How important is the BOTTOM center brace on a 46g bow front?

castrojc · 08/18/2012, 11:11 AM

This was given to me and it looks pretty much brand new except for the center brace on the bottom of the tank, it broke. I am pretty sure the top center brace should be much more important but I wonder about that bottom brace. Any advice on that?

bnumair · 08/18/2012, 11:13 AM

i have bought euro braced tanks before that have 2-3" bracing all around the tank on the top and bottom but never one with a center brace on the bottom. top yes i have always but not bottom.
when u say its broke: is it missing or got a crack in it. can u post a pic.

castrojc · 08/18/2012, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bnumair

i have bought euro braced tanks before that have 2-3" bracing all around the tank on the top and bottom but never one with a center brace on the bottom. top yes i have always but not bottom.
when u say its broke: is it missing or got a crack in it. can u post a pic.

I will post a pic in a minute, but it is broken... in other words it looks like it was cut in half and the two halves are still there but not connected

castrojc · 08/18/2012, 11:25 AM

bnumair · 08/18/2012, 11:33 AM

is that 1" bracing of a glass on the inside of the bottom?
if it is i wouldnt worry about the plastic brace broken on the underside. use a 3/4" or 1" sheet of styrofoam under it. leak test the tank before setup.

castrojc · 08/18/2012, 11:51 AM

The brace is underneath the tank, thanks for the help!

chris s · 08/18/2012, 11:58 AM

Is it just me or does the broken brace look deformed / melted? Any chance it was the top frame that got melted / broken and swapped to the bottom?

macktab · 08/18/2012, 12:16 PM

Brace at bottom is just as important as the top. Assuming manufacturer needed the brace (must have or addl cost in manufacturing) to tie the bottom frame together because the frame is not rigid on it's own. Repair it with a compatible piece of plastic (ABS?) and proper adhesive for joing those materials. Simple and reasonably cheap fix, to restore intended tank base stability.

castrojc · 08/18/2012, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris s

Is it just me or does the broken brace look deformed / melted? Any chance it was the top frame that got melted / broken and swapped to the bottom?

I was actually noticing that myself, it does look melted or something

castrojc · 08/18/2012, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macktab

Brace at bottom is just as important as the top. Assuming manufacturer needed the brace (must have or addl cost in manufacturing) to tie the bottom frame together because the frame is not rigid on it's own. Repair it with a compatible piece of plastic (ABS?) and proper adhesive for joing those materials. Simple and reasonably cheap fix, to restore intended tank base stability.

So how can I fix this?

chris s · 08/18/2012, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by castrojc

So how can I fix this?

If you can figure out what company built the tank, they should be able to sell you a replacement frame.

08/18/2012, 11:11 AM	#1
castrojc Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 79	How important is the BOTTOM center brace on a 46g bow front? This was given to me and it looks pretty much brand new except for the center brace on the bottom of the tank, it broke. I am pretty sure the top center brace should be much more important but I wonder about that bottom brace. Any advice on that?

08/18/2012, 11:13 AM	#2
bnumair Dr. Reef at ur service Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tulsa, Ok, USA Posts: 7,751 Blog Entries: 15	i have bought euro braced tanks before that have 2-3" bracing all around the tank on the top and bottom but never one with a center brace on the bottom. top yes i have always but not bottom. when u say its broke: is it missing or got a crack in it. can u post a pic. __________________ Water Quality: NO3 0,Phos 0,Cal 440,Alk 7.5,Mag 1300 "Reef Fast, You Crash, Reef Slow, You Pass" Mike's Reef 3:16 Current Tank Info: 350g DT,95g sump, 50g Frag tank, 4800gph return 4x Sea swirls. 6x AI Vega Color. 200# Pukani rock, dual recirculating skimmer, Biopellet, GFO Carbon rx's, Cal rx. Closed loop. 1.5hp chiller, genesis renew. Apex & RKE

08/18/2012, 11:33 AM	#5
bnumair Dr. Reef at ur service Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tulsa, Ok, USA Posts: 7,751 Blog Entries: 15	is that 1" bracing of a glass on the inside of the bottom? if it is i wouldnt worry about the plastic brace broken on the underside. use a 3/4" or 1" sheet of styrofoam under it. leak test the tank before setup. __________________ Water Quality: NO3 0,Phos 0,Cal 440,Alk 7.5,Mag 1300 "Reef Fast, You Crash, Reef Slow, You Pass" Mike's Reef 3:16 Current Tank Info: 350g DT,95g sump, 50g Frag tank, 4800gph return 4x Sea swirls. 6x AI Vega Color. 200# Pukani rock, dual recirculating skimmer, Biopellet, GFO Carbon rx's, Cal rx. Closed loop. 1.5hp chiller, genesis renew. Apex & RKE

08/18/2012, 11:25 AM	#4
castrojc Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 79

08/18/2012, 11:51 AM	#6
castrojc Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 79	The brace is underneath the tank, thanks for the help!

08/18/2012, 11:58 AM	#7
chris s Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Douglasville, Ga Posts: 94	Is it just me or does the broken brace look deformed / melted? Any chance it was the top frame that got melted / broken and swapped to the bottom?

08/18/2012, 12:16 PM	#8
macktab Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: MA Posts: 107	Brace at bottom is just as important as the top. Assuming manufacturer needed the brace (must have or addl cost in manufacturing) to tie the bottom frame together because the frame is not rigid on it's own. Repair it with a compatible piece of plastic (ABS?) and proper adhesive for joing those materials. Simple and reasonably cheap fix, to restore intended tank base stability.