Replacing center braces with acrylic? Who's done it??!

[McPuff]

Curious to see who else has removed their standard brace and replaced it with acrylic (or other?). I took a standard 75 gallon and replaced the center brace with 2" wide 1/4" cast acrylic. I used nylon bolts and nuts to fix it into place while the tank was empty (4 per side). The tank has been filled for a few months now and there are no ill signs whatsoever (not that I expected any). It's been great because there is NO shadowing in the tank like you'd typically get. This has me tempted to do something very similar with my 300DD (the frames are super wide, argh!) but obviously I'm extremely scared because of the consequences of what could go wrong. Water draw-down and partial cuts would probably render my fears mostly moot... but still.

Have you done this or something similar? What about on a tank that's up and running???

 

[Sleepydoc]

As it comes from the factory, it’s molded as one piece, so the force is evenly distributed across the entire width of the brace. By replacing it with screws as you did you are concentrating the force at 2 small screw holes. It may be fine, but I would be concerned about the strain on the black abs frame causing it to crack where you used the bolts.

 

[Reefs and Geeks]

I agree with Sleepydoc. The strength of your brace will now be reliant on the shear strength of the plastic bolts you used, rather than an evenly distributed load across the beam. Good you used 4 bolts, however if you did them by hand there's a high chance that they aren't all carrying the load evenly, or some may be doing nothing at all if they aren't lined up just perfect. It MAY work, but you wouldn't know untill the tank failed.

I really wish they'd make the braces clear from the factory. I hate how the original brace blocks light and makes an obvious dark spot in the tank.

 

[jradishness]

Would it be better to make it of clear glass and silicone it across to each side glass? I cut the center brace out of my sump, but obviously replaced the strength with glass baffles siliconed. I would trust glass and silicone a bit more than a handful of plastic screws.

 

[mfinn]

Curious to see who else has removed their standard brace and replaced it with acrylic (or other?). I took a standard 75 gallon and replaced the center brace with 2" wide 1/4" cast acrylic. I used nylon bolts and nuts to fix it into place while the tank was empty (4 per side). The tank has been filled for a few months now and there are no ill signs whatsoever (not that I expected any). It's been great because there is NO shadowing in the tank like you'd typically get. This has me tempted to do something very similar with my 300DD (the frames are super wide, argh!) but obviously I'm extremely scared because of the consequences of what could go wrong. Water draw-down and partial cuts would probably render my fears mostly moot... but still.

Have you done this or something similar? What about on a tank that's up and running???

I did exactly what you did on a 55 gallon tank I picked up .
The previous owner set a heater on the plastic brace and forgot it was plugged in and melted the brace almost completely through.
I cut off most of the brace and used a piece of acrylic and even nylon bolts and nuts, like you did.
I used it as a holding tank for a couple years and passed it on to a friend who uses it for a sump.

My friend has been using it for about 5 years now.

 

[McPuff]

Would it be better to make it of clear glass and silicone it across to each side glass? I cut the center brace out of my sump, but obviously replaced the strength with glass baffles siliconed. I would trust glass and silicone a bit more than a handful of plastic screws.

Would love to see pics showing how you did this. I agree this is much stronger than what I have done.

@mfinn would like to see yours too. I think this is a fairly common approach on smaller tanks.

And I understand what other posters have said about the screws carrying weight, etc. I contemplated using titanium bolts instead but even then you're limited by the strength of the acrylic and the frame itself and the fact that the connections are relatively small compared to the original frame. BUT, that is also why I'm asking to see what others have done.

For my 300, the best option would be removing the existing braces entirely and use silicone to add 1/2" thick glass braces instead. I don't believe this is really an option [for me] since the tank is filled. If one were really intrigued by danger (Austin Powers?) then he/she could use some really strong clamps, remove one brace and replace, then do the other side. I am NOT this person. I'd love to experiment with something (outside!) just to see what is possible.