Euro brace question

[danny zubot]

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?

[BCOrchidGuy]

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

[danny zubot]

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.

[Richer]

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

[Aquattro]

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.

[BCOrchidGuy]

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

[Aquattro]

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.

[BCOrchidGuy]

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

[Willow]

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.

[danny zubot]

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?