Euro brace question
 

Ok, the price difference between a regular 65g tank and a euro braced 65 gallon is too much. I have MH lighting so I can't have the center brace.
What I need to know is if the plastic center brace can be cut out and replaced by a thick piece of glass. Has anyone ever done this who can help me?

Sea Star only uses glass for the cross brace but it's bulky and it gets alot of algae and salt on it especially if a light is right over it. Why not contact some of the people who make or order custom tanks from the sounds of it you've got a couple of excellent choices out your way.

Doug

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I have looked into ordering a eurobraced 65g from a couple of sources and the price is at least $100 to $140.00 more expensive! I'm trying to figure out if I can buy a regular tank, buy some scrap glass off of a supplier and brace it myself. Of course I want to sleep at night so I need to know if this can/has been done.

What is the thickness of your glass?

I know with the couple of 65gallon hagen tanks that I've owned, and none of them had a center brace, just a standard black trim. I believe the glass thickness on those tanks are about 3/8". The one remaining 65 I have was used for a few years before I bought it, and I've had it running for about 4 years now, so I don't think structural integrity is a problem. By the way, the dimensions are 48"x16"x20" (lwh).

-Rich

Yes, it can be done. Like Doug said, our local tank builder uses glass centre braces. Usually 1/2" thick, about 8" wide on my 5' tank. You could probably go 6 inches wide on a 4 foot tank.

Brad do you think he could go with a 3/8s thick glass strip that's the width of the plastic center brace? I can't see how the glass would be weaker. You'd sure want to make sure it was the right width though.

Doug

The width is important due to the amount of contact area for the silicone. The silicone holds the tank together, not the width of the glass.

I knew that, was just testing you... honest...

Okay yeah that makes sense I knew there had to be a reason for the size of those braces.

Doug

get hockey nut to snap a pick of his 120, he replaced his plastic one with a plexy one that screws in place so he can take it off if he needs to.

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Thats not a bad idea if there is enough room left on the trim to drill a couple holes. The tank I'll be getting is 36x24x18 and I believe its made from 3/8 glass. So if I wanted to use a glass brace, would 6 inches wide be enough? Do you want to leave a millimeter or two on either end for the silicone or squeeze it in at the exact dimension?