glass brace/cross support (too wide) - modification options???

K' Family Reef · 02/26/2009, 11:25 AM

we have a glass 5ft 125
w/ a (1/2") 19" wide cross support... this tank probably doesnt have that much more time w/ us (upgrading) but its going to keep on reefing - as we are still going to keep it in the family.

so i need to figure out if there are any 'options'
in working w/ this thing (as it sits full of reef and water) - to reduce this cross support down so its not so wide - yet not take away from the overall structural integrity of the tank...

or perhaps the only option
is to wait until its down to do any modifications to it?

thanks in advance.

regards

K' Family Reef · 02/26/2009, 03:27 PM

.

K' Family Reef · 02/26/2009, 04:36 PM

Kenzy · 02/27/2009, 08:33 AM

I think your only real option would be a Eurobrace, but that's not something I would like to tackle on a running system.

K' Family Reef · 02/27/2009, 08:56 AM

Kenzy

thanks for the reply.
was thinking that its generally not a good idea to attempt removing the brace while its running... a eurobrace would be nice but dont believe that would be an option w/out major changes...

regards

THE ROOK · 02/27/2009, 03:03 PM

Are you looking to remove the brace & replace with a narrow one?

If your brave, you could use 2-3 pipe clamps with 1x2 backers over the top to keep the glass steady while the brace is changed.

You know, I think it actually sounds like fun. lol

K' Family Reef · 02/27/2009, 06:52 PM

The Rook
thinking of doing 2 narrower supports in place of the one large one.

regards

[17]shawn[17] · 02/27/2009, 07:16 PM

i have seen a thread to where a guy replaced his big black brace with a clear acrylic one try puting it in google im sure that you could do somthing similar.

also do you have a pic of the tank? maybe if we see it we can help you come up with a plan

therealfatman · 02/28/2009, 05:01 AM

Put a three glass cross brace on each side of the wide brace and after the silicone has cured 24 fours cut out the old wide center brace.

K' Family Reef · 02/28/2009, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by therealfatman
Put a three glass cross brace on each side of the wide brace and after the silicone has cured 24 fours cut out the old wide center brace.

therealfatman
that seems fairly simple... when you say a "3 glass cross brace" - is this a type of glass?...

was thinking of putting a 5" brace on each side of the main
then cutting out the main support... so i would be reducing about 9" of total support on the tank... dont know how this would change the overall support of the tank or if it would really make that big of a difference...

the tank was originally custom built and used for african cichlids...
a 19" wide support on a 60" tank seems excessive to me today but at the time (the way the tank was being used) was no big deal... that was about 10years ago and perhaps builders used wider supports back then...

thanks for the reply.

regards

duijver · 03/01/2009, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by [17]shawn[17]
i have seen a thread to where a guy replaced his big black brace with a clear acrylic one try puting it in google im sure that you could do somthing similar.

also do you have a pic of the tank? maybe if we see it we can help you come up with a plan

How did he insure that the clear acrylic one secured down correctly to the original plastic black upper lip? Weld-on? I think that acrylic would be better than glass due to the possibility of breaking but I'm guessing that silicone is not a valid adhesive for the job?

Thanks!

02/26/2009, 11:25 AM	#1
K' Family Reef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,966	glass brace/cross support (too wide) - modification options??? we have a glass 5ft 125 w/ a (1/2") 19" wide cross support... this tank probably doesnt have that much more time w/ us (upgrading) but its going to keep on reefing - as we are still going to keep it in the family. so i need to figure out if there are any 'options' in working w/ this thing (as it sits full of reef and water) - to reduce this cross support down so its not so wide - yet not take away from the overall structural integrity of the tank... or perhaps the only option is to wait until its down to do any modifications to it? thanks in advance. regards

02/26/2009, 04:36 PM	#3
K' Family Reef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,966	Last edited by K' Family Reef; 02/26/2009 at 04:53 PM.

02/27/2009, 07:16 PM	#8
[17]shawn[17] Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Brockville Ontario Canada Posts: 844	i have seen a thread to where a guy replaced his big black brace with a clear acrylic one try puting it in google im sure that you could do somthing similar. also do you have a pic of the tank? maybe if we see it we can help you come up with a plan __________________ shawn “We will only conserve what we love. We will only love what we understand. We will only understand what we are taught.”

02/26/2009, 03:27 PM	#2
K' Family Reef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,966	.

02/27/2009, 08:33 AM	#4
Kenzy Premium Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Gananoque,ON Posts: 845	I think your only real option would be a Eurobrace, but that's not something I would like to tackle on a running system.

02/27/2009, 08:56 AM	#5
K' Family Reef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,966	Kenzy thanks for the reply. was thinking that its generally not a good idea to attempt removing the brace while its running... a eurobrace would be nice but dont believe that would be an option w/out major changes... regards

02/27/2009, 03:03 PM	#6
THE ROOK Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Springfield, MA Posts: 2,100	Are you looking to remove the brace & replace with a narrow one? If your brave, you could use 2-3 pipe clamps with 1x2 backers over the top to keep the glass steady while the brace is changed. You know, I think it actually sounds like fun. lol

02/27/2009, 06:52 PM	#7
K' Family Reef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,966	The Rook thinking of doing 2 narrower supports in place of the one large one. regards

02/28/2009, 05:01 AM	#9
therealfatman Moved On Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 1,471	Put a three glass cross brace on each side of the wide brace and after the silicone has cured 24 fours cut out the old wide center brace.