Replacing glass center brace.

Balz3352 · Jan 11, 2016

Hello. I am trying to find ideas and opinions on how to replace current glass center brace because it is huge!!

Currently have a 210 gallon tank. 72x24 footprint. Center brace is 24x24 and 1/2 in thick. Im planning on running 3 mh and am concerned 1. No light will get through the center brace 2. Center brace willnget too hot and crack.

My plan was to have a brace welded out of angle iron and have it powder coated. And have the brace instead of one in the middle 2 splitting tank in thirds. I would silicone the metal frame to the glass.

Anyone have experience with doing this? Or opinion thanks in advance.

Pepcrylic · Jan 11, 2016

Who manufactured the tank? Seems like the width of the brace is a bit much. Even with powder coating you will still run the rick of the metal rusting over time. Why not use glass braces where you want to put the metal ones? I have seen many 6' tanks with two top braces siliconed in place.

Howard1234a · Jan 11, 2016

Balz3352 said:
Hello. I am trying to find ideas and opinions on how to replace current glass center brace because it is huge!!

Currently have a 210 gallon tank. 72x24 footprint. Center brace is 24x24 and 1/2 in thick. Im planning on running 3 mh and am concerned 1. No light will get through the center brace 2. Center brace willnget too hot and crack.

My plan was to have a brace welded out of angle iron and have it powder coated. And have the brace instead of one in the middle 2 splitting tank in thirds. I would silicone the metal frame to the glass.

Anyone have experience with doing this? Or opinion thanks in advance.

I had a similar issue on a smaller tank. The brace was below a 250 watt halide. The glass probably sat just about 2 inches from the halide. Just enough space for the reflector to sit on the glass. It was like that for years, but one day cracked. I was not home when it broke, so have no idea what happened. I replaced it with 5/8" glass and never had the issue again. That glass brace was 16" on just a 4 foot tank. I also was concerned about how much UV was lost from the center brace. Over time, I realized that it probably didn't matter. I kept a squamosa clam for years under the glass. I also had mostly SPS. Nothing seemed affected by the glass. My new lighting setup is a Hamilton Cebu sun. The fixture comes with glass that is much thinner probably less than 1/4 inch. Again, I am running 250 watt halides only inches away. This setup has been going for about 5 years. The SPS all are growing and seem happy. That glass gets very hot, but has not cracked.

Go to a glass shop to have the cut made. Ask if they recommend tempered glass or if regular plate glass will work. There must be a more heat resistant glass (as mine is only 1/4 inch now). Also, make sure you tell them that you want smooth edges. I believe that as long as you run fans and give some space for air flow you will be fine. If you change the center brace, you may have to add strips of glass on each side too. I would bet that your tank was made by a large manufacturer. In that case, it was engineered. They probably used exactly what the tank needed. If you change it; you may have a busted tank. Don't use any metals above saltwater if you can avoid it. First, they can rust. Powder coating will help for a while, but rust will come quickly. Also, if you use a 3 inch piece of steel to hold back at least 1500 pounds; that is a lot of pressure per square inch (on just 3 inches of glass. Better to disperse the weight. Your other option could be to make some kind of euro bracing.

Balz3352 · Jan 12, 2016

Pepcrylic said:
Who manufactured the tank? Seems like the width of the brace is a bit much. Even with powder coating you will still run the rick of the metal rusting over time. Why not use glass braces where you want to put the metal ones? I have seen many 6' tanks with two top braces siliconed in place.

It's an old all glass aquarium. Hmm I wonder how wide the braces would have to be

Balz3352 · Jan 12, 2016

Howard1234a said:
I

Go to a glass shop to have the cut made. Ask if they recommend tempered glass or if regular plate glass will work.

Just replace the current glass? Or cut out and do 2 separate strips and 3rd the tank?

Also, if you use a 3 inch piece of steel to hold back at least 1500 pounds; that is a lot of pressure per square inch (on just 3 inches of glass. Better to disperse the weight.

My idea would be to make essentially the plastic trim but in metal so the weight would be completely dispersed.

Your other option could be to make some kind of euro bracing

Unfortunately not an option. Cant find glass long enough and thick enough.

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