?? about supports on top of tank

[reeffer]

do i need those middle braces on the top of my tank?? I have a 135G Reef. Now i also have a TUNZE wavebox which i have heard adds stress to the tank?? THe reason i ask is one of my MH lights in the fixture is right above the middle support. I have alread took out the other two..which were also right in the middle of lights.....( who designs these things anyway..do they know there going over tanks??)
so what do you know about? help me out :help:

 

[jmick]

The supports are there for a reason and I’d never remove any of them…unless you want a flooded home.

 

[reeffer]

Originally Posted by Jmick
The supports are there for a reason and I’d never remove any of them…unless you want a flooded home.
do they really give that much support??
ok...so my options...remove the brace and add two where there is no light?? would that work..any idea about what to use..im thinking maybe so galvanized alum. or stainless (thin) following me... :notsure:
or offset the light so its not over the center( that would look tacky)

 

[reeffer]

if i posted an insult i would have responses but i ask a question and nothing .....

 

[dogstar]

I had a 55g once with a brace in the center and it broke and the glass started bowing a halve inch. The only thing that kept it from going all the way was the custem hood around it that held it. Not good when glass starts to bow.

 

[reeffer]

Originally Posted by Dogstar
I had a 55g once with a brace in the center and it broke and the glass started bowing a halve inch. The only thing that kept it from going all the way was the custem hood around it that held it. Not good when glass starts to bow.

any ideas around it ??? i dont need any floods :scared:

 

[ophiura]

I would never remove any supports. That is the place to start. I would say that lighting can be more flexible if you do DIY, etc....but the supports should stay. Otherwise, by a tank specifically designed as a "euro" brace or brick tank, which may even sometimes use different glass in the construction but I am not positive. I wouldn't even remove the center brace on my 45g tank

 

[wbilton]

You already removed 2 of the 3 supports? I thnk you maybe in trouble

 

[turningtim]

Is this glass? Could you somehow use glass and attach crossmembers (1/2" x 2" x L) with silicone. I don't know if it would be as strong but it would be something. Or you could just erou-brace the whole thing with no cross-members.
I wouldn't use ant knid of metal! With saltwater it will not work.
JMO
Tim

 

[dogstar]

Originally Posted by reeffer
any ideas around it ??? i dont need any floods :scared:
New tank, New lights, raise lights about 2 feet. Hevey duty noncorosive carpenter C clamps on either side of center light.

 

[dogstar]

Or something like what TurningTim said.

 

[reeffer]

Hey thanks for your imput. My LFS has some tanks that are braced with glass across the top but i couldnt do that because of the plastic rim.
Dog if i raise the lights a foot or two that might be good enough. If i raise the fixture the light wont be 3" away from the cross member, so it may not block it as bad, right??
will the light intensity still be strong enough for a clam on the bottom if i raise the fixture?

 

[watertight]

All tanks down here are made out of all glass. For support they use a ledge that's about 1 inch wide and runs across the front and back of the tank, about 1 inch from the top of the glass. On top of that are glass supports that run from the front to the back, and are stuck to the top of these ledges by silicone. There is nothing in the tanks that isn't either glass or silicone. I have a link to a site that has all the info you could ever need for a tank:
http://www.austinglass.com.au/index.html
Hope it helps....

 

[27mtaylor]

There may be no way to make this happen, but what if you took some braided fishing line like spyder wire or something like that, that has a really strong pound test and cut your support out (but leave a tab on the front and back) Drill some holes in to tabs and tie the fishing line across. Maybe make two runs of it. That shouldn't block any light. ...I was just thinking.

 

[turningtim]

Any type of line would stretch and lose any holding power. Place the glass cross-members under the plastic rim inside tank. Silicone is very tough stuff and will adhere to the glass the best. Have the length of the members cut down to maybe a 16th shorter than the width of the tank. Tape off the parameter of the area that you want the member to be placed. Use plenty of silicone and try not to get any bubbles in the joint. After the member is in place remove the tape and most of the extra silicone will be removed. Run a bead around the joint and finish with your finger to form a nice fillet of silicone. Tape the members up and over the top and let it dry. I would also remove as much water as possible so the glass is not stressed and bowed.
Don't know if it will work but maybe!
HTH
Tim

 

[watertight]

I would do that with the ones already removed first, then when they are strong enough to support the tank I'd change over the one that's still there now. I reckon the tank needs all 3.