cutting out center brace ? ?

symplistik · #1 07-13-2008, 05:26 PM

i have a 46 bow. i recently am adding a single 250 MH fixture. i am looking for help and tips on the heat of the light. considering cutting out the center brace of my tank. any advice would be great. thanks

sharuq1 · #2 07-13-2008, 05:44 PM

Always a bad idea to cut the center brace on a bow.....imo anyway.

We have a bow as well. You could also consider getting a large reflector (like a lumenarc or lumenbright) for a wider dispersal of light into the tank, or you could put lighting on either side of the brace. In my own experience we put a 250w lumenbright over ours. It lights the tank up really well but needs some supplemental on the right due to the brace and being offset. If I had to keep it the way it is I would just add a second halide to it. For now it has the bright in the center and slightly left and a coralife pc to light up the shadowed areas on the right. (This tank is getting upgraded very soon.)

symplistik · #3 07-13-2008, 06:29 PM

ok. thanks for the advice

symplistik · #4 07-27-2008, 07:54 PM

center brace successfully cut out and without incident. i have measured and re measured every hour for the past 2 days and it has not budged a mm.

fkshiu · #5 07-27-2008, 08:24 PM

If you want to play it safer - they're your floors, not mine - glue or screw a clear acrylic rod in place of the brace.

kodak · #6 07-30-2008, 08:38 PM

Not a good idea at all... I have repaired numerous bowfronts. It will eventually pull from the bottom back, front or both. Be cautious......

symplistik · #7 07-30-2008, 09:18 PM

thanks for the advice. i actually just tore the tank down and set up a new 70