Bracing on tank

[juzz.raath]

Just wondering if anyone has some input on this. I have a 75g that I'm rebuilding and it has a plastic frame laminated wood look with 2 braces through it (only plastic).

I want to remove the whole frame on top of the tank and have a cleaner look. Would you think removing these would affect it? Next option would to get some glass strip's and silicone them in across the top to get a slightly better look than this.. Would that work?

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160624/90f20b37c4e62bc3791ad5c1592834c5.jpg


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[juzz.raath]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160624/46c530afb06a2e384ddab2631508afaf.jpg

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[sleepydoc]

I want to remove the whole frame on top of the tank and have a cleaner look. Would you think removing these would affect it?
Yes. The bracing is required for structural integrity of the tank.

Next option would to get some glass strip's and silicone them in across the top to get a slightly better look than this.. Would that work?

What you are asking is if you can convert a rimmed tank to a euro-braced tank. Possibly, but I wouldn't recommend it. First the edges of the glass underneath the plastic trim are likely unfinished and will not look good or potentially be sharp. Second, you would need to verify that the construction of the tank is adequate for eurobracing. I'm not qualified to say whether it is or not. There are others around here that are; perhaps they will chime in.

You want to be very careful with what you are doing. I know it's been done before, but I also know there have been catastrophic tank failures from doing similar modifications. If you really want a rimless or euro-braced tank, you are best buying one that was designed to be that way.

[akmzero]

I've euro braced a few tanks and had no issues with either of them 5 years in. You just have to use the correct size glass. Anything over 4ft long you general want center braces. My 6ft has 2 braces, I'll take pictures later for you.

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[juzz.raath]

Thanks very much.

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