To cut or not to cut?

[wbdevers]

My tank has the black plastic rims around the top and bottom. The top is divided front to back with more of the plastic. It is the built in ledge for a double glass top (gave to LFS). My question is would it be safe to cut the plastic off. When my moon lights are one it casts a hell of a shadow in the middle of the tank and I would REALLY like that to be gone. I know some tanks have a piece of glass as a brace across the middle, but I don't think that this plastic serves that purpose. I thought about removing the plastic and trying to glue in a piece of acrylic, but I would be trying to glue two dissimilar plastics--abs and acrylic and I don't think that is very possible. Suggestions/comments greatly appreciated.

[Flippers4pups]

I wouldn't remove the bracing, it's there for glass wall support. To remove it might be asking for the glass to fracture. (Most 55's are tempered, but will crack if stressed enough.) JMTCW
Acrylic and abs don't "weld" very well, or not at all, so no.

[steelhead77]

They put those braces there for a reason. DO NOT cut it unless you want 55 gallons of water all over your living room floor.

[wbdevers]

steelhead77 I realize they make stuff "for a purpose" and I appreciate the advice, but I really don't believe this is used as a brace. It is used only for support of the glass tops and the el cheapo light fixtures. I say this because there are rimless tanks all over the world.

I am really curious why I keep hearing that "most 55's are tempered". Why would only this size tank be tempered? Granted it could be the dimensional stress of a 55, but I don't see it being any different than a 110 or bigger. Side note, I did check and my tank isn't tempered.

Thanks again for the advice.

[griss]

That brace is there to support the glass. The glass on a standard 55 is relatively thin, hence the bracing. The rimless tanks you see are specifically built to be just that, rimless. I've known of several people over the years that have removed the manufacturers brace and ended up with 55 gallons of water on the floor as a result.

[syrinx]

I wont guarantee that it will end up in tank failure- but 90% of the tanks I have seen fail have had the brace marginalized. If you don`t like it- go to the DIY section and find other ways to brace it. Tempered glass is used because it is cheaper,thinner, and stronger than regular glass. It is most often used in "loss leader" tank sizes. 10 55 and sometimes 75s. The problem with tempered is when it goes- its gone-no little ding or crack-bang and ice cube glass. I was a oceanic and AGA dealer for 10 years- trust me- you don`t want to have a unbraced tank that wasn`t designed that way. Edit- many 55s have tempered bottoms- but most 55s have regular glass sides.

[jeff@zina.com]

...but I really don't believe this is used as a brace.
Then why do you ask us whether or not it's safe to cut? Feel free to remove any trim you wish, at any time. It's your tank.

By the way, it does support the tank, it keeps the glass from bowing under the pressure of the water.

Jeff

[Tahoe Reefer]

I cut my center brace out and replaced it.
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p174/seekndestroysa/P3260285.jpg http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p174/seekndestroysa/P3260284.jpg

[thegrun]

I would not trust the tank without the existing brace or a substitute. Assuming the tank has water in it, use two pipe clamps to hold the tank together, one on each side of where the new brace will be located. Cut out the brace in question and with aquarium safe silicone (GE1) glue a 4" wide strip of glass to replace the old brace. Wait 48 hours and it will be safe to remove the pipe clamps.

[wbdevers]

Tahoe and grun thanks. That's the kind of responses I was looking for. I appreciate it.

Tahoe, can you tell me how you did that? It looks to be nylon bolts and nuts holding an acrylic brace piece. Is that correct?

thegrun, would silicone bond glass to ABS? I know that ABS can be very finicky to work with.

[thegrun]

I would not trust silicone to ABS, perhaps someone else has experience. I was thinking you could go glass to glass in which case silicone would be the proper choice.

[Flippers4pups]

IMHO I would not trust the tank now. Sorry, just have heard and personally seen, over my years of reef keeping (17 to be exact) so many tank failures due to removing the center brace. If you wanted a rimless tank, then you should have bought one from the beginning.
Syrinx is right. Sorry.

[jeff@zina.com]

would silicone bond glass to ABS?
Silicone sealer doesn't actually bond to anything, you need an adhesive. There are silicone adhesives used in tank building, RTV108 is commonly used. It does not adhere well to plastic though.

Take a look at Euro bracing (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=793396) if you plan on removing your center brace but replacing it with something else. It's really the only way to keep the tank from bowing when you remove the factory brace. Or, for the effort and expense, order a rimless tank with thicker glass and sell your current tank or use it as a sump.

Jeff

[syrinx]

Remember that all brace removal suggestions come with the internet guarantee of satisfaction!

[MelloW33]

My opinion would be to not cut it out. I would suggest to put up with the brace and save up for a true rimless tank.

[wbdevers]

Okay all, I accept the advice given and will not be removing the plastic "brace". Too many people say don't do it. I may be hard headed, but I'm not stupid.

Like I originally said, I wanted to remove it due to the shadow casting, but I've sense found that the moonlight I use makes a dual, so I will just get one of those.

Thanks for all of the advice.

[steelhead77]

steelhead77 I realize they make stuff "for a purpose" and I appreciate the advice, but I really don't believe this is used as a brace. It is used only for support of the glass tops and the el cheapo light fixtures. I say this because there are rimless tanks all over the world.

I am really curious why I keep hearing that "most 55's are tempered". Why would only this size tank be tempered? Granted it could be the dimensional stress of a 55, but I don't see it being any different than a 110 or bigger. Side note, I did check and my tank isn't tempered.

Thanks again for the advice.

OK, so I was setting up a 55 for my son and we had a 55 with a broken brace, broke in the middle. I took a piece of 1/4 acrylic and epoxied it to the top and bottom of the brace in order to repair it. Well, we filled the tank and it held for about 15 minutes then BANG! the epoxy let go. The tank did not split or break, but there was a definite bow to the front glass. I would not have trusted it to last much longer. We immediately drained the tank and ran down to the LFS and got another tank.

That brace definitely serves a purpose.