Adding EuroBracing to used rimless 180 gallon

Coach v · Oct 27, 2023

My LFS has a nice used 180-gallon (72x24x24) with low-iron glass and stand. It looks to be 3/4" glass, but it is rimless and that is not something I want. If I can get the tank and stand for cheap enough, would adding euro bracing to a used rimless tank make it a stronger and less likely to leak tank?

nereefpat · Oct 27, 2023

Yes, definitely. Another thing that would probably help more would be 1 or 2 glass braces back to front.

mfinn · Oct 28, 2023

Coach v said:
My LFS has a nice used 180-gallon (72x24x24) with low-iron glass and stand. It looks to be 3/4" glass, but it is rimless and that is not something I want. If I can get the tank and stand for cheap enough, would adding euro bracing to a used rimless tank make it a stronger and less likely to leak tank?

Yes, I agree with nereefpat, it will add strength and his suggestion.
But to help it stop leaks, not sure. If there is something wrong with the silicone seal, especially near the bottom no amount of extra bracing will help.
If it really worries you, the effort and expense will be worth tons in the "peace of mind" category.

Coach v · Oct 28, 2023

mfinn said:
Yes, I agree with nereefpat, it will add strength and his suggestion.
But to help it stop leaks, not sure. If there is something wrong with the silicone seal, especially near the bottom no amount of extra bracing will help.
If it really worries you, the effort and expense will be worth tons in the "peace of mind" category.

I guess I am more concerned with catastrophic failure with a larger rimless tank than with silicone leaking. Leaking would suck too.

mfinn · Oct 28, 2023

Coach v said:
I guess I am more concerned with catastrophic failure with a larger rimless tank than with silicone leaking. Leaking would suck too.

What brand?
I've only seen one brand lately that was having the big failures.

leepink23 · Oct 28, 2023

When I decided I wanted a canopy, I decided to brace my 180 like this with 1/2 thick, 24x4 glass strips. Siliconed down and left 3 pound weights on each side for 24 hours.

thedon986 · Oct 28, 2023

I would add top and bottom (internal) bracing if you're going to do it right. If it still fails after that, it was never going to not fail.

mfinn · Oct 28, 2023

Coach v said:
I guess I am more concerned with catastrophic failure with a larger rimless tank than with silicone leaking.

Then spending the money would be worth it if not for just the peace of mind side.

On my 72x30x25 tank, it is eurobraced, with all pieces level with the top of the glass. I like the look of this better than my last 240 I had which was also eurobraced, but it had the eurobraces stacked on top the tank. This required a plastic trim on top to help clean up the look.

The one down side to having a eurobraced tank and having a inside peramant overflow box is that it really restricts access to the top of the overflow box. Some companies that make overflow boxes have removable panels on the front to eliminate my problem which does not.

REEFRIED! · Jan 5, 2024

leepink23 said:
When I decided I wanted a canopy, I decided to brace my 180 like this with 1/2 thick, 24x4 glass strips. Siliconed down and left 3 pound weights on each side for 24 hours.

Did you do this while the tank was up and running? Do you have any pics of the process? Were you worried about silicone getting into the tank?

shakacuz · Jan 5, 2024

thedon986 said:
I would add top and bottom (internal) bracing if you're going to do it right. If it still fails after that, it was never going to not fail.

could you elaborate on this, or draw a quick diagram of what you mean? in my head i’m envisioning vertical posts alongside the corners(kind of like an L in each corner), or horizontal posts alongside the bottom edge to mimic the euro bracing up on top

REEFRIED! · Jan 6, 2024

shakacuz said:
could you elaborate on this, or draw a quick diagram of what you mean? in my head i’m envisioning vertical posts alongside the corners(kind of like an L in each corner), or horizontal posts alongside the bottom edge to mimic the euro bracing up on top

I think what they meant is a top and bottom euro brace. The bottom brace goes inside the tank flat on the bottom.

leepink23 · Jan 6, 2024

REEFRIED! said:
Did you do this while the tank was up and running? Do you have any pics of the process? Were you worried about silicone getting into the tank?

I did add while tank was running. I put painters tape around the area, no silicone got close to water. I don’t have pictures of the process.