Please tell me I didn't just break my tank

[tjohnson139]

I hope this question hasn't already been asked - I'm not quite sure how to search the archives for this..
I just bought a new lighting system. There was a 2 inch wide plastic bar on the top of the tank that ran from the front to the back. The way the lighting was positioned over the bar, it was casting an ugly shadow over the tank.
So, I took a saw and cut the plastic bar off thinking it was just there to hold the glass lid in place. As soon as the saw broke through, there was a loud pop - a large enough pop that it sent my rockwork tumbling and the glass moved about 1/4 of an inch.
The glass is still intact, there's no water leaking. Everything seems fine right now.
I'm wondering if my tank is okay. Did I just break it? Do I need a new tank now? I should have asked this question before I sawed it in half, but now I'm wondering what that plastic bar was there for. I really thought it was there to hold the glass top up.
Again, I hope I'm not repeating a question already asked. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[reefraff]

I would be worried. Hopefully someone with tank building experience will chime in. having the following information will help you get a good answer. What are the dimensions of the tank and how thick is the glass?

 

[tjohnson139]

I'm not quite sure how thick the glass is - not too thick, though. 1/4 inch maybe but that's just a guess.
It's a 46 gallon bow-front - 36 inches across. About 10 inches from front to back on the sides and then I'm thinking about 17 inches from back to bow front.
Thanks for the quick reply. I'm definitely worried - sitting at work right now wondering what I'm going to come home to.

 

[azaintcold]

The middle support is there for structual integrity. you'll definately want to get that fixed, or get a new tank.

 

[tjohnson139]

How long do I have? Am I going to need to replace it now, or am I good for a few months to save up to afford a new tank?

 

[azaintcold]

If you heard a pop noise, thats not promising. perhaps you can make a brace out of acrylic to hold it over.

Good luck. There are some people here that could help you out better than I could. I've also heard of people using small metal cable wire to make a thin brace, but this is usually on smaller tanks.

 

[lovecraft]

I have this exact setup. On Oceanic's website it says they do not "recommend" removing the center brace as this helps to keep the tank from bowing, also to place lights. needless to say it invalidates the warranty on it.
But from the language, it doesn't seem that it's a tank killer, or I think they would have came out with a "DO NOT REMOVE" kinda thing. Go to their website and click on the frequently asked questions and you can read it for yourself.
http://www.oceanicsystems.com/MainInterface11-new.swf
It's to the manufacturer's website so I think this link is ok, mods remove it if not.

 

[tjohnson139]

Thank you. I feel like a moron for doing this.
The light hangs from the ceiling, so there's no problem there. I just don't want the tank to crack or leak.....there wasn't a warranty on it anyway.
That web site, like you said, said "We don't recommend it, but didn't say "Don't do it," or it's okay to do it. I want to be sure on this one. I'd hate to come home with 60 gallons of saltwater all over my carpet and hundreds of dollars of livestock dead.
Has anyone else actually done this? What was the result? Thanks again for all your help. I really appreciate it.

 

[wifishman1]

i did the same thing and my tank has no problems(leaks)

 

[05xrunner]

you could get a piece of stainless steel solid tubing..then bend it at the ends and drill hole son each side of the tank to stick them in. It would give you the support but there wouldnt be much shadow from it.

 

[jerthunter]

I have heard of plenty of people removing the brace without immediate problems however most of them removed the brace prior to having water in it. Since you had water in it when you removed it I would be more worried since the stress came very quickly as soon as you removed the brace.
Just use this as an excuse to get a bigger tank... It may hold but it will just drive you crazy worrying about it. You do want to worry about it cracking while you're gone or asleep.

 

[pbienkiewi]

cut a piece of acrylic to replace it and use Weld On to glue it. Weld on is found at some window shops or a company that makes signes. Once you glue it it should be fine then. I always keep a tube of weldon handy. It is awsome for any plastic pieces or toys that need to be fixed.

 

[tjohnson139]

Originally Posted by pbienkiewi
cut a piece of acrylic to replace it and use Weld On to glue it. Weld on is found at some window shops or a company that makes signes. Once you glue it it should be fine then. I always keep a tube of weldon handy. It is awsome for any plastic pieces or toys that need to be fixed.

Do you think the stress I caused from the initial pop already damaged the tank? I'll look into buying that glue. Thank you. I just called my lfs and they said they can order me a whole new top as well for $30 to $40 or so. I'll figure a way to get it back on. I just hope I haven't already caused too much stress on the glass.

 

[tjohnson139]

Originally Posted by wifishman1
i did the same thing and my tank has no problems(leaks)

I liked your picture so I went to the store and bought all the stuff I needed to do that. I reattached the plastic bar, but I couldn't get it very tight. There's still a gap between the bar and the tank.
I'm sick about this. I hope that works. It looks like the back of the tank may be bowing a bit, but it's hard to tell. I painted it black and it's pretty close to the wall.

 

[reefraff]

If it were mine I would drain the tank as much as possible to eliminate the bowing, put on a strip of acrylic in place of the plastic and just dont be rough on the tank, probably be fine. I don't know why in heII the tank manufacturers dont use acrylic for braces to begin with.

 

[smartorl]

I wonder if the pop wasn't the bar on the bottom breaking as well under the strain? Mine is a custom and for each bar on the top there is another shadowing it on the bottom. That would account for the noise.

 

[bhfccsr198]

if you go to you lfs and tell them the tank you have and demensions they can prolly get that brace. That the same thing that happend to me. I have a 55 that had a broken brack so i scraped it off and all the glue then got new one and siliconed it on worked great.

 

[peckhead]

i would get a new brace. i got a free tank with a broken piece like yours and i just got a new top for it for 30$ for a 55g

 

[tjohnson139]

Thanks for all the advice
I've spent a lot of time looking at it. I can't see where it's bowing at all. It obviously is because there's separation between the bar and the rest of the tank. But for the most part, everything seems okay.....so far. All the joints look intact and are not leaking.
The bottom brace didn't break. I've checked it from underneath. It's still good. I think the popping that I heard was the top brace breaking away under its own weight after the saw cut through too much. It's been several days. Everything looks like it's holding up okay. No leaks, no signs of stress....nothing.
I can't drain water out of it because the overflow won't work anymore. I thought about that, though.
I'm going to order a new top. It's only about $40. I zip tied the bar back on so it won't bow or separate any more than it already has. I still have that ugly shadow I was trying to avoid in the first place, but I guess it's better than 60 gallons of salt water all over my carpet

I need a new tank anyway. The previous owner scratched the hell out of it and the new metal halides really make it look bad. I think the new top and the zip tie should be okay until then....like my lfs said, there's only 300 lbs of pressure on it and it's all tempered glass. He showed me some of his tanks that he cut the support bar off as well, and hasn't had any problems. His tanks were a lot bigger than mine, too. We'll see about mine, though.
Again, thanks for all the advice. I appreciate the help.

 

[nietzsche]

i wanted to do that to my 28, but i was thinking of either draining half of the water out or putting clamps from the front to back and then cutting the brace off and replace it with acrylic and use nylon screws, but i dont know the thickness of acrylic to use