and 30 gallon tank that hasn't had them and I have never encountered any problems.

I think you'll be looking at around seven or eight months to a year before your Oscar catches up with the big one. This is of course depending on whether it grows properly. That really is the very rough estimate and based on my own Oscars growth so don't hold me to it.

until he wont fit into it mouth and can put up a fight if hes picked on ide keep him seperated

as for the tank if it was made without braces then itl be fine if it had braces i wouldnt use it for fish.
should be able to see marks if its had bracing

Thanks OFL & Drew, it looks like it was made without bracing.

When I went to the store to get a new heater and stuff for the tank I noticed that the new 50 gallon tanks had braces, I had thought nothing of it until that point.

So I asked at the store if my tank would be ok and the guy there said it was 50/50 he'd heard good and bad stories.

I then called another store and asked the same thing and got pretty much the same response but the lady there said since it was a 50 and was shorter and wider then say a 55 it was less likely to bust a seam.

The guy I got it from used it to house a snake. I filled it and let it sit for a few hours and there were no leaks, but I feel more comfortable getting opinions from people here.

I think I'll go ahead and use it. The albino has the opposite personality of Chopper, he has never sulked yet, and he eats like a horse! Which is the main reason I wanted to get going on upgrading his tank, sometimes I think I can see him growing right in front of my eyes

Thanks for the help!

-Az

the water alone in a 50 gallon tank weighs 500lbs thats a lot of weight to hold. You can silicone in the braces yourself its easy enough to do. Ive seen enough braced tanks break let alone unbraced tanks. To brace it you will need two lengths of glass the same length as your tank and four lengths of glass the same width as your glass. they need to be roughly 4cn wide. lay the tank on its front and silicone the first length way brace to the tank about an inch form the top. Wait for it to dry for an hour or so before you turn the tank onto the back and repeat the step. After another hour you can silicone in the front to back straps. The two end ones will sit on top of the front and rear straps and against the end glass and you can add the other two 1/3 rd and 2/3rds of the way along. Silicone them onto front and rear straps. im sure a local glazier will cut these bits for a few £'S or $'s and it will save the aggravation of a burst tank.Take it form me you do not want to dump 50 gallons of water on the carpet

Have a look along the length of the tank. If you even think the glass is even slightly bowed then do as dinger says and brace it yourself. Best to be safe than sorry (and wet)

wont nesiserily need glass. strong plexiglass wil do the trick just as good. i would brace it thou as like delboy said better safe than sorry and all in all you wouldnt want a wet floor and oscar in a bucket resukting in either gettin rid of them or an expensive trip to the shop for a new tank