center brace removal

[nunofs]

Searching the archives, it seems at least a few people have removed the center brace on their tanks and replaced it with a clear acrylic piece.

Does anyone have pictures to illustrate the process, or at least the final result?

Is this feasible on a full tank?

Thanks,
Nuno

 

[_Eric_]

75 gallon?

I would give this some second thought.

But thats just me

 

[dedfish]

A friend at work did it on his 36 bow. He left about an inch and a half and used glue as well as nylon screws and nuts to fasten it. I wouldn't do it on a full tank though. I would at least drain it as much as possible when you do it. I think he has pictures here some where. Let me see if I can find the pictures.

edit: The pics are on RC. Here is a link to the thread.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=259121

 

[etszoo]

It is feasable on a full tank. Attatch the clear acrylic on the bottom of the brace first.
Then cut the brace out. I did this on my 46gal bow.
-Eric

 

[TheUltimateNoob]

plus, i think the brace is made to be the right length when the tank is full. if you did this when the tank was empty, the brace would be too short.

nate has done this. i'm sure he'll chime in here.

 

[delta]

plus, i think the brace is made to be the right length when the tank is full. if you did this when the tank was empty, the brace would be too short.

the brace should be the same width as the glass panels at the end of the tank or the inside dimension from front to back as close as you can measure to the end of the tank

i would utilize two pieces of steel angle iron and some clamp as well as a temporary ply spacer until you get the brace back in.
however i would plan on using glass on glass with silicone and run the tank at a low level for a few days till the silicone sets then remove the angle iron/clamps JMO

 

[NateHanson]

I took the brace off my 65 before filling it, and replaced it with 1/4" acrylic, attached with nylon bolts and epoxy.

Glass would probably be stronger and cleaner looking, but might be overkill.

Doing it full could work if you attached the acrylic, then cut the original brace. However, I'd support the tank well with angle iron and clamps before cutting the original brace.

What about replacing it with stainless steel cable? If you could come up with a good way to attach that to the rim on each side, it would be a great solution that doesn't require cleaning, casts no shadow, and doesn't get in the way.

Nate

 

[nunofs]

I may not need to do this after all... I just checked the light spread that the new reflectors put out, and it's wider than I had expected so I'll probably manage without removing the center brace.

Thanks for the comments and insight, everyone!

Nuno

 

[sanker]

I second etszoo's comments. I did mine when they were empty, but if you screwed in the plexi first then cut out the top pice what would the difference be?

I just did it on my 75 fuge and 90g display. I used 1/4 plexi. left 1.5" on each side. used 6 1/4-20 nylon screws/nute on each tank. I used a jig saw. you need to use a dremel or something shallower if you decide to do it.

-Sean