32Chop Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 Does anyone know if you can remove the middle plastic brace on a 150 gallon tall tank. The tank is 24" deep x 30" tall and 48" wide. I can't imagine the brace does anything accept support the glass lids. It is flimsy and not under tension when you grab it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 I once had the middle brace on a 150 break. The result was the front and back glass bowed out alarmingly (it seemed like an inch or more on either side). But the tank never actually catastrophically failed, even through it always looked like it was about to so. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph’s Fish and Plants Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 @Danielmy anxiety would never have been able to handle that. How long was the tank in that condition and running? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 27 minutes ago, Steph’s Fish and Plants said: @Danielmy anxiety would never have been able to handle that. How long was the tank in that condition and running? Several years (at least 5) including a couple of moves to different locations. Once I figured it out it wasn’t gonna pop I just learned to live with it. It is what really taught me just how darn flexible glass is. It seems like it’s stiff, but it’s really more like plastic. But it also showed me what the value of that center brace really is. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Pearl Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 (edited) You can of course do what you want, but my advice is DON'T DO IT! the pressure is the highest at the bottom of a tank as I've described in another post, but the mfr put that "brace" in for a reason. Think about it, it's more complicated to make a tank that way. it's a more complicated mold, more raw materials (plastic) and more to make sure is correct (think quality). If it was not needed, you can bet it would not be there from a cost cutting perspective. I'm sure you know how cheap things are made these days. My 2 cents. Good luck which ever way you go. Edited October 18, 2020 by Dandy Pearl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32Chop Posted October 22, 2020 Author Share Posted October 22, 2020 Thanks for the responses. So it is not there to strictly support the glass lids. My old 600 gallon reef tank didn't have a brace but it was custom built. For the small amount of extra light I will get in the tank it is not worth the risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Pearl Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 Yes it all depends on how the tank is designed. You can not have a brace IF the glass is thick enough to support the water pressure. Glass is expensive and plastic is cheap, so . . . you end up with a center brace. Have fun with your tank! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 On 10/17/2020 at 12:06 PM, Daniel said: Several years (at least 5) including a couple of moves to different locations. Once I figured it out it wasn’t gonna pop I just learned to live with it. It is what really taught me just how darn flexible glass is. It seems like it’s stiff, but it’s really more like plastic. But it also showed me what the value of that center brace really is. I lived in a house built in the 1930s that still had the original glass windows. You could see the warped "drip marks" in the glass from decades of sun exposure and heat/cold cycles. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 (edited) Agree with others. The middle brace is there for a reason. I wouldn't attempt to remove it. If it doesn't right away....at some point, there's a high probability of your tank bowing out...glass breaking. Edited October 23, 2020 by Jeff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Smith Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 (edited) I once removed the brace from a 30-gallon tall tank (24" x 12" x 24"). REALLY bad move. The front glass was literally bowing outward from the water pressure! Removing the brace WILL add to the water pressure on your front and back glass. The taller the tank, the greater the risk. Highly recommended not to do it. 🙂 Edited October 24, 2020 by Bill Smith 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Burke Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 So I’m with the consensus, don’t remove it. but I’m curious. What if you replace the cross brace with other support, like angle iron. I’m thinking if you removed the plastic trim that surrounds the rim, and make a new surround from angle iron. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 That would work, that is how my 1930s aquarium (which was likely built earlier than the 1930s) is built. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Burke Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 3 hours ago, Daniel said: That would work, that is how my 1930s aquarium (which was likely built earlier than the 1930s) is built. Just be able to deal with rust 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Pearl Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 The challenge with adding a brace back is the method of connection. plastic tank rims are made of is notoriously weak when drilling holes through it. However a good epoxy may be a good solution. I would use aluminum vs steel though for corrosion resistance. It's likely @Ken Burke was only using 'angle iron' as a what if. Also keep in mind the radiuses used where the cross brace meets the rim. This radius of material reduces stress at the joint. Whatever cross brace material is used it should replicate these radiuses in some way. An easy way is to add gusset 'wings' on each side of the brace at each end. If I had thought about the epoxy when my tank cross brace failed, I could have saved the cost of a new tank! Happy fish keeping 🐟 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32Chop Posted October 26, 2020 Author Share Posted October 26, 2020 Thanks for all of the responses. They idea about removing the brace, which I now will not be doing, was decrease the obstruction to allow more light into the tank. Adding different braces was not the idea. Changing it over to cast iron is to much work. I will just leave the brace in place and replace the glass panel with acrylic panels that are solid without an ugly black hinge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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